Mojave

source: Mojave

Richard Roeper gave it 4/4. I give it 2/5. It was a cool premise that went nowhere really fast. Acting was good. Story was meh.I only wish it had a lot more going for it. It was like showing up to a BBQ but only being served salad. Definitely not recommending.

There are some writers who seem to think if they quote Shakespeare and Herman Melville within their own work, they might automatically be regarded as possessing a higher level of intellect - not so, and Mojave offers a reasonable example as proof. Here we have writer/director William Monahan (The Departed) doing just this in a rather lame attempt to dress up his lowly 'character' study about a suicidal 'artist' (why suicidal? because he has success and luxury laid on, a loving wife and delightful young daughter who idolizes him) I ask, what better reason could you have for wanting to commit suicide?. Borrowing a leaf from the Travers character in Paris Texas our 'artist' wanders into tho desert to explore how many ways he can kill himself. Failing at several, he appears to settle on drinking himself to death. While still in the desert he meets another equally disturbed fellow who is obviously quite happy to do him in. Instead of excepting the offer, our suicide contender suddenly decides he won't allow this and begins looking at ways of murdering this chap - another perfectly reasonable idea! The ensuing cat and mouse game goes on interminably, with each man sprouting endless expletives & pseudo-psycho-babble as they attempt to kill each other...as well as any innocent by-standers who just happen to get in their way. All this might sound most interesting to those who enjoy Tarantino type nonsense but, any thinking viewer might beware. Is there anything that's good in all this?. The desert is well photographed, Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund are occasionally OK in the leads and some bits of the score music by UK born Andrew Hewitt are quite interesting. As for the supporting cast, Walton Goggins' character is so bad it's laughable, as is Mark Walberg's foul mouthed sex obsessed producer. Cultists may enjoy the over-the-top foolishness but this is supposed to be a dramatic modern classic!. Next thing to down right awful nastiness.

Not what I expected with a cast of this stature, I gave up after one hour as not one character had any redeeming qualities. A cross between Night of the Hunter and Valley of the Dolls but without the class.

Interesting story. enjoyed it enough. Nice surprise on a rainy sunday

Greetings from Lithuania. "Mojave" (2015) is definitely not a thriller for a mainstream audiences. Although it was very involving, superbly acted by both leads and especially by always terrific Oscar Isaac as well as superbly and not typically written, i found to my surprise that this movie has such a negative buzz. Why? It was very simple yet fascinatingly told story, not a typical one. It also shows this dark side of Hollywood, where having all you ever wanted can be a nightmare, because there isn't what to reach for more. Overall, "Mojave" isn't a typical thriller, although it is intense and highly involving one. Acting was terrific and writing superb. Surelly as it seem this movie is not for everyone, although this one is a real gem.

This is one of those rare movies where the scenes are cleverly written and mean something, not just space filler. It does not waste your time and I really appreciate that. The two lead actors are each very good and perfectly cast for their characters. You frequently ask yourself, how would I react, how would I respond, am I like that and other questions. It's rare to see complex, unsettling, destructive high intelligence portrayed well on the screen. It felt exciting to watch.

I have come to the realization that Netflix is one of the few companies that can offer inferior product to the public, and the public eats it up. The story here is fairly interesting, but the script is horrendous. A sampling; "Where are you from? Where are you going? Who are you?" "No one in particular." "Anybody in general?" "That's the crux of it, brother." "You're not a talker. I like that." That is basically how the dialog goes through the entire film. The one plus is, the dialog makes for a great drinking game. Take a shot every time the word 'brother' is spoken...you'll be passed out before the halfway point, which is probably a good thing. Another gem of dialog; "When you get what you want, what do you want?" What I wanted was this movie to end. One question: Mark Wahlberg? Really? Did he lose a bet? All in all, an atrocious movie...brother.

What a mess. I'm not gonna pick the movie apart because it would take too long. My problem is with the 2 main characters. The hero and the bad guy, both were portrayed to be certified "bad asses". How did they get to be so good with guns, has like a built in human tracking device in the head, cunning, intelligent, like trained cia operatives whatnot you name it. I have to mention this, so the sad hero goes into the desert drunk as sh** steals a rifle from a wandering bum after having a philosophical conversation because fk you, no time to explain, right? This bum happens to be some sort of serial killer. So the sad drunk hero goes into a cave to sleep, was awoken by something, I don't know fk you. Takes a split second to aim like 10 meters away and blam right on the money. How did the 2 main characters become so bad ass and can do remarkable things? We don't. They did not give in the important details. But what they did show us is that the suicidal protagonist is actually rich and famous. After the desert scene. What is he famous for? making film and sh**? How did he get to be that knowledgeable and stuff? We just don't fking know man. Then the bad guy, a washed up bum. Wow really? Well how the hell did he...Hold up! let me stop you there, we wont/don't fking know. Lol and the side characters (Matt Damon and the guy from The Shield) Both bad asses that smoke and drink all day But is more built that regular gym rats. One thing I know is that I did not enjoy the mess. But If you dare to watch it, you wouldn't know some things as well, ya know?

Review: I really had high hopes for this movie but it seemed to come and go really quickly and the ending was really disappointing. I was expecting a massive showdown between Thomas (Garrett Hedlund) and Jack (Oscar Isaac), who cross paths in the Mojave desert and become enemies after Jack, a penniless drifter, finds out about Thomas's wealth. Jack then follows Thomas to torment him, after an unfortunate incident that happened in the desert, which also puts Thomas's close friends and loved one in danger. Personally, i thought that the whole project lacked depth and it just seems like Thomas was in a world of his own most of the time. Oscar and Wahlberg were the best thing in the movie because they put some effort into there characters but apart from that, the storyline was weak and it would have made more sense if Thomas would have just come clean about the whole mistake that happened in the desert. Wahlberg (Norman) did make me laugh but he was only in a couple of scenes, which was a shame. Basically, this movie was a big let down and it was a waste of a good cast. Disappointing! Round-Up: Garrett Hedlund, 31, also worked alongside Mark Wahlberg in Four Brothers, and he also starred in Inside Llewyn Davis with Oscar Isaac, so there was a sense of chemistry between the characters but it was the script that let it down. He first came on the scene in 2004 in Troy and he's taken the lead in big movies like Tron: Legacy, Eragon and Pan but it will take some time before he becomes a household name. Anyway, this movie was written and directed by William Monahan, 55, who also brought you London Boulevard starring Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley and Ray Winstone. The whole project seemed a bit rushed and not thought through properly, in my opinion but on the plus side, the Mojave backdrop did look authentic but that's about it. I recommend this movie to people who are into their thrillers starring Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, Louise Bourgoin, Walton Goggins, Mark Wahlberg and Tim Soergel. 3/10