Director Ariel Vromen’s “Criminal” begins in what English teachers call “in medias res” and what moviegoers might call confusing. Kevin Costner sports an aggressive buzz cut on a beach while talking about his feelings. Less than a minute later, the title of the film bleeds across the screen and the following scene begins with a flashback of Ryan Reynolds.
The rest of the film is just as choppy.
CIA Agent Bill Pope (Reynolds) is supposed to deliver “The Dutchman,” Jan Stroop (Michael Pitt), a hacker who has gained control over the entire U.S. military arsenal, to a safe house in London. Pope is killed before he can tell the CIA where Stroop is hidden, so the agency must turn to its last hope, Dr. Franks (Tommy Lee Jones).
Franks transfers Pope’s brain patterns into death row criminal Jericho Stewart (Costner) in hopes of finding Stroop. Throw in an angry and impulsive Gary Oldman as CIA boss-man Quaker Wells, and atrocity ensues.
With such an impressive cast, the film sounds like it should work, but the execution is disappointing. Beautiful cinematography in busy London is dumbed down by a weak storyline, as plot holes are filled with unnecessary violence and foul language.
Over 25 people are killed in the film, most in excessively violent ways. Memorable executions include Stewart beating someone’s skull in with a lamp, Stewart cutting a man’s chest to ribbons with an axe and Stewart stabbing a CIA agent in the neck with a curved piece of metal. In short, Stewart has lots of blood on his hands.
The film’s main obstacle is that it takes itself too seriously. The film’s audience found the numerous deaths comical, though they were intended to be dramatic and frightening. Contrastingly, Stewart’s blatant ignorance toward social cues is supposed to be funny, but it’s mostly disturbing.
The introductions of Pope’s wife Jill (Gal Gadot) and daughter Emma (Lara Decaro) are meant to be emotional ties that force Stewart to learn the difference between right and wrong. However, watching a woman talk to a criminal about memories of her dead husband is downright uncomfortable.
The entire plot is not very believable. The CIA takes a death-row criminal and pumps him full of national secrets, hoping that he’ll be able to remember one small detail. Even if the scientific details were to add up, the viewer is left confused at the sheer possibility of the situation. Stewart is suddenly able to speak French, work a variety of weapons and, at one point, formulate an explosive made from lab chemicals.
As far as personal performances go, it’s disappointing to see such a talented cast fall flat. Costner kills and grunts and occasionally says something emotional, only to drop a curse word right after. He is lowered to a cunning brute, unable to do much but get shot and then shoot back.
Oldman’s character is also too fragmented. He’s less of a CIA agent and more of a disgruntled member of the government, shouting what he wants and never taking no for an answer.
Jones doesn’t get enough time on screen. Dr. Franks is uncomfortable with the whole situation, but, like any good doctor, cares about the patient above all. However, he doesn’t do much after performing the plot-driving brain surgery. Most screen time for Jones shows him looking sad while trying to obey orders.
In fact, the only memorable performances come from Gadot and Decaro. They are honest in their pain and fear regarding the loss of their husband and father and the introduction of a random stranger with their loved one’s memories.
The movie is, for the most part, aesthetically pleasing. London is beautiful, but breathtaking shots of the city are ruined by strange choices in intense music that belongs in a horror movie, not an action-thriller. It just adds to the overwhelming nature of the film, leaving the audience dazed and disappointed.
The film seems to have an identity crisis, similar to Costner’s character Stewart.
“Who are you?” Gadot asks him in the film.
“I don’t know,” he answers.
“Criminal” opens Friday in theaters nationwide.
