This is my monthly round up of the films I have seen on Netflix. For December, I have split this into two parts.
Ambush
Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Aaron Eckhart star in this Vietnam War movie from director Mark Burman. A group commandos are sent to retrieve a dossier containing South Vietnamese operatives before it falls into enemy hands. This low budget tale is hampered with one of the worst scripts this year. None of the dialogue felt natural and the story is dragged out interminably.
Rating: 2.5 out of 10
The Out-Laws
A straight-laced bank manager is about to be married when his bank is held up by infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week. He suspects that his future in-laws who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws. This has some amusing moments thanks to an impressive supporting cast, with Poorna Jagannathan, Richard Kind and Lauren Lapkus stand outs.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Suspect X (aka Jaane Jaan)
When a single mum’s abusive husband ends up dead, her next door neighbour unexpectedly offers to help cover up the crime. But their plan looks like being thwarted when an eager cop shows up determined to get to the truth. This is an ingenious thriller that pleasingly uncovers its plot gradually. It also has impressive performances by Kareena Kapoor and Naisha Khanna as the killers. However, typically for an Indian movie, it is too long, with a sluggish opening, an unnecessary musical number and too many montages recapping the story.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Love is in the Air
Singer Delta Goodrem stars as a seaplane pilot flying in the tropics who finds herself falling for the man sent to sink her business. All the rom com clichés are present and correct, though Joshua Sasse is pretty good.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Old Dads
After selling their business, three men find themselves out of step with the modern world. Horribly stereotypical and unfunny characters and freakishly annoying kids make this so called comedy virtually unwatchable.
Rating: 2 out of 10
Wingwomen
Melanie Lauren (who also directs) stars with Adèle Exarchopoulos as Carole and Alex, two old friends who also work as thieves. They decide to undertake one last job. It is good to see a female led action comedy and it works pretty well. The banter between Carole and Alex is fresh and funny and the action scenes are well staged. It is, though, let down a little by a preposterous ending.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Ballerina
Jang Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo), a former bodyguard, discovers that her best friend has died and her last wish was for Ok-ju to find and kill a sex trafficker named Choi Pro. Although the story drags a bit at times and there are too many flashbacks to happier times, the action scenes are brilliantly staged by Chung-Hyun Lee and Jong-seo is very convincing.
Rating: 6 out of 10
In Love and Deep Water
A butler and a passenger try to solve a murder on a luxury liner. A running time of over 2 hours is too long for the fairly thin story but Aoi Miyazaki and Ryo Yoshizawa make a pleasing couple and the twists towards the end are unexpected.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Leave the World Behind
Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke star as a couple whos weekend getaway starts to go wrong when a man appears at the door with his daughter saying he owns the house they are staying in. From then on, weird things start to happen including blackouts, internet service going down and all TV and radio stations going off air.
I have seen this billed as a disaster movie, and, whilst it has elements of that, it is more low key and perplexing. There are terrific performances from Hawke, Mahershala Ali as the stranger and Myha’ala and Farrah Mackenzie as their daughters. Rumaan Ali and director Sam Esmail screenplay provides plenty of food for thought, though they could be accused of over egging things at times. Thought provoking and suspenseful.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Also this month:
Leo is a pretty run of the mill, though not unpleasant animation. It has a few good gags for the grown ups but the songs are quite bad.
Rustin is an earnest but episodic biopic of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
A sulky teenage boy meets am orphaned girl in the utterly boring See You on Venus.
In Last Call Istanbul, two married people from Turkey meet and connect in New York. The story has a decent twist but once revealed, it grinds to a halt.
Fresh out of prison, Lori Laughlin returns to the screen in the listless rom com Fall Into Winter. She has no chemistry with her love interest played by James Tupper.
Saudi Arabian drama Naga is plagued with poor performances and hyperactive direction.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers returns in the silly, muddled horror film, Disquiet that really tested my patience.
Ratings out of 10:
Leo: 5
Rustin: 5.5
See You on Venus: 2
Last Call Istanbul: 4.5
Fall Into Winter: 3
Naga: 3
Disquiet: 2.5