The Curse Of The Weeping Woman

This review may contain spoilers!

For what it's worth, probably the best of the Conjuring spinoff films thus far. I would give The Curse Of The Weeping Woman a 6/10.

The Curse Of The Weeping Woman follows Anna, a single widow and mother of two who must protect her children from the dark spirit, La Llorona. This film doesn't hold things too close to the chest which I was pretty impressed with; in fact you get shown elements of the supernatural entity early on and the presence of La Llorona throughout is a powerful way of intimidating the audience. This isn't a feature dedicated to jump scares, there's a lot of careful planning and steady building of tense scenes. The cinematography starts off rather rugged but as things progress you can see moments where the director has really tried to experiment and craft some visually fascinating moments, the way La Llorona is filmed is particularly commendable. The editing is the real triumph of this film I thought; horror can have a rather formulaic way of being cut together but every cut and transition seems rather purposeful in this which is a pleasing change of pace.

Roman Christou and Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen, who played Chris and Samantha respectively, are very young performers who show a lot of potential; Kinchen really wins you over but I liked Christou for the struggle he takes on himself in defending him and his sister from the dark spirit. Raymond Cruz, who played Rafael Olvera, gives a very entertaining disgruntled ex-priest; this is a character who doesn't operate like the Warrens or a priest but his wild tactics and begrudging care for this family make him an instant favourite. Tony Amendola, who played Father Perez, is a strong performer who is a nice returning role to see; Amendola has this ability that allows him to portray a character with inherent wisdom very well.

However, the best performance came from Linda Cardellini, who played Anna Tate-Garcia. I have really enjoyed watching Cardellini take on more leading roles of late, Green Book and Hunter Killer being some of the more noteworthy ones. But this feature she takes top billing and really owns the role, providing a mother figure who is very grounded and shows the struggle of raising two children by herself. There is an element of loss this role feels that I thought was quite poignant, seeing her still grieve for her husband is moving and adds a lot of depth. I also really felt that Cardellini, Christou and Kinchen are believable as a strong family unit. Anna is a fighter and won't back down from any challenge, she fights in her work and in defense of her two children. She is exactly the sort of horror protagonist I enjoy watching.

The Curse Of The Weeping Woman begins to fall short because it doesn't really try to break the narrative trend of most horror films. We get the initial victims, the main characters start to get haunted, just when the hauntings get a bit much the church or a holy man comes to the rescue and then the spirit either wins or loses. Honestly if this wasn't a film already set in a universe where the same thing has been done five times already then I probably wouldn't be so hard on it. But we need to start seeing the Conjuring universe produce fresh material, getting scared the same way each time is stale and it means you'll lose audience appeal ultimately. The entire storyline around the Patricia character causing the curse and coming in to help the spirit right at the end didn't exactly feel necessary either. The score for the film wasn't really apparent outside of a rather simple theme for La Llorona.

Patricia Velasquez, who played Patricia Alvarez, is a secondary antagonist the film doesn't really need and whom the film gives too much time to; Velasquez gives a rather stoic delivery that makes her hard to relate to or connect with despite her sympathetic plotline. Sean Patrick Thomas, who played Detective Cooper, feels like an awkward attachment to the Tate-Garcia family cast; the way this role has an overbearing presence on the state of family affairs feels like unnecessary conflict generated.

Hellboy

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This film is a mess from the script, to how the production looks and right down to those post-production visual effects. I would give Hellboy a 2.5/10.

Hellboy is a reboot film that focusses upon Hellboy, a half-human half-demon agent of the BPRD (Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense) who has to stop Nimue, The Blood Queen, from bringing about the end of mankind. I really enjoyed a lot of the dialogue written for the lead role, he has a dry, sarcastic wit that does wonders to lighten up scenes that are bogged down by serious exposition. The soundtrack for the film also has an intense rock theme throughout that goes hand in hand with the demonic protagonist, say what you will about this film but it has one of the best music compilations so far this year.

Ian McShane, who played Professor Bloom, does wonders as the gruff and sardonic father figure; McShane really captures this figure of authority well but more impressively he really convinces you of the bond between himself and Harbour's Hellboy.

However, the best performance came from David Harbour, who played Hellboy. I have really had Harbour come onto my radar in a big way the past few years with projects like A Walk Among the Tombstones and Stranger Things, so it's brilliant to see him own a leading role in a film like this so convincingly. As I mentioned previously Harbour clearly knows how to have a bit of fun with the dialogue, lending a really nice sarcastic wit to the character. I really felt Hellboy have to grapple with the darkness of his origin versus the good he actually has done throughout his life and working alongside the BPRD. David Harbour shows how weary this role has grown of all the violence at his hands and more significantly, how differently he is treated as an outsider. If anything makes this feature worth watching it is the hero depicted by this standout performer.

