6+ Lost Bullet Reviews – French Car Crime Action, So-so Story

Lost Bullet ⭐️⭐️½

French car action a la Fast & Furious. Some really good car stunts on what looks more big budget than it probably was. I enjoyed the car scenes, but once they were out of the car and everything had to rely on the story? Not so much.

Lost Bullet is a classic story of an innocent man trying to clear his name from all the corrupt authority figures. That kind of plot is universal, and Netflix also gives you the choice to watch it in original French with subtitles, dubbed into English or other languages.  

‘Lost Bullet’ Movie Review: The French and the Furious

… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …

Cool car action

I’ve only seen a few of the Fast & Furious film franchise, but this seems very heavily inspired by that. The cars are what kept me watching this film and admittedly, I’m not a big car action fan. If only it could have more story to it like Ford v Ferrari, this could have really won me over.

Speaking of that …

The story and acting is pretty bland

We’ve seen the basic plot done before. Man wrongly imprisoned with conditional release to help the police. His motivation becomes to prove his innocence.

Yes, that’s about it, story-wise.

In the beginning, I was reminded of a Sylvester Stallone movie, Lock Up, that was based in prison and had a sideplot involving working on cars. Stallone was a mechanic.

Here we have a mechanic, but instead of being in prison with the cops turned against him, he’s on the outside with the police turned on him. Similar story, only Lock Up is better.

Maybe a fault of the script, but the acting isn’t very good in this film either. I found myself barely caring that the protagonist cleared his name. I was more interested in what cool things he could do with the cars, the chase scenes, the car on car action.

Liked the ending

The ending raised my star rating by a full star and made me almost want to recommend. As I read through a small few reviews written by others, it seemed most enjoyed this more than I. There’s a lot of interest in car action films. Overall, I couldn’t find that many reviews written which tells me that not many of the 2,000 blogs I follow have watched this.

Reviews By Others

What do others think about Lost Bullet?

Recommended

1. Dude the cleaner / Cinephile: “Inventive stunts in this one with great car chases but the thing is here the character did not get to develop further and in more detail. It is an action