Takedown

This film wasn't half bad(some of it really was)but all in all it was a movie that meant well, but fell apart at some of the scenes. Like David(Lou Diamond Phillips)goes to a woman's shelter that has signs posted in clear view that say "Absolutely No Men" however when he comes back later to check and see if anyone else is around, he checks the mens washroom?? I did not know what to think of this film although I did notice right away near the end of the film he has a moment with his other daughter , they shot it in "Marina's Gelato" on 224th street here in Maple Ridge. Also to confirm the location when they shoot Lou in this scene outside across the street is Cash Canada(closed and for sale) This was about the sex trade industry however it was another Die Hard film where it is he against the rest of the world where EVERYONE is corrupt.The ending did not sum anything up at all as the previous writer mentioned. Their take on it also is just that, their trying to make something out of nothing.The sex trade industry has been going on for years, does not make it right but it just gave them a topic to shoot a movie.In the end all the people that tried to end this industry either ended up dead or in jail, that the kind of hope we want to leave the viewer with?If someone helps it had better be more than one man taking on yet another army of heavily armed men,he is a security guard they make no mention of him receiving any further training in arms or fighting but yet he takes them all down.

"Transparency" is a modern day conspiracy theory film whose plot is a lot more interesting than its characters. Take just the first 15-20 minutes. Like many great films, "Transparency" begins with the mundane. A middle-aged security guard David (Lou Diamond Phillips) goes to work and then, after a long day, double checks the vehicles that went in and out of the building with his buddy Reg (Aaron Pearl). David notices an inconsistency. It could be nothing. But instead he makes a terrifying discovery. This plot twist leads to several others until David is in way over his head. The best part about this film are the plot twists and the ending, which avoid the familiar clichés of Hollywood endings. The movie is called "Transparency" because that is what David, the hero, is searching for. But as in real life, discovering the true villains and the truth becomes almost impossible. Only in Hollywood films are all wrongs set to right and all answers provided. This film is not afraid to avoid giving anything away. Yet at the same time, "Transparency" has significant weaknesses. David's back story, which comes across as contrived and absurd, could have been left out completely. David did not need to be a troubled guy with issues. He could have been the ordinary guy who unwittingly gets himself into a lot of trouble and the film would have still worked. The other problem are the action scenes. David is middle-aged, but apparently he can dodge firing machine guns and beat up Mafiosos. Finally, the performances throughout this film were, with the exception of Lou Diamond Phillips, well below par. The Russian villains were little more than caricatures. Estella Warren (known for her performance as the love interest in "Planet of the Apes") seems like a struggling actress who has shown up on set to collect her pay cheque. Her performance is largely contrived. The American villains are surprisingly boring, including the middle-aged lawyer Danielle (Deborah Kara Unger) who seems to be asleep throughout most of this picture. As a rule, villains have to be unstable, sadistic, and have sharp intellects to be terrifying. But unfortunately none of the villains come close to this standard. In fact, the best villains in this movie are the ones that cannot be seen, like the big corporate executives and maybe powerful figures inside the federal government. In conclusion, reviewing this film presents a interesting challenge. On the one hand, the story line was entertaining throughout most of the film. Yet, I had the feeling too that I was seeing a low budget indie film with cheap sets and a gloomy atmosphere. But worst of all, the characters did not interest me or inspire any sympathy from me, not least because the actors delivered poor performances. So it was a very close call, but in the end a very marginal thumbs up. This film is worth seeing solely for its unusual plot because it simply has nothing else to offer. 5.7/10

This movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. Human trafficking is a major crime that has taken over the world and there never seems to be enough people to help bring it down. We'll done, Lou Diamond Philips! You still got it.

As my title says, it's Taxi Driver and every Charles Bronson movie. Still, it's worth watching. The ending, although sad, is crazy good. No good deed goes unpunished; and all the heroes of the film, get the bad guys just desserts. You can't fight city hall. Or evil. And get away with it. Except for Anya. She finds a baseball diamond. Because that's the star's name, and he was a diamond. Or something. Anyways, six stars.

***PLOT SYNOPSIS*** I wouldn't call them spoilers as the movie was too bad to spoil. Dave (Lou Diamond Phillips) daughter is raped. His wife blames him and leaves him. Dave takes a job as a security guard who sleeps with co-eds. During an inspection he discovers a human trafficking ring and mass murder in the back of a semi and a girl Anja (Anja Savcic) speaking Serbian. There is a shoot out with the driver. After LDP wakes up in a private hospital he is asked to sign a statement...What girls? No one has seen any girls. In the back of the semi? Really? LDP, using his Iraq training manages to subdue a man guarding him, escape from the care facility, break into his own home and avoid capture without busting a stitch from a bullet hole in his chest. It appears local law enforcement is involved in the cover up. Now at this point I contact the FBI, Justice Department, Immigration, and the state attorney general's office. Instead LDP goes to a local woman's shelter where he meets Monika (Estella Warren) who hooks him up with women who had been involved in the slave trade. LDP goes to the brothel where Eastern European women are forced into prostitution and plays 20 questions with one of the girls. LDP fights his way out, people die, he is shot at and stabbed. After being shot and stabbed he decides to take on the Russian mafia and the law enforcement people who help them all to save Anya. After watching Liam Neeson rescue his daughter, LDP is a let down. In the middle of his "walking tall" quest LDP decides to have an awkward reunion with his wife and daughter. The ending attempts to make a statement in order to make up for a bad movie. Nudity, F-bomb

I was wondering where LDP went a couple of years ago, and suddenly *and oddly* he keeps on popping up in after midnight movies... But I really, really want LDP to get back on the mainstream circuit... and even to a spot where he finds his niche. Psycho badass? Yea, he got game! A gay rodeo clown? OK. He could pull that off.. corrupt mid level CIA operative in Moldova with a cocaine habit? Sure.. with the right vehicle I KNOW he can do well. I am rooting for his success (I did not know I was this much of a fan - heee). This movie was flat, fine. But it was great seeing LDP kick some buttock! There also was a nice exchange between him and the corporate lawyer that developed satisfyingly. And a few great personal moments where the reactions of the actors to each other was very personal... nice interplay. LDP looks good, it was free on HDTV... and with a bowl of ice cream and the cat I must give this film a very solid 7 for personal entertainment value.

What would you do to expose the truth? When a security guard (Phillips) stumbles on a woman that is part of a human trafficking ring he tries to save her. When she goes missing he devotes everything he has to find her. This is another hard movie to review. It was very, very flat and a little boring through most of it. The last 20 min picked up and the final 5 min will make you so mad that you will want to know how much they are saying is true. The acting is not that good and if there ever was a movie that makes you feel little or no connection to the characters, this is it. The subject matter is hard to deal with, and again the ending will infuriate you to the point of wanting to throw something at the TV. This is a movie I would not recommend, but the ending is so powerful that you should watch for the ending if nothing else. Hard to sit through, but worth it. Because of the ending...I give it a C. Would I watch again? - No, I would not. But if someone else is watching it I would want to see their reaction to the ending. *Also try - Elephant White & Out Of Reach

But the film just doesn't really work. Trafficking? Well, maybe they don't have that in the US, which would explain why everyone's amazed that it happens, but here in the UK you wouldn't really get the amazement from everyone that this film offers. I'm left, a couple of days after seeing this film, with just a vague sense of disappointment. It somehow just doesn't quite get there. I mean, it sort of works, and Lou's try at a comeback works - for him. It's just the whole premise, and the MASSIVE corporation that he somehow upsets, that seem just too far fetched. Bits of the film were gritty, and immediate, and I think the plot should have stayed with these, instead of turning the story into a David v Goliath conspiracy fest. 3 out of 10. I'm glad I didn't watch this with anyone else. I'd certainly have had to defend the decision to go and spend money on it.

This film wasn't half bad(some of it really was)but all in all it was a movie that meant well, but fell apart at some of the scenes. Like David(Lou Diamond Phillips)goes to a woman's shelter that has signs posted in clear view that say "Absolutely No Men" however when he comes back later to check and see if anyone else is around, he checks the mens washroom?? I did not know what to think of this film although I did notice right away near the end of the film he has a moment with his other daughter , they shot it in "Marina's Gelato" on 224th street here in Maple Ridge. Also to confirm the location when they shoot Lou in this scene outside across the street is Cash Canada(closed and for sale) This was about the sex trade industry however it was another Die Hard film where it is he against the rest of the world where EVERYONE is corrupt.The ending did not sum anything up at all as the previous writer mentioned. Their take on it also is just that, their trying to make something out of nothing.The sex trade industry has been going on for years, does not make it right but it just gave them a topic to shoot a movie.In the end all the people that tried to end this industry either ended up dead or in jail, that the kind of hope we want to leave the viewer with?If someone helps it had better be more than one man taking on yet another army of heavily armed men,he is a security guard they make no mention of him receiving any further training in arms or fighting but yet he takes them all down.

As my title says, it's Taxi Driver and every Charles Bronson movie. Still, it's worth watching. The ending, although sad, is crazy good. No good deed goes unpunished; and all the heroes of the film, get the bad guys just desserts. You can't fight city hall. Or evil. And get away with it. Except for Anya. She finds a baseball diamond. Because that's the star's name, and he was a diamond. Or something. Anyways, six stars.