Hellboy as a film just never seems to get itself together, throughout the film is stumbling along rushing to explain itself and the immense amount of backstory it is heaping with. There is a lot of exposition constantly being bandied around in dialogue which makes you feel like for half the film they are explaining something that could have quite easily been shown in a film preceding this one. It's quite confusing at times keeping on the main track of the narrative because there seems to be a constant interruption with flashbacks, dream sequences or monologue explanations. This is a film with a wise-cracking lead role but no one else in the cast seems entirely capable of humour, in fact the cast of characters seem so serious that you're left wondering where you're meant to find a moment to enjoy yourself. The big conflict throughout the film feels almost entirely empty, the question of whether Hellboy will turn villainous or not. It's a rather played out storyline and you never really buy into it for a second, yet the film keeps pushing this will he/won't he theme and the result is that you realise the lack of substance put into the project. The cinematography is decidedly boring and sloppy, often what is easiest seems to be the avenue taken and there are some scenes where intense close ups are inserted that just don't need to be there. The special effects budget for this film probably wasn't all that big and it shows, it looks like things were poorly planned and the budget stretched thin to meet all the scenes that needed visual effects.

Brian Gleeson, who played Merlin, comes in and seems like a role that you won't even think much of throughout the film; then when you least expect it Gleeson return to spout a lot of useless exposition at an already very full second act. Milla Jovovich, who played Nimue, is probably used to picking bad B films by now; Jovovich has never really shown herself to have much range in the past and the same can be said for this boring antagonist. Alistair Petrie, who played Lord Adam Glaren, was the antagonist who almost killed me with exposition; Petrie spent most of his time onscreen monologuing about history that preceded events of the film and it meant you didn't really care when his role turned out to be a villain. Sophie Okonedo, who played Lady Hatton, shared a similar issue with Petrie in that she seemed unable to do anything than present information; Okonedo just layers things on in a way that doesn't draw in the audience. Thomas Haden Church, who played Lobster Johnson, is just unbridled fan service that does not serve the film; Church just plays a generic tough superhero and it is very awkwardly slotted into the film where it can be. Stephen Graham, who voiced Gruagach, gives such a ludicrous voice to the secondary antagonist that he becomes impossible to take seriously; Graham just spends the whole film hamming it up for a role he clearly doesn't understand or have much confidence in. Sasha Lane, who played Alice Monaghan, is a sidekick character that is sort of placed into this film at a time that seems quite far into the film; Lane doesn't really have the acting chops to sell you on this sudden insertion and you're left wondering just how much you buy into the role for a lot of the film. Daniel Dae Kim, who played Major Ben Daimio, gives a rather generic stoic soldier with anger issues; Dae Kim plays this role very straight and far too seriously that he just isn't interesting to watch. Troy James, who played Baba Yaga, is one of the worst creature performers I've watched so far this year; the over the top movements James commits to leads to a role that doesn't feel necessary and is quite simply, annoying.

Shazam!

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Well DC, at least we'll always have Aquaman. I would give Shazam! a 4.5/10.

Shazam! follows Billy Batson, a young foster child who pushes others away while he remains in pursuit of his birth mother. However, after beginning to form roots with a new foster family he is propelled to the Rock of Eternity where a dying wizard grants him the ability to turn into an adult superhero. At first Billy takes advantage of this as a kid would until his foster family is threatened by the villainous and power-hungry, Dr. Sivana. This is a film that does best when it takes the time to focus on a more grounded story; chiefly Billy and his search for his mother. This sub-plot enables us to really understand Billy's loner personality and emphasise with a lot of the pain he's carrying around at a young age. The soundtrack for the film is also well compiled, blending a mixture of songs that capture the youthful protagonists while also scattering some comedic numbers in there.

