The Courier actually is not a half bad movie. Flawed for sure with some questionable plot elements and poor dialogue, but it was solidly entertainin, mostly for some fun Oldman scenes and Olga Kurylenko carries herself as a kick ass action heroine.
The Courier
(2019)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Action, Crime
Lionsgate | R – 100 min. – $21.99 | January 21, 2020
Date Published: 01/13/2020 | Author: The Movieman
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Lionsgate provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 2.75/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: Ezekiel Mannings (GARY OLDMAN) is vicious crime boss who sets out to kill Nick Murch (AMIT SHAH), the lone witness to a murder and is set to testify against him. About to give testimony from a supposedly secure location across the pond, an insider within this detail attempts to kill him using a poisonous gas delivered by an unsuspecting Courier (OLGA KURYLENKO). Now this Courier is caught in the middle and helps Nick stay alive against all odds, trapped inside a parking garage being hunted by ruthless mercenaries, led by a corrupt FBI agent (WILLIAM MOSELEY). Review: From time to time, I do enjoy a movie that doesn’t require a lot of thinking in combination with simplistic plots, not to mention films which primarily take place in one location. As long as there’s a basis for some sound logic, I can go along with it. In the case of The Courier, sound logic goes out the door and is replaced with some bad dialogue and some poor acting, mostly for William Moseley, woefully mis-cast as the on-site villain (with Oldman’s Mannings being under house arrest in NYC). Not sure why he was cast, but Moseley made for one of the weakest, least intimidating villain, one where the nameless, one-dimensional henchmen were more menacing… I will say, on the plus side, although Olga Kurylenko may not be the strongest actress around and hadn’t really done a whole lot past her Bond-girl role in Quantum of Solace. However, she does make for a capably bad ass woman who can at least believably kick butt (or at least her stunt double) and I did like her in this role, even if we get some minimal character background. You’re not going to get a fantastic performance nor is she as memorable as, say, Jason Statham in The Transporter, but honestly wouldn’t mind seeing her again in a similar role. Meanwhile, Gary Oldman marks his third direct-to-video movie, following Killers Anonymous and Mary, after taking home the Oscar for Darkest Hour. Not sure what’s going on with this prolific actor (might’ve been a favor to Douglas Urbanski, executive producer of Darkest Hour). He clearly has entered the same realm as Bruce Willis, filming his scenes on one, maybe two, days and likely handsomely getting paid (reportedly, Willis gets $1 million/day). In any case, here he’s fine I suppose, nothing terribly noteworthy other than a line where he tells his character’s grown daughter to go to her room; made me chuckle and wouldn’t be surprising if he ad-libbed that line. Also have to wonder why he has an eye-patch, doesn’t come into play, perhaps Oldman just wanted to wear one? One other, minor, highlight is at the very least there some interesting production designs early on, does seem like the production designers were trying to do something with the usage of bright colors, though that goes out the window since the majority of scenes take place either inside a luxurious apartment (wonder if it’s one of the producers place) or a darkly lit parking garage., have to give props for keeping the gunshots as practical as possible, avoiding using terrible CGI blood and instead utilizing squibs. Sad state of affairs that that’s a positive… The Courier was co-scripted and directed by Zackary Adler and marks his eighth feature film following some comedies and dramas over the years, and had also executive produced another Grindstone Entertainment flick called Final Score, which honestly was a pretty fun thriller vehicle for Dave Bautista. Anyway, his direction is pretty basic, but it’s mildly well paced… |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.75/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy, reflective and title-embossed slip cover. Included is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy, an Audio Commentary with Co-Writer/Executive Producer/Director Zackary Adler & Producer/Co-Writer/Composer James Edward Barker, and the Theatrical Trailer (2:28). The commentary track with Adler and Barker were alright, providing some insights into the short 21 day production and chatting about the actors, stunts, visual effects and other tid-bits. The pair is amicable and makes for some easy listening. |
VIDEO – 4.25/5 |
| Lionsgate sends The Courier onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.39 widescreen aspect ratio and given a 1080p high-definition transfer. For the most part, this is a fine looking picture, more or less on par with some of these direct-to-video (w/ limited theatrical release) films, colors generally vibrant especially once outside of the parking garage. The transfer was also clean other than some obvious banding in one shot. Nothing special yet still decent enough. |
AUDIO – 4.5/5 |
| The movie includes a standard but effective enough DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. Dialogue comes through with nice clarity and the depth is respectable for the many action scenes with gunfire coming from all directions. |
OVERALL – 2.5/5 |
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The Courier actually is not a half bad movie. Flawed for sure with some questionable plot elements and poor dialogue, but it was solidly entertainin, mostly for some fun Oldman scenes and Olga Kurylenko carries herself as a kick ass action heroine. Beyond that, the fight sequences were impressive and the violence was thankfully, at least mostly, was practical rather than relying on terrible CGI blood. |