Despite the positive reviews, I found the second half of John Wick just a collection of scenes of stylised violence. This was disappointing as there might have been an interesting thriller to be made from a promising story. Keanu Reeves is back, this time playing a retired hitman. But when he is upset by his old gang, you just know what comes next. The movie is good to look at and occasionally the dialogue makes sense. I think there could be a sequel, but next time a bit more story would be good.
Sandwiched between two violent films came the lovely, sweet and harmless Cinderella. Guess which I preferred. Kenneth Branagh has resisted the opportunity to make something new, and gone back to the traditional story and made it seem fresh and interesting. This is mainly down to the script from Chris Weitz which is both modern and very clever. As expected, the acting is first class. I found the supposed star turn from Cate Blanchett as the horrid stepmother was upstaged by the British contingent with brilliant cameos from Helena Bonham Carter, Derek Jacobi and Rob Brydon of all people. The cinematography, costumes and set were expertly colourful with no expense spared.
An unremittingly bleak thriller set in the USSR of 1953 at the end of the terrifying regime of Joseph Stalin. The film could have done with more plotting of the detective work undertaken by disgraced secret police agent Leo Demidov played with almost too much restraint by the terrific Tom Hardy. Instead we get too much of the political intrigue involving the police state, and only in the last third does the movie move more into traditional thriller territory. It may be that it takes too literally the background of Tom Rob Smith's acclaimed novel from 2008 and perhaps the adaptation could have been better. Having said that, the movie never fails to hold your attention. Unfortunately the two endings were straight out of the Hollywood handbook, something this worthy production did not deserve.
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