Zachary Levi, who played Shazam, does a pretty good job as one of the leading protagonists in the film; Levi manages to bring a sense of humour to the role and you feel like he's having fun throughout. Djimon Hounsou, who played The Wizard Shazam, really gives this strong presence of an ancient mystic master; Hounsou radiates with power and he's almost intimidating to watch in his scenes. John Glover and Ethan Pugiotto, who played Sivana's Father and Thad respectively, have a very chaotic family dynamic that makes for a powerful opening to the film; Glover presents this frustrated and aggressive bully of a father who really defines the backstory of Sivana quite well. Caroline Palmer, who played Billy's Mom, gives one of the most grounded performances in this film; her awkward and mishandled confession to her on-screen scene was exactly the emotionally charged moment the film had been begging for. Faithe Herman, who played Darla Dudley, is one of the funniest and most heartwarming performances amongst the young performers; Herman is just a bundle of energy and always seems to know how to deliver her role for maximum effect. Meagan Good, who played Darla Shazam, is one of the few performers who appear as the foster Shazam family that really seems to get what they're trying to achieve; the magic of this performance comes from the fact that Herman and Good almost feel like mirrored copies of one another.

However, the best performance came from Asher Angel, who played Billy Batson. I thought that Asher had a ton of charm with his sarcastic wit and sense of bravado in the face of police, school bullies and supervillains. This is a character who is seriously hurting and had to live with the pain of being separated from his mother for a long time, and Asher really convinces you of that. I was completely blown away by the scene he shares with Palmer, you feel him holding a tide of emotion back and watching him struggling with what he's hearing makes for one of the best scenes of the film. I loved seeing Billy in this film and I think the joy he finds in his new family is very well portrayed by this highly competent young actor.

This is a film that doesn't really know what it wants to be right out the gate; you're left to wonder if it's trying to get very dark and horror-inspired or if it's aiming for the light and cheerful tone that a boy turned adult superhero would apply. Shazam! never really decides on that point opting to have one scene where a boardroom gets ripped apart by demons followed shortly by the main role singing while shooting lightning from his hands. This is a film that is constantly feeling rife with indecision; the comedy of the film can be very cheesy at times while at others you have a host of literal children characters teleporting into a Gentlemen's Club. The first act has such a heavy focus on the antagonist that it becomes easy to lose the protagonist in it all. You would think that the plus side to this might be that Sivana feels like a really strong and interesting villain; but he's just another generic baddie motivated by a desire to steal the protagonist's power. The film even makes pointed jokes about how generic a villain Sivana is so you reach a point where you have to wonder just how much of the first act was really necessary. The pacing is all over the place and the final fight probably has at least ten minutes of content that could have been left on the cutting room floor. The cinematography for a blockbuster superhero film is actually rather plain, there aren't many creative shots and the dialogue scenes aren't especially dynamic. The special effects for the film initially show a lot of promise but this soon falls flat with the first flying scene; I was especially let down by the design of the Seven Deadly Sins, who all shared the same boring colour palette and didn't really look all that distinguishable from one another. The score for Shazam! is all pumped up and present in action scenes but it certainly isn't especially unique, you've heard this music in a thousand other blockbuster films.

Mark Strong, who played Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, is left with a generic power-hungry baddie and seems content playing to type; Strong is usually quite good at finding the gold in a poorly written role but here he just plays Sivana too straight to meet the mark. Jack Dylan Grazer, who played Freddy Freeman, has to be one of the most annoying on-screen sidekicks I've watched in recent years; Grazer plays conflict in a way that just makes his role hard to like and the dialogue feels like he's whining at Levi or Angel half the time. Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews, who played Rosa Vasquez and Victor Vasquez respectively, are these guardians and parent roles to the younger performers but you never really feel that connection; almost as soon as this pair is introduced they are swiftly shunted to the background. Grace Fulton, who played Mary Bromfield, seems to struggle with playing her role's emotional spectrum; you don't really feel convinced that she is struggling with the idea that she is leaving her family and she never actually assumes much of a leadership role within the family either. Ian Chen, who played Eugene Choi, is honestly one of the most cringeworthy characters in the entire film; listening to this kid claim to know hacking from playing video games may have worked back in the 90s but it isn't really a passable character trait in 2019. Jovan Armand, who played Pedro Pena, is another character who plays to type; Armand being the big, surly kid who doesn't say much is easy to write on paper but hard to connect with in the film. Evan Marsh and Carson MacCormac, who played Burke Breyer and Brett Breyer respectively, are very typical high school bully roles that don't punch above their weight; these are antagonists who are mean because it is easy to write them as being mean without providing them a motivation. Michelle Borth, Adam Brody, Ross Butler and D.J. Cotrona, who played Mary Shazam, Freddy Shazam, Eugene Shazam and Pedro Shazam respectively, all fell prey to the comedy behind their characters; these performers just played to their child personalities in a way that felt like a gimmick and was far removed from what Levi and Good were achieving.

