DVD Roundup (After The Sunset, The Final Cut, Ladder 49)

After The Sunset

If you took every heist movie cliche and threw it together, it would look a lot like "After The Sunset". Great thief taking one last job...bumbling cop always one step behind...job that is supposedly impossible...beautiful women...I know, you have heard this all before. The movie is likeable enough, in a recycled sort of way. Everyone in it is good, but no one is outstanding. Brosnan is likeable in suave sort of way. Harrelson is funny, as the bumbling FBI agent. Salma Hayek is unbelievably good looking as Brosnan's girlfriend/partner in crime. This is certainly Brett Ratner's worst film to date, it seems like he is really regressing as a filmmaker.

The Final Cut

In the not to distant future, you can buy an implant that records your life. When you die, an editor edits your life together for people to remember you by. This of course brings up many ethical questions. This is basically the story of "The Final Cut" in a nutshell. It is a movie that doesn't always work, but the story is so interesting, that even when it isn't fully working it still holds your attention. Robin Williams plays the editor and he does a good job here as a guy living his life through other people's death. Jim Caviezel and Mira Sorvino do the best with what they have, but are pretty one dimensional. Worth a look, especially if your into science fiction.

Ladder 49

What "Ladder 49" lacks in creativity, it makes up with solid acting and a good smart script. It is nothing that hasn't been seen before, but it hasn't all been done this well before. Joaquin Phoenix is really solid as the lead. He manages to pull off being a rookie and a grizzled firefighter equally well. The supporting cast is what really makes the film stand out though. John Travolta, Balthazar Getty, Morris Chestnutt, Robert Patrick and Jacinda Barrett round out the solid supporting cast. The firefighting stuff is ultra believable too. Which is extremely important here. It feels very authentic. Not an edgy or inventive film, but a good solid one.