It would be hard to defend Ariel Vromen’s Criminal so I’m
not going to try. Right off the bat I
will admit the film’s premise is something akin to what you’d find in a sci-fi
comic book and the movie’s logic is so riddled with holes it makes Swiss Cheese
look like a diary product of uncommon solidity.
Despite these faults, I had a good time watching a veteran cast try to
bring this B-movie fodder to life and for the most part they succeed in
supplying a sense of conviction to the material it doesn’t deserve but which
helps it be more fun than you’d expect.
The film begins with CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) on
the run in London. He’s got a case full
of cash, a doctored passport and a bunch of bad guys on his tail, that manage
to track him down and beat him to death.
This turn of events puts his superior Quaker Wells (Gary Oldman) in a
tizzy as Pope has put a terrorist named the Dutchman in hiding and has told no
one where he is. It’s vital that he have
this piece of information as this intelligent miscreant has managed to hack
into the United States’ Defense System and is threatening to launch a nuclear
missile or two just to prove he’s serious about the ransom he’s demanding. So, Wells enlists the aid of neural surgeon
Dr. Franks (Tommy Lee Jones) who has an untested procedure at his disposal.
Seems he can transfer the memories of one person into another, which is just
what the CIA director needs.
This is where things get interesting as the test subject for
this on-the-fly experiment is Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner), a convicted
killer and sociopath who’s said to “not understand how society or how people
are supposed to behave.” It’s also
mentioned that he feels nothing, all of this due to severe brain damage he
suffered as a child, his damaged mind making him an ideal candidate for Franks’
procedure. Yet, when Stewart doesn’t
respond as quickly as Wells would like, he’s set for termination but not before
he escapes and finds himself drawn to Pope’s widow (Gal Gadot) and their young
daughter (Lara Decaro).
Yeah, it’s silly stuff, and it gets even sillier when we’re
presented with a standard beat-the-clock scenario involving the Dutchman, the
CIA and the standard group of Euro-trash terrorists all racing to prevent a
nuclear tragedy. There’s nothing new
where these action hijinks are concerned but credit Vromen for at least
executing these sequences with style and cutting them together for maximum
excitement.
When it all comes down to it, films of this sort are an
actors’ exercise and it’s up to them to bring a sense of believability to the
ridiculous. Thankfully, none of the cast is here for just a paycheck and
together they’re able to sell this. Oldman
rends the scenery with abandon, which is fitting here, while Jones wisely
underplays his role and let’s his co-star hog the spotlight. But it’s Costner who ultimately makes this
worthwhile as the actor is obviously having a good time playing against
type. However, there’s more at play than
a leading man tackling a villainous role, as Stewart becomes a complex,
poignant character, being pulled apart by contradictory impulses. Costner makes this damaged man’s emotional
struggle real, whether he gives himself over to blind rage or expresses
confusion over a little girl’s kiss of gratitude. The veteran actor makes this hackneyed character
human, which is no easy feat, proving what an undervalued performer he is and
always has been.
This article appears in Apr 21-27, 2016.
