Columbiana -2011

Europa Corp., TF1 Films Production, Grive Productions

Directed by Olivier Megaton

Cast:

• Cataleya – Zoe Saldana
• Marco – Jordi Molla
• Ross – Lennie James
• Danny Delany – Michael Vartan
• Emilio Restrepo – Cliff Curtis
• Don Luis – Beto Benites
• Fabio – Jesse Borego
• Alicia – Cynthia Addai-Robinson

Story: In Columbia, the 9 year old daughter of a man who works for a drug lord watches as her parents are murdered and narrowly escapes with her life. She goes to an address her father has given her for emergencies, where events are set in motion and she arrives at the home of her uncle. When asked what she wants to do, Cataleya replies she wants to kill Don Luis, the drug lord. Her uncle is also involved in the underworld, and teaches her all he can about the skills she will need to accomplish her mission. We move ahead a decade, where the adult Cataleya is not a bloodied professional hit woman. She continues to seek Don Luis, who has surrendered to the DEA and the CIA in exchange for information. When she finally locates her objective, the battle is bloody and devastating.

Review: Zoe Saldana as a hit woman, a professional killer. As improbable as that may seem, she pulls it off, showing us a very different side of her abilities than we have seen in previous films. Perhaps it is the directing abilities of Olivier Megaton, or the writing of Luc Beeson, but there is a fluidity in this film that leads the audience into the realm of probability. The casting is exceptional, and the supporting roles for her character give an air of excitement and credibility to an otherwise mundane story of revenge. Of particular note is the lack of sexploitation so often associated with these types of films. While the sex is implied, there are no explicit scenes, and no frontal nudity tossed in as titillation, which is refreshing in itself. The action scenes are interspersed with enough exposition to keep the plot interesting, and Cataleya's character is nicely developed throughout the story. Rated PG-13 in the theaters, there is an unrated version in the video stores which contains more blood and gore. Violence, language, “disturbing scenes”, and sexuality are the caveats here, so the little ones should probably be tucked in before the teens and parents put this one in the player. While I don't see this one as particularly collectible, it isn't a waste of your time if you're looking to be entertained.

Live Free or Die Hard - 2007

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners

Directed by Len Wiseman

Cast:

• John McClane – Bruce Willis
• Thomas Gabriel – Timothy Olyphant
• Matthew Farrell – Justin Long
• Mai Linh – Maggie Q
• FBI Dep. Director Miguel Bowman – Cliff Curtis
• Trey – Jonathan Sadowski
• Frederick 'Warlock' Kaludis – Kevin Smith
• Lucy Gennero McClane – Mary Elizabeth Winstead
• Agent Molina – Zejlko Ivanek

Story: The FBI cyber security section is suddenly hacked. It is a momentary glitch, but the deputy director wants to find out what happened, so he tells his agents to get every known hacker capable of doing this and bring them in for questioning. Since they are spread out and the FBI lacks some local resources to bring them all in, the enlist the help of local agencies, including the NYPD. John McClane is in Rutgers, checking up on his daughter, who is currently not speaking with him (sort of a pattern with John and women in general), when he gets the call to go pick up young Matthew Farrell, a hacker in the general area. When he gets to Farrell's apartment, they are about to leave when gunfire erupts, aimed at Farrell. John manages to kill three of the bad guys and escape with Farrell, and heads to Washington DC to deliver the young hacker. When he gets there, he finds the FBI building has been evacuated due to an Anthrax alarm, and everything in the country run by computer is going haywire. They soon discover the source of the disaster, a disgruntled federal employee who has a plan to destroy the entire US monetary system as his revenge for his dismissal. Once again, John McClane must save the day using only his wits and the help of two unlikely sources, a computer hacker named Matt, and an underground cyberwarrior code named Warlock.

Review: Twelve years have passed and the franchise proves just as viable as it ever was. Talk about enduring star quality. Bruce Willis is just as flippant and entertaining as he was in Die Hard, still a cop, still in New York (although there was that brief stint in LA), and still fighting with the women in his family, this time with little Lucy Generro, who has grown into a very attractive young lady. The symmetry of the characters is perfect, and Wiseman certainly knew and understood the passion of the Die Hard films (at his age, he probably grew up watching them, he was 15 when the original came out). Justin Long portrays the cyber nerd Matt Farrell, and he does an excellent job in recreating the foil for McClane's character. Mary Elizabeth Winstead was certainly the right actress to portray McClane's daughter, as feisty and abrupt in the character as Willis. Timothy Olyphant is exceptional as the cyber genius whose knowledge of the computer systems in the government gives him the background to disrupt a nation. Cliff Curtis is great as the FBI Deputy Director of Cyber Security, and adds a wonderful facet to an otherwise typical role as the law enforcement officer who always seems to be at odds with McClane. Since John is more proactive, he is always a step behind, but at least he reacts more quickly once he sees the problem. The plot moves at lightning speed in this latest (last?) installment of the franchise, and the action is exceptional. Rated PG-13 for violence and a brief sexual situation, this film is a wild ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Absolutely collectible for the set, and for any fan of great action films.