POINT BLANK (NETFLIX) (2019)
SYNOPSIS: To save his pregnant wife, an emergency room nurse unwillingly partners with an injured murder suspect in a race against time and renegade cops.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Why would everyone ranging from Hallyuwood and Bollywood want to remake a nearly decade old, mediocre French action flick? It’s a mystery for sure and now it’s Hollywood’s turn to bring in “Falcon” and “Crossbones” for the Netflix version.
Point Blank is a remake of the 2010 movie of the same name and it basically retained the original premise except for some minor changes. Anthony Mackie stars as Paul, an ER nurse who is being forced to get criminal and suspect murderer, Abe (Frank Grillo) out of the hospital after Abe’s brother, Mateo (Christian Cooke) held Paul’s pregnant wife as hostage. Thus, begins a whirlwind journey of Paul and Abe pitting themselves against a slew of corrupt cops and rival gangs that are hot on their trails and also trying to find out the truth behind the killing of the local District Attorney.
Point Blank is the kind of straight-to-video flick that works fine on Netflix but probably earns a few measly dollars on the big screen before being removed entirely from the release schedule after a week. It reeks like cheap liquor despite featuring a reputable cast list liked Mackie, Grillo and acclaimed actress Marcia Gay Harden.
Most of the time, the entire movie seems to be running on auto-mode with a few violent gunshots inbetween and a fast pacing to compensate for the lack of thrills. Point Blank (2019) apparently has nothing new to offer in fact it is so embarrassingly low budget that the original French version actually consists of a few genuinely well-choreographed chase and action sequences that will put this one to shame.
The least they could do is at least pepper the story with more twists and grit but Hollywood much prefer to play it economical, safe and predictable. Point Blank is a misfire for both Mackie and Grillo who obviously deserved much better material. Maybe a “Falcon Vs Crossbones” TV special is worth a look more than this expired action thriller.
MOVIE RATING:
Review by Linus Tee
