The American (2010)

The American (2010)

[6] George Clooney stars as an assassin-for-hire who's getting tired of the job. He's always looking over his shoulder, always afraid to trust anyone, always sleeping with one eye open. Can he turn over a new leaf, or will his…
Baby Driver (2017)

Baby Driver (2017)

[8] I was not looking forward to Baby Driver, because I haven't especially cared for any other Edgar Wright movie I've ever seen. (Watching Scott Pilgrim in the theatre with a full house was actually one of the most depressing…
RED (2010)

RED (2010)

[6] Jean-Luc Godard once said, "All you need for a movie is a girl and a gun." Watching Helen Mirren seize comand of a blazing Gatling gun, I think Godard may be onto something. RED isn't terribly original or surprising, but…
The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

[7] An unusual sequel of sorts, The Godfather Part II spends equal time in the past and the present, exploring the early life of Vito Corleone (with Robert DeNiro taking over the mantle from Marlon Brando) while also following the…
The Godfather Part III (1990)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

[7] While I enjoy parts two and three, I have the same general problem with both of them. Why do they exist? The first film tells a complete story, but part two (with its shuffling of prelude and epilogue) plays…
The Town (2010)

The Town (2010)

[7] Ben Affleck stars in and directs this drama/thriller about a bank robber who falls in love with the manager at a bank he recently took down while he plans his next heist and evades the FBI. Affleck is a…
The Public Enemy (1931)

The Public Enemy (1931)

[7] James Cagney makes his breakthrough performance as a Chicago street kid who becomes a successful gangster during prohibition. I don't usually like gangster movies, but director William Wellman (Wings, The Ox-Bow Incident) frames The Public Enemy as a cautionary…
No Way Out (1987)

No Way Out (1987)

[6] Kevin Costner stars as a Navy officer who gets enlisted by the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman) to get secret information from the CIA about a new Russian submarine project. Both men are sleeping with the same woman (Sean…
American Gangster (2007)

American Gangster (2007)

[6] Ridley Scott directs from a script by Steven Zaillian this true story about a New York detective (Russell Crowe) and a drug lord (Denzel Washington) whose paths cross in the 1970s to expose deep-rooted corruption in the police force.…
Young Adam (2003)

Young Adam (2003)

[5] Director David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) adapts Alexander Trocchi's novel about a Scottish drifter (Ewan McGregor) who falls in with a family living and working on a river barge, all while hiding what he knows about an alleged…