Dead Man Down Movie Review - Guest Writer Matt Lowe

Remember that awesome movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Original) that was directed by the Danish director Niels Arden Oplev? Well, Niels has decided to grace us with his first American film, Dead Man Down. Many of you who follow me know I was lucky enough to attend the Hollywood premiere with Nev (Catfish: The TV Show) and another friend of mine. Before the film started Niels gave a little speech explaining the hard work and dedication that was invested into this film. I think that alone always helps me judge movies a little less knowing all the busy people that made it possible. It was also very cool to meet Oplev's children, some of the actors and some new friends at the after party.

Now on to the Lowe Down on Dead Man Down. First off I would like to note the amazing talent that was brought together for this movie. It stars Colin Farrell (Total Recall), Noomi Rapace (Prometheus), Dominic Cooper (Mama Mia), and the one and only bad-ass Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)! The vast array of talent behind the scenes and on camera is remarkable!

Noomi as Beatrice

So I'd like to go into high detail about the movie plot but the trailer will be posted below to get your mouths watering. I feel like the plot of this movie is very articulate and amazingly written. I'm willing to admit that I'm not smart enough to explain the plot without giving too many things away. I will say that this movie was directed and filmed with style and flowed graciously. From the opening scene of the movie until the end you are captivated and at the edge of your seat wondering what will happen with Farrell's character, Victor, who slowly reveals his plan for revenge throughout the film.

Among the blazing gun battles and body count you find a very realistic on screen chemistry between Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace. Don't fear, it's definitely not the same romance you would expect and I think the same goes for the plot of this movie overall. I enjoyed Dead Man Down for it's simple scenes as well and the realism of the life of each character.

At the Dead Man Down red carpet premier with Nev S.

On top of all that you can't go wrong with having Terrence Howard in your first American Blockbuster. His delivery and passion really shows through each character he portrays.

The only thing I would change is the fact that Niels Arden Oplev doesn't use Trent Reznor's (Nine Inch Nails) fantastical skills on making all his movie scores. A prime example is the dark movie score Reznor composed for the movie The Social Network and from Niels' last movie The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Although I do believe Jacob Groth did an excellent job composing the soundtrack.

Please make sure to check out Dead Man Down when it premieres everywhere this Friday. See movie times and buy tickets on Fandango today!

Written By:

Matt Lowe

(Check out "The Writers Tab" at the top of the page for more info on Matt)

Jonah Hex

Jonah Hex wasn't a horrible movie but it wasn't awesome. It was just... eh. Some parts of the movie were just so weird. I was expecting some major bad-ass-ness, but was totally let down. 

What makes it worse is that Megan Fox was in it. I put up with Transformers because it's a good movie, despite Fox's sad acting abilities. However, once again, like Transformers, she's just eye candy. I don't understand why they even give her lines. (Don't think I'm saying this because she's beautiful and I'm a hater. I honestly think she's a bad actress (however, I did enjoy Jennifer's Body). And if you disagree, you're probably a male and blinded by her hotness--Also, she even admits to not being a good actress. Props to her for owning up.)

When I wasn't distracted by the fact that Megan Fox looks like she has botox in her face and massive lip injections, I was being disappointed with the action scenes. They seemed forced and lacked creativity. Josh Brolin and John Malkovich are way too old to fight the way they did and  actually look hardcore. This is not anything against old people, because there are some older men who totally pull off action movies. Like Forest Whitaker. He is one total bad-ass!

The best parts were when Will Arnett was on the screen. He was hilarious. But, uh, he actually wasn't supposed to be. His character was serious and didn't crack jokes. But if you've watched comedies with Arnett in it, you know he's funny by delivering his lines very seriously. So him acting a serious part that's not supposed to be funny was just that. Funny.

The parts that were comic book-ish (I'm really not sure how to word that?) were pretty sweet. And there's a brief appearance by Jeffery Dean Morgan which was nice (love him!) and surprisingly he plays a dead man. Oh wait, that's not surprising at all (more on that in a later posting.) 

Overall I enjoyed it. Not the first movie I'd want to re-watch, but it was entertaining. I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel if Megan Fox's character is either not in it or dies a painful death in the first few minutes. :)