★ 5 / 10
Fair ideas, overcooked rendition
I_Ailurophile
'Christmas crime story' tries to be that type of film that tells a story, by way of a fractured timeline mostly in reverse, of several individuals and the…
'Christmas crime story' tries to be that type of film that tells a story, by way of a fractured timeline mostly in reverse, of several individuals and the unexpected ways their jumbled lives intersect. In that intent it does succeed, and each story as it unfolds is sufficiently intriguing to grab our attention to one extent or another. There are degrees of success, though, and try as it may, I think this effort is perhaps best described as "adequate."Sordid though they generally are, some of the characters are very sympathetic, especially as themes present in their story threads. On the other hand, there's so much drama herein that it feels maudlin at points, to say nothing of specific scenes or lines of dialogue that are overdone as they present. While each scene is executed fairly well as it presents, it's hard not to feel like the end result is a little overbearing: an overabundance of tragedy and sorrow, with almost no counterbalance. And that above all may be the greatest downfall here. I've seen no few movies that were terribly depressing, but in at least one if not many other ways they were very well made, and very worthwhile. Here, however, the performances are of varying quality, story beats get our attention but hold it to varying fruition, and each "segment" is so straightforward in its presentation that there's not much to "write home about" in terms of technical craft.It's not outright bad. I want to like it more than I do - and also wonder if I'm being too generous. The picture that we get isn't engrossing so much as it is bleak, and nihilistic, without any meaningful thrills, heart, or emotional payoff to offset the preponderance of cruelty and degradation. It's like an extra down-beat Christmas variant of the "tragic horror" RPG Ten Candles, built on an despair and definite bad endings at every turn, yet with no effective hooks to keep us engaged. The end sequence tries to offer recompense, but it feels like a non sequitur, and too little too late. Unable to achieve any equalization as it is, 'Christmas crime story' is relegated to at best a very average quality - not terrible, but not necessary, either. There are some good ideas, but a rough, barbarous, indelicate hand rends them atwain. There are worse ways to spend 96 minutes, true, but there are also many far better cinematic experiences deserving of your time.Oh well.
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★ 4 / 10
Long and pointless; no thrills in this "thriller"
imdb-2920
Too many actors plod their way through this interminable wannabe ripoff of Magnolia. I don't blame them--the acting was adequate (aside from the imaginary…
Too many actors plod their way through this interminable wannabe ripoff of Magnolia. I don't blame them--the acting was adequate (aside from the imaginary friend, who was obviously getting paid by the expression), but every scene dragged in this drama wankfest of clichés.The entire film could have been cut by 25% without losing anything. Did the actors not sense the lack of chemistry of the scenes? Was the director playing video games on his phone while the dialog clomped along to the inevitable?The "surprise" endings were as implausible as a homicide detective bothering to pull over a speeder or a client threatening a hitman to negotiate a price. Ugh.
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4.5/10
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