Dumbo

This review may contain spoilers!

This might not be the best live action Disney remake but it's the closest thing to a Tim Burton comeback I've seen in a long time. I would give Dumbo a 7/10.

Dumbo is about a young elephant born in the Medici Brothers Circus who has the astonishing ability to fly due to his oversized ears. Young Dumbo is raised by Holt Farrier and his two children, who work hard to teach Dumbo how to use his gifts while also trying to reunite this baby elephant with it's mother. This is a film with a ton of heart throughout, watching the children play and form a bond with this little elephant is really what steers the film a lot of the way. But the power comes in that constant drive to see the bond between Dumbo and his mother, it's a very hard scene when they are separated and to see them inevitably reunite is a really uplifting scene. This is a movie that celebrates the wonder of show be that what can be achieved within the circus or the Massive amusement park, Dreamland, I like how the idea of a massive flashy show in Dreamland can actually feel pretty empty as it is being driven by a colossal corporate tycoon; while the Medici circus is a family that is stronger together than it is apart. The cinematography throughout the feature looks exquisite, there's a great deal of thought put into how best to capture the shows so you feel like a spectator but also part of the performance which I really appreciated. The special effects are well crafted, Dumbo especially is a very cute and expressive character who is fun to watch and the Pink Elephant scene is something that has translated powerfully to live-action. The score for the film has the wild pomp that can only be incited by the circus and performance, while the soundtrack is made particularly special due to the 'Baby Mine' song that defines Dumbo and his mother.

Michael Keaton, who played V.A. Vandevere, is a great antagonist who really plays up this charming showman persona to wow those around him; yet Keaton does a great job of shedding this in key scenes and revealing the nasty greedy figure his role really is. Eva Green, who played Colette Merchant, is a role who is very sure of herself and her incredible talents that have made her so highly regarded; I love how Green builds this role up so you can see she's actually playing a person who is very compassionate towards those around her. Alan Arkin, who played J. Griffin Remington, is one of the best sources of comedy in the film; his skeptical banker always plays to the scenes very well and it's funny to see Arkin teasing at Keaton and DeVito constantly. Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins, who played Milly Farrier and Joe Farrier respectively, are very kind and gentle roles who do well at making you connect with the wonder and joy Dumbo brings; I enjoyed how Parker plays a bit more of an eccentric character who is fascinated by knowledge and study which is what makes her perfectly suited for connecting with and helping Dumbo. Deobia Oparei, who played Rongo, is instantly hilarious as the jack of all trades about the circus; I think Oparei's very curt performance plays well against the mania that is DeVito.

However, the best performance came from Danny DeVito, who played Max Medici. This is a character who seems constantly exasperated with the chaos of his surroundings and tends to let out his frustrations in a rather comedic way. Yet DeVito crafts this character so you can see that really deep down, he's all heart. There is a strong bond between Medici and those who perform for him and without the great commitment DeVito brings I don't think the family message you take away from this film would have been anywhere near as strong. Ultimately this is a character who loves to perform and you sense that in all he does, you can even feel how lost he is in a setting like Dreamland. Watching DeVito ultimately challenge Keaton and save his whole troupe from that antagonistic place is one of my favourite parts of Dumbo. 

While having a very strong main plot throughout the feature you can't help but feel the way things have been added on to the film hasn't really helped it all that much. The most glaring problem is Holt Farrier's missing arm and the discussion that brings about World War II, the film doesn't really know how to talk about such a serious subject and it constantly feels poorly applied to the feature. More than that there are a number of moments where the film takes some time out to play directly to the character and this feels rather cheap, not much is gained by doing this and you really feel pulled out of the whole experience. There are a number of moments where scenes slow right down and dwell in a moment just so the run time plays out a bit and this leads to some pacing issues in acts one and two.

Colin Farrell, who played Holt Farrier, isn't a particularly interesting lead in this film; Farrell doesn't play a distant father very well and he doesn't seem particularly motivated by this character. Roshan Seth, Miguel Munoz Segura, Zenaida Alcalde and Sharon Rooney, who played Pramesh Singh, Ivan The Wonderful, Catherine The Greater and Miss Atlantis respectively, are constantly present as the greater circus troupe but don't really feel like significant characters; this is a big group entity you're made to feel for but the performers never give you anything to make you connect with them. Lars Eidinger, who played Hans Brugelbecker, is a rather obvious first act antagonist; Eidinger plays to a very stereotypical nasty role who is almost cartoonish in the way he antagonizes the animals.

