by Dame Bralic Matthews
Writer, Creator
"Dead Man Down"-Dead funny at times….
…Only because Actor/Singer Jamie Foxx, who has nothing to do with this movie at all, went on a funny rant about the lead actor of this film, Terrance Howard. On Foxx's own SIRUS radio show, he capped on Howard's shaking nasal tone voice that Foxx claims Howard uses in every one of his films. I never really noticed the repetitive tone that Howard uses until Sunday. I was trying to believe him as the villain of the film, but thanks to damn Jamie Foxx, I had a smile on my face when Howard said his lines. I was even smiling when Howard was doing his best bad guy monologue in one of the movie's most intense scenes with Colin Farrell.
Farrell on the other hand did not make me laugh; his serious demeanor was what I expected out of him as he played a scorn Hungarian Father named Victor, posing as crime lord boss and Alphonses' (Howard) right hand man. Alphonse's crew gunned down Victor's family; Victor survived the attack and vowed to take out Alphonse's men one by one while leaving creepy little clues of whom he is along the way. Victor is doing all this from the inside, trying to stay one step in front of his trusted friend and fellow crew member, Darcy (Dominic Cooper), who by the end of the movie puts two and two together and realizes that his friend Victor is the one taking out their own crew one by one. Oh yeah, we do not know how Victor joined Alphonse's crew. Alphonse did not know whom the family was that he gunned so he never knew Victor until he was looking to get onto someone's crew; I made that last part up but that is what the movie left me believing.
The killing the crew part of the plan is the easy part. Things get complicated when the "not so pretty in the film" love interest Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) makes Victor kill the guy that crushed her face while being involved in a prior dunk driving accident. Victor feels compelled to comply because Beatrice witnessed and recorded Victor killing one of Alphonse's men in his apartment. Towards the end of the film, Beatrice realizes that killing the person that scarred her face for life will not heal her wounds but being with someone that has also felt pain in his life like Victor could be subtle therapy. In movie world that is believable, so I bought it. At the end, all hell breaks loose and everybody knows whom everybody is, people are napped, and people are blasted, very good action!
Some twist and "setup" could have been done before, but I have no problem with that, as long as the film can deliver in their own creative way and to me this film did that. Once I got over laughing at Howard's voice, I was able to appreciate him being another African-American actor in what I call a mainstream genre film. Glad I saw this at the theaters. Will be looking forward to more Terrance Howard; I just won't listen to Jamie Foxx before I do.
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