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Reviews for April 7th, 2017

The Assignment

Directed by Walter Hill




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 5
Released by Saban Films.
Opens at Village East Cinema.

The Case for Christ

Directed by Jon Gunn




      Lee Strobel (Mike Vogel) works as an investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, and lives with his wife, Leslie (Erika Christensen) and young daughter, Alison (Haley Rosenwasser). When a nurse, Alfie (L. Scott Caldwell), saves Alison from choking at a restaurant, Leslie agrees to join Alfie's church and becomes a believer in Christianity while Lee remains an atheist. Hoping to save his unstable marriage, he uses his investigative reporting skills to try to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not actually occur. Meanwhile, he reports on the case involving a police informer, James Dixon (Renell Gibbs), accused of shooting a cop.

      Based on the book by Lee Strobel, the screenplay by Brian Bird avoids schmaltz, excessive preachiness, and heavy-handedness to instead focus on how Lee turned from an atheist to a Christian. That journey feels believable because it's grounded in humanism every step of the way. You even get a glimpse of Lee's relationship with his estranged father, Walter (Robert Forester). Lee's conversations with his wife are poignant and thought-provoking , and it's interesting to observe how their complex relationship evolves as Lee changes innately while asks tough questions to variety of scholars about the resurrection of Christ. One of those scholars who helps him to see the light, so to speak, is psychologist Dr. Roberta Waters (Faye Dunaway).

      Thanks to the warm, wise and sensitive screenplay as well as Mike Vogel's solid acting skills, the audience can easily find a window into the mind and soul of Lee which makes him all the more relatable. You'll feel happy when he's happy, sad when he's sad and enlightened when he's englightened. In other words, Mike Vogel finds the emotional truth of his role. He gives the best performance of his career. At a running time of 1 hour and 52 minutes, The Case for Christ manages to be a captivating, tender, and heartfelt journey well worth taking.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Released by Pure Flix.
Opens nationwide.

Colossal

Directed by Nacho Vigalondo




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Released by Neon.
Opens at AMC/Loews Lincoln Square 13 and Regal Union Square 14.

Extraordinary Mission

Directed by Alan Mak and Anthony Pun




      Lin Kai (Huang Xuan), a police officer, goes undercover to infiltrate Twin Eagles, a drug cartel. He befriends the cartel's head honcho, Eagle (Duan Yihong), and becomes addicted to heroin while trying to take down the cartel. Eagle might be the notorious drug lord whom Lin Kai's handler, Li Jianguo (Zu Feng), had tried, but failed to capture ten years earlier.

      Extraordinary Mission feels suspenseful and thrilling with a plot that becomes increasingly complex while remaining easy to follow. Director Alan Mak, who also directed the classic Infernal Affairs, and co-director Anthony Pun waste no time by hooking the audience from the very beginning with an intense sequence. The tension escalates even further once Lin Kai infiltrates the cartel as the audience wonders whether or not Eagle will discover his true identity. The filmmakers maintain a fast pace an wisely avoid relying on gore as a means of entertaining the audience. Yes, there are plenty of action scenes, but there's nothing gratuitous in terms of blood and guts.

      What makes Extraordinary Mission truly extraordinary, (pun-intended) is that it offers not only spectacle but also some truth because its villain actually has a backstory that makes him seem all the more human even if he's not particularly likable. He's not cartoonish or one-note like the villain in most blockbusters. The very well-cast Huang Xuan makes for a charismatic lead who's well worth rooting for and caring about. At running time of just under 2 hours, Extraordinary Mission is a riveting, exhilarating, white-knuckle crime thriller.

Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Released by Hannover House and CMC Pictures.
Opens at AMC Empire 25.

Mine

Directed by Fabio Guaglione and Fabio Resinaro




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Released by Well Go USA.
Opens at AMC/Loews 34th St.

Speech & Debate

Directed by Dan Harris




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 5
Released by Vertical Entertainment.
Opens at AMC Empire 25.

Their Finest

Directed by Lone Scherfig




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 1
Released by STX Entertainment.
Opens at Angelika Film Center and The Paris Theatre.

The Transfiguration

Directed by Michael O'Shea




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 2
Released by Strand Releasing.
Opens at Angelika Film Center.

Truman

Directed by Cesc Gay




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 3
Released by FilmRise.
Opens at Angelika Film Center.

The Void

Directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 2
Released by Screen Media Films.
Opens at Village East Cinema.

Your Name.

Directed by Makoto Shinkai




     

Number of times I checked my watch: 2
Released by FUNimation Films.
Opens at AMC Empire 25.
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