Fighting With My Family

This review may contain spoilers!

While I may know little about WWE, I certainly can recognise one of the better biopics to have emerged from 2019. I would give Fighting With My Family an 8/10.

Fighting With My Family focuses on Saraya Knight AKA 'Paige', a young wrestler from Norwich who transitions from wrestling alongside her family in their local outfit to entering the WWE main event. Paige is a great protagonist to watch and it becomes very clear why her story is worthy of a feature film. This is a young woman who is raised around wrestling and it becomes a passion for her and she fights and trains alongside those in her community. Watching the dysfunctional dynamic this family shares is a fair avenue for plenty of comedy and heart, no more so than the really close relationship between Saraya and her brother, Zak. When theses two siblings get their shot of joining the WWE and Saraya succeeds in making it through to the next stage we get to the real meat of the plot. Paige struggles to find a place away from her family and as she fails to connect with those she trains alongside it becomes clear that a rift is developing between her and her brother, who is unable to come to grips with his failed audition. Watching this protagonist overcome her challenges and rise to become a champion in the wrestling world makes for a great outsider/underdog story that is very well executed. The cinematography manages to capture the dynamic action of the wrestling sequence while also holding the dialogue scenes in an intimate and engaging manner. The editing keeps a steady pace, often moving the film with a very deliberate sense of purpose. The soundtrack for Fighting With My Family is perfect for an underdog narrative, it's a lot of rock that you can associate with Saraya and her rise against the expectations stacked against her.

Nick Frost, who played Ricky Knight, is very entertaining an the boisterous, ambitious head of the family; Frost's role is always scheming and angling at new ways to improve the family wrestling experience in Norwich which leads to some funny scenes and some scenes where you see him struggle with his disconnect from his children and their emotional state. Lena Headey, who played Julia Knight, just seems really pumped and charged up by the wrestling environment; yet Headey does a great job of grounding her role and acting as a figure of support for her onscreen daughter and son. Florence Pugh, who played Saraya Knight, makes for a great lead protagonist; Pugh really shows the intense moments of loneliness and reluctance her character struggles through before fighting to achieve her goals. Jack Lowden, who played Zak Knight, is a really charismatic figure who stands out as a community leader in this film; Lowden really plays to his role's passion for wrestling and the loss he feels when he is unable to break into the WWE. Ellie Gonsalves, Aqueela Zoll and Kim Matula, who played Maddison, Kirsten and Jeri-Lynn respectively, really take a lot of the perception around women in wrestling and do a great job of challenging it in this film; the way this trio of actresses ground their respective roles means that we're able to get an interesting sub-plot around judging people based upon their appearance.

However, the best performance came from Vince Vaughn, who played Hutch. This is a very abrasive, curt figure who goes with his istincts and doesn't have the time to take anyone else's nonsense. As far as coaches go Vaughn makes for one hard individual, this is a man who is unapologetically brutal in how he pushes those who train under him. As a performer Vaughn has been known for his great sense of humour and he employs this in the film to throw out scalding lines of dialogue that really lift scenes up and bring you into the world of WWE. I liked how Vaughn takes a pause from his coach persona in some key moments to impart a glimpse into his role's background, he wants Paige to succeed ultimately but isn't prepared to compromise to see her do it. Vaughn is an intense figure to watch but also incredibly witty, constantly stealing the show in the second act.

This film is a good biopic and works well with what it has, but it also plays incredibly safely with the material as well. This is not a story that goes to any lengths to surprise youor really set you on edge, it is a simple cut and dry underdog story that concludes almost exactly how you'd expect. I also thought that when Saraya does return to the WWE we get a very sudden, sharp turnaround; her focus on finding a place is a colossal 180 that the film commits to quite strongly and rubs against the more grounded quality the film has going for it previously.

Dwayne Johnson, who played himself, was a gratuitous cameo the film seemed proud to have but didn't really know what to do with; Johnson never enhanced the narrative and was really just there to provoke a bit of humour. Mohammad Amiri, Jack Goldbourne and Elroy Powell, who played Ez, Calum and Union Jack respectively, are some of the figures who represent the Norwich wrestling community; you never really get much out of the characters themselves and often these are roles with significant screen time who slip into the background. Hannah Rae, who played Courtney, is a character who is supposed to have a pretty clear connection with Lowden's role though this doesn't come across; Rae never stands out as an actual romantic partner to Lowden's Zak and their relationship feels quite unimportant. Julia Davis and Stephen Merchant, who played Daphne and Hugh respectively, are just here for the gag that they don't know anything about WWE; the scene in which Davis shows that she's quite into the sport now and is relatively easy gag and these roles don't get much response from the audience. James Burrows, who played Roy Knight, is a role introduced right into the third act so you didn't really have time to connect with him; Burrows' role feels like he should be relatively important but because the film doesn't place enough emphasis on him his screen time passes under the radar.

Destroyer

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a very well-made aesthetic film dotted with boring characters and a pretty empty plot. I would give Destroyer a 6/10.

Destroyer follows Detective Erin Bell, a formerly corrupt undercover cop who is now using her rank of detective in a full on vendetta to bring down her former mark, Silas. The cinematography in this film is quite simply stunning, taking these incredibly gritty cityscape shots that build up a setting that feels like an urban wasteland. I really enjoyed how the camera only ever moved when it had full purpose to and the way the protagonist, Erin, is shown to languish and fall apart over the course of this feature is brilliant. The editing does a great job, the cutting shows good timing and there are some very unique transitions scattered throughout. I loved the look for this film, it gave me a modern day noir vibe which many films imitate but few capture. The score for the feature complements this style, always designed to make you uneasy and on edge.

Nicole Kidman, who played Erin Bell, really redefines herself in this hard-edged detective who is slowly deteriorating before the audience's eyes; Kidman's role seems sapped of energy quite intentionally yet still you can feel the surge of rage that is barely being kept at bay that guides so many scenes. Toby Kebbell, who played Silas, is an incredibly unpredictable antagonist; this gang leader feels distant until something is sparked that can fuel a very malicious side to this character. Sebastian Stan, who played Chris, has a very stoic charm to him as Chris; Stan and Kidman's relationship feels electric from the beginning and it's clear to see how their ambition spiraled so dangerously out of control. James Jordan, who played Toby, is a rather seedy role motivated by desire and fear; Jordan really plays to the moments in which his character seems like a scumbag strongly so that when he then turns to expose the vulnerabilities of his role it is all the more intense. Zach Villa, who played Arturo, is so caught in the life of crime during the flashback sequences that you even see how warped his loyalty has become to Kebbell's Silas; the change in moral stance and sincerity is an incredible extreme when we catch up with again in present day played very well by Villa.

However, the best performance came from Bradley Whitford, who played DiFranco. This character is a very smug cog in the criminal machine, comfortable in the power and resources he holds. Whitford has a very quick wit that can go from being very jovial to quite threatening in the blink of an eye. The scene he and Kidman share is a real masterclass of performance as both roles struggle for dominance over the other purely through heated dialogue. I loved little elements Whitford lends to the role like pausing to berate his son, attempting to make his own kid better than he currently is. This is a role who thrives on success and when he does fall at the hands of Kidman you really see him crumple into quite the coward.

This film does not really have a character for you to like or empathise with, none of the cast of characters really have a shred of good to them and so hard it's hard to watch a film in which a bunch of irredeemable criminals chase one another round and round in circles. The entire narrative is fairly easy to predict from the tragic love story flashback that is doomed to be the fuel for the modern day vendetta right through to Erin killing Silas. The way the story attempts to play around with time isn't especially clever and there is no shock when events play out as they do. The entire structure of the film just moves forward steadily but without ever really challenging the protagonist; she will question her suspect, get the next lead and repeat right up till she kills the final antagonist. Even the sub-plot around Erin's family, who are kept on the periphery, feels so unnecessary and makes it harder to watch Erin as a protagonist.

Tatiana Maslany, who played Petra, is one of the dull supporting antagonists in this film; Maslany plays her role as quite muted to the extent that when she shows a more desperate side it comes across as over the top. Scoot McNairy, who played Ethan, is a difficult role to peg as having had a relationship with Kidman; the pair don't operate well together onscreen and you don't sense a history that should be present. Beau Knapp, who played Jay, is rather overbearing as the jerk boyfriend to Kidman's onscreen daughter; Knapp seems perfectly content playing the stereotypical arrogant jerk rather than find a way to craft a realistic role. Jade Pettyjohn, who played Shelby, is another role with a relationship to Kidman that just doesn't feel like the right fit; Pettyjohn presents a rebellious daughter figure that isn't exactly breaking the mold. Shamier Anderson, who played Antonio, had a lot of potential to be a signifcant player in this film but is squandered on minor appearances and bit voice-overs; as Kidman's onscreen partner in the force there could have been some more back and forth but ultimately Shamier's character is just there as a plot device to tie up the whole thing.