thomas4cinema

 This is as straightforward as it gets: aging hit man gets “a final job” because he will only get his “experimental” cancer medicine if he does. He dresses poorly and through superhuman skills and excessive good luck, he survives, gets it done and… it really makes you sleepy just trying to write this.

There is nothing wrong with this film other than the complete absence of originality. Oh and the character of the lady giving the job to Kevin Costner, of course, which is so poorly written, acted and just anger-inducingly stupid that I started hoping JarJar could come and replace her to introduce some sense. And the recurring motif of the guy’s daughter’s bike. And the effort to shoehorn some parental conflict story into a thriller.

Now that I think about it, maybe there’s plenty wrong with that film, and all has to do with doing more than necessary, trying to be original and funny while completely lacking talent for either. Luc Besson has confirmed himself to be among the worst producers and authors ever, and McGeeeee has confirmed himself to do anything thrown at him for money. Kevin Costner is maybe the only person coming out of this unscathed, as he does not really seem to care that much what this film is all about. He is just carrying around a bicycle for no reason and occasionally torturing and killing somebody. That is not really necessary in terms of his career, but it certainly will pay some bills.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/3_days_to_kill/

It took me a while to discover this, but the A.V. Club’s New Cult Canon is a treasure trove!  Working my way through these gems got me across a Bill Murray vehicle that I had certainly seen decades ago, but could not remember apart from the make-up of Murray’s bank robbing clown.

That film is quite funny, I have to say! A trio of partly sly, partly sexy and partly inept crooks do the traditional bank robbery getaway thing the way you would want to do it. It gets interesting when they are trying to get out of town, the town that they claim to loathe, but which in all its depravity faces them with so many moments of warm-hearted recognition that you could imagine them cruising New York’s less glitzy neighbourhoods for all eternity and considering this utterly normal.

Bill Murray very much does his Bill Murray routine, and this film being from 1990, this means Murray is at the height of his Bill Murray-ishness (a bit beyond peak, maybe, but enough to work with). Geena Davies and Randy Quaid should not be neglected though, Quaid’s big lunk clumsiness and Davies’ sexy lips at the height of her sexy-lipped-ness makes this an eminently watchable trio infernal, with Jason Robards on their tails.

Not a masterpiece, not an Oscar contender, but the kind of film that you will never regret watching again when it crosses your screen.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/quick_change/