This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
The Bad Life
Plot Overview
Czech gas mogul Yakov Illich is
assassinated in his chateau by a hit-man hired by his brother Mariusz
(Rinat Khismatouline) to gain control of his business empire. Unwitting
witness teen daughter Jonna (Shulzhenko Natalya) is kept close under
her uncle's wing so he can control her. Thus in seven years Jonna
(Anastasia Doaga) has discovered his dastardly act but doesn't know which
of his seven paid assassins did the job. She proffers $6 million to
INTERPOL to use for bait to
draw them out to be prosecuted every one. Unfortunately, INTERPOL has been infiltrated by one
of these shadowy assassins who redirects the money into contracts on all
these unwanted connections at $1 million per hit. Various
interwoven histories make it a crowded field.
Ideology
“Old
Lothario” Caldwell (Sam Neill) is the handler they have in common. He
recruited the men from the Royal Marines, and all of them had been adrift
without any family when he picked them up (“Somebody wasn't
loved as a kid.”) He's their father figure and as such it was like
“choosing among children,” how to divvy up the contracts. Once
they'd started killing for a living, they were on a slippery slope to a
degenerate life, with the exception of Pablo whose too-weak
poison put his victim in the hospital instead of the
morgue, and the poisoner “found God” while praying in the
chapel. Pablo has disappeared from the grid and changed his priorities to,
(Prov. 30:7) “Two things have I
required of thee; deny me them not before I die:”
(Prov. 30:8-9)
“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty
nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and
deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal,
and take the name of my God in vain.” A widower now, he has
a small house in the sticks where he lives under an assumed name with
his four-year-old daughter, having neighbors who mind their own business.
He chops his own firewood and has electricity for cooling the
ice cream he treats her to. It's a serviceable existence.
Caldwell's protégé Morgan
Gains (Henry Golding) has a kindred reason for wanting to “get
out”: “a woman.” His Italian girlfriend of four
years Sophie (Daniela Melchior) is an elementary school (Scuola Elementare) teacher who
doesn't like seeing her man return with cuts, wounds, and bruises. Now that
she's fallen pregnant Morgan wants a settled life with her. She thinks he's
a photojournalist and would be content with their combined income. She
appreciates found rocks as interesting gifts, doesn't want expensive ones.
Their grocery shopping provides “food convenient for me”: his
favorites pasta, boxed cereal, and packaged sugary treats. His apartment is
spartan except for his advanced security measures and a hi–fi playing
rap. He subsists well enough on the “usual fees.”
Caldwell, on the other hand, lives the good life dining at a fine Japanese restaurant on gyazo dumplings (“They're very good”) & Pinot Noir, frequenting bars with the most beautiful women, playing the harpsichord in his lavish home. He wants Morgan to have more than he'd settled for (“There's more to life than—”). Six million dollars could set him up. The downside is God isn't in any of Caldwell's thoughts … except for one sarcastic remark.
The other end of the fiscal spectrum is the derelict. Morgan's situational awareness includes any solitary male in his visual orbit; he'll observe him from the corner of his eye. Except nobody pays attention to bums on the street, which turns out to be a vulnerability. We hope things will settle out for him.
Production Values
“” (2023) was directed by Camille Delamarre. It was written by Thomas Dunn. It stars Henry Golding, Daniela Melchior and Sam Neill. The actors did okay with what they had to work with, their character development being curtailed to allow room for the complicated plot. Black French Inspector Leon was played by Jimmy Jean-Louis who did a righteous job in the protect and serve department.
MPAA rated it R for violent content and language. The action scenes are well done. The plot is convoluted enough to keep us guessing and then lose the best of us. Too many creepy characters to sort out. This story would have done better in a book allowing one to contemplate the plot and absorb the characters. There are some clever camera angles & tricks used. Runtime is 1 hour 51 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This contains heavy action with villainous villains. One man finds God and another finds a woman. Seems that their extraction from the violent life occurs in stages, but we give them credit for the effort. It's a pedal-to-the-metal thrill ride with obstacles galore. Standard Hollywood fare.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Well done action flick. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Good Date Movie. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Three and a half stars out of five.
bibles.n7nz.org