John Kelly is a man with a particular set of skills who is also MacGyver. Also, did anyone else feel like they were in a huge game of call of duty with a bit of government sprinkled in? Could be just me but after about an hour or so I got that vibe.
I cannot say that I love or hated this film but what I will say is that if this movie is the setup to a sequel, somehow that makes me like this movie more. And even though the movie was only a hour and 50 minutes, it still felt too long and I didn’t get to sit in anything too long which, for me, added to me losing the plot.
Here’s what I didn’t like. I didn’t like that we knew things before John did including the fact that the Secretary was in on the whole setup. Usually, this tactic is used as a plot device for movies and it works. Here it didn’t work as well as it could have. The scene towards the end of the film when he accosted the Secretary in the bathroom would have been way more impactful if we didn’t know the Secretary was in on the whole plot. I also would have liked to set in some of the drama and pain that unfolded. I didn’t get to spend as much time with John and Pam before she was murdered. It would have made me feel…more…sad…resolved…I’m not sure but the scene where she and he are by the fire was supposed to make me feel some type of way and I wasn’t all the way there. If there are technical issues, you better believe that I will find them. The scene where they are in the helicopter had some syncing issues with the audio as well as later in the film. We can do better than this at this stage in the game.
Here’s what I loved. The relationship between John and Karen, played by Jodie Turner-Smith who you may remember from Queen & Slim. The brother/sister relationship between the two of them made the movie for me. If he had nothing else, he had the love from a friend who had him no matter what. I also really loved the fight/gun choreography. Like I said earlier, I felt like I was in a huge game of Call of Duty.
I’m in between on this film. I wanted it to be better than it was but the potential for a sequel of some sort excited me, weirdly. Without Remorse can be found on Amazon Prime. Tell me what you think.
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