Criminal |
  • USA / UK • 2016 • 113m •    • Directed by: Ariel Vromen. • Starring: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Ryan Reynolds, Jordi Mollà, Gal Gadot, Michael Pitt, Amaury Nolasco, Alice Eve, Antje Traue, Scott Adkins, Lara Decaro, Freddy Bosche. • Music by: Keith Power, Brian Tyler.      Bill Pope is a CIA agent on a mission in Germany tracking down a shadowy hacker nicknamed "The Dutchman." When he gets mysteriously ambushed and killed, an experimental procedure is used to transfer his memories into dangerous ex-convict Jericho Stewart. When he wakes up with the CIA agent's memories, his mission is to find The Dutchman and eliminate him before the hacker launches ICBM's and starts World War III. But complications soon arise and the mission turns personal.
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After the operation is completed there is not much change with Jericho he still seems like a wild monster brute. Yet he starts to have strange visions begin to flash through his brain, but can't decipher what they are. Which causes him much pain. Wells believing the operation to be a failure, gives the order to be transfer Jericho to someplace he could be terminated. However in transit Jericho, kills the security guards and makes good his escape. Once on the streets of the city Jericho unleashes his brutish violence upon anyone and everyone he runs into. He brazenly takes food from a fast food restaurant, daring anyone to interfere, just by his monstrous glare no one does a thing to stop him. Then Jericho steals a van by beating up the tough thug occupants.
Suddenly the memories of Bill Pope become more clear and vivid in Jericho's mind. He sees images of Pope's gorgeous young wife Jill ( Gal Gadot) She has an angelic like beauty as she dances on a beach reaching out to her husband, yet it is Jericho who receives the enticing memory. Suddenly Jericho is no longer the brutish monster. He now can speak several foreign languages, he remembers security codes and highly classified information.
The villainous character Xavier Heimdahl ( Jordi Molla) is also interested in Jericho, he wants to retrieve the information from Jericho to find the elusive secret contact Dutchman, who has the ability to take over nuclear weapons via his computer and launch them. The only thing to stop the Dutchman's countdown to launch is Bill Pope going to the Dutchman and paying him with a huge payoff. But with Pope dead it is now only Pope's memories in Jericho's head that could find the Dutchman that will save the world. Xavier and Wells are hoping that Pope's memory transferred into Jericho's mind could be the key. Xavier sends his army of thugs to retrieve Jericho. When Wells discovers that Jericho's mind is recalling the important data he also sends agents to retrieve Jericho. Jericho on the run, goes to Bill Pope's home. He remembers the code to open the security system for the front door. Once inside something strange happens to the brute Jericho. As he finds Jill lying in bed, the images of her tender beauty from her husband flash through his mind. Even as he tapes her to the bed, you can see his mind fighting to calm the beast within himself. He gently touches her bare leg, steals a few items then leaves. Now the Jericho before his operation would have raped and sexual assaulted and killed the helpless Jill. Yet something miraculous has happened to Jericho for the first time in his life Jericho VIA Bill Pope's memories has felt tenderness and caring.
Later during an escape from Xavier's thugs Jericho is seriously wounded. He is found in the Pope's basement by Jill who has a gun trained upon him. As he patches up his bleeding leg he looks up at her with a calm sentimental expression. He then says to her "Your husband could never hurt you and neither could I" Then he tells her all about the memory transfer from her dead husband, and that he can recall all of his memories and all of his feelings. Now Jill's fear vanishes she has now a caring curious look on her face. Could she actually be communicating with her dead husband through Jericho? Then when she sees her young daughter Emma (Lara Decaro) teaching this once monster brute Jericho with scars on the back of his head like the Frankenstein monster to play the piano. She and her daughter take him into their hearts and he also cares for them. There is of course for the action fans a big climax shoot out that has Jericho risking his life for Jill and her daughter, something he would have not ever have done at the beginning of this film. I like the ending twist plot that is so rewarding as is the finale.
A truly magnificent; film, acting, directing and screenplay. One of the best films I have seen in a long time. Costner should get an Academy Award nomination for his acting here. And Gal Gadot should have the name Gal Goddess. She is just a stunningly beautiful actress. I liked her as Wonder Woman in Batman vs Superman, and I love her in this film. Definitely a future super star actress with immense talent and beauty.
Review by writeguyr from the Internet Movie Database.
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