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over 3 years ago

Wrath of Man

a review by Peter McGinn

Viewers who like action films with plenty of violence for the sake of having violence will love this movie. I can’t deny that the action grabs you by the throat and moves you along with it. Sometimes, however, it felt to me like instead of a storyboard they worked from a murderboard: “Okay, how many do we lose in this scene?” Once again I am reminded of Hitchcock. Suspense is not a bomb going off; suspense is not knowing when or if it will explode.

They took a bit of trouble to make the plot seem more intricate than it was: having maybe three flashbacks do the work of one, for example. Some of that layering of plot could have been diverted to character building and development. Only our hero is given motivation and a back story, and there are even gaps in that.

But it should be remembered that these observations are by, and for, someone who is not a fan of action films. If you are a fan, then nothing I have written here should deter you from watching Wrath of Man.