Criminal (2016)
The star rating is my personal opinion on the movie, but I also think it’s necessary to break down a rating more technically sometimes, like how films are judged at the Academy Awards. While personally I give the movie a 4.2/5, my technical rating (below) is a little bit different. Check it out and see how I think Criminal fares in detail.
Technical Rating
Plot and Story: 22/35
Cinematography: 15/25
All Editing: 9/15
Acting: 13/15
Script: 6/7
Musical Score and Soundtrack: 3/3
Total: 68/100
Gary Oldman’s character is an idiot and basically allows the entire conflict of the film to unfold. If he was a little more level-headed, and if the writers tweaked the plot slightly to make the conflict more natural, Criminal (2016) would’ve received a score in the high 80s or low 90s from me. And to be clear, Gary Oldman did a great job with his role. I blame the writers. Sorry fellas.
The cause of the conflict aside, the concept that Criminal ran with was so creative and interesting. It’s very similar to Self/less (2015), except more complicated and thus more fascinating. Just like that film, Criminal is centered around Ryan Reynolds. My word choice is key here. He’s not the star of the film, in fact, he’s only in it for about 15 minutes. Instead of showing his character on-screen for the remainder of the movie, his character’s very important mind is showcased after being implanted into Kevin Costner’s—the so-called “Criminal”—head. The CIA, who sanctioned the transfer, battles with the bad guys of the film to harness Kevin Costner’s new knowledge in order to locate some hacker type character who calls himself “The Dutchman”.
Forgetting about Oldman’s character and The Dutchman’s backstory, Criminal’s screenplay and its expression on the big screen is incredible. The way Reynold’s character’s mind interacts with Costner’s is so complex and cool to see. Add in those other aspects, however, and Criminal’s
Plot and Story rating drops down from the low 30s to a 22. The cinematography was average and the editing was noticeable (aka not great). But the acting… the acting was very, very good. Costner’s grunt-filled performance was his best and most peculiar in a long time, and everyone else with a decent sized role (Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jordi Mollà) deserves an applause. The script was well-written in a unique way that really played on Costner’s quirkiness for comedic relief.
Lastly, I don’t remember a lot about the musical score and soundtrack, so I’m definitely bringing a notepad to my next screening (thanks old dude in the row behind me for the advice), especially at these types where they tell you they’ll kick you out if you take out your mobile. The only part of the soundtrack that I remember is when Costner is jamming out to a techno song in the car, which made me think about how large of an impact on a film the soundtrack can really have. The scene was sweet, and you’re going to love it. I expect most people to like the movie a lot as well, as I heard nothing but positive comments coming out of the theater. Criminal (2016) is out for the general public on April 14th.
Review Source: Reel People Reviews
