In this stylish but circuitous and needlessly complicated kidnap thriller, cuddly Nick Frost takes a sharp left turn away from his comedy origins and unearths his inner psychopath, as a taxi driver who may sound like a harmless cockney oaf, but who would give Travis Bickle a run for his fare.
Stew Mott
Marvel’s latest concoction sees a team of perfectly cast rogues, all of them at least vaguely familiar from supporting roles in prior movies and TV shows, taking on an impossible mission during which they can run, jump, punch, shoot, kick, stab and perhaps find their inner heroes along the way.
The central cinematic thesis is that music is a mystical force that can be used either to heal or to harm. In this particular context the dichotomy goes from gospel, by which one can commune with God, to the blues, by which the guitar becomes a totem of the devil. It’s an idea as old as the Mississippi Delta, and allows the story to dig deep into the roots of African-American culture, by repurposing classic horror tropes and by the selective perversion of religious symbolism.
"Single mum seeks cute, kind man with GSOH; let’s meet in penthouse restaurant for drinks, giggles and … MORE??" At least that’s how Violet hopes her evening will go, until ‘more’ turns out to be a mysterious text message revealing that her young son’s being held hostage and the only way she’ll get him back is to murder her rather promising date.