AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Leofwine_draca STANDOFF is an astonishingly bad Canadian B-movie thriller which only seems to have gathered positive reviews on this site, which is a surprise; it's one of the most turgid I've seen in a while. The problems are entirely down to the writing, which is far below standard and quite laughable. The singularly non-menacing Laurence Fishburne plays a random assassin who kills a bunch of people at a funeral in the laughable opening sequence. An annoying girl witnesses his crimes and flees to a local farmhouse, where a slumming-it Thomas Jane protects her. The rest of the film consists of Jane sitting on his landing conversing with Fishburne who is at the foot of the stairs. The dialogue takes a philosophical bent but there's no suspense here, no tension, just a slow pace and nothing happening for ten, twenty, then thirty and forty minutes, aside from an extra getting tortured. It's mind-crushingly boring.

johnpreston-21780 Nine out of ten. Well it must be Academy Award material. Perhaps not, but so many movies rely on CGI or terribly ham performances that there doesn't seem to be any space for thoughtful movies any more.I hate lengthy chase sequences, long gunfights, or scenes where one man walks into a heavily-guarded base, takes out all the baddies, lectures and kills the head guy and emerges unscathed.This is different. Thomas Jane has the high ground. Laurence Fishburne is hunting quarry. Only the viewer knows Jane's precarious position. It isn't "perfect" but it is interesting. At what point do you give up? At what point do you consider only your own needs? This is an economical film that will not appeal to people who need popcorn to make a movie experience viable. At first, the red dress annoyed me, but as the movie developed, it became clear that it was carefully thought out.There are flaws. This is undeniable. But it has assured performances, coupled with interesting ideals. Do you relate to the driven contractor, the alcoholic who has fallen from grace, or the lost individual who relies on compassion?

merridowell As a fan of Thomas Jane and Lawrence Fishburne, I wanted to like this movie. However, what seemed to be pitched as a battle of wits turned into an hour and half screaming match between the two actors. The movie is basically Jane attempting to keep a little girl from being killed by Fishburne with his last shotgun shell. The two of them spend the whole movie yelling insults and cursing at each other, with very little happening in between. The script tries to add some story by telling giving Jane's character a tragic backstory, but it really doesn't do much to keep the plot moving. The best part of the movie is the little girl. Ella Ballentine has some definite talent, and finding out what happens to her is the only reason to finish watching the movie. This young actor adds a weariness and "old soul" quality to her character that makes her seem wiser beyond her years. While pitched as a battle of wits, this is more of a pissing contest between two stubborn men. If that's your thing, then go for it.

muhammedamelgammal This movie was not what I had expected it to be. But it turned out better than what was assumed for it.It was basically a killer versus a bystander who got mixed into the wrong mess. Laurence Fishburne plays the role of the killer Sade. Thomas Jane pays the role of the bystander Carter. Carter had stumbled upon a girl, nick- named Bird, played by Ella Ballentine, who had lost both of her parents, and just witnessed the rest of her family be shot and killed in cold blood by Sade. She takes pictures of Sade, and then she runs through the woods to make her way for help.Once Bird makes it to the first house she sees, Carter is there to help her. He did not know her, but he felt obligated to protect her from Sade. His gun ammo was low; it consisted of a total of two rounds. He had to do whatever it took to protect Bird form Sade.The movie was mainly Carter and Bird on the second floor of the house, and Sade was on the main floor of the house. Neither would dare to go up nor down the stairs because he knew the other was waiting there to shoot. So it was a waiting game to see who would make a mistake. It also was a tactical mind set. Tricks would be implemented in order to try and make a move on the other.This movie took risk with how it played out the "standoff", but it was worth it. It was a different type of setting, and it was interesting for its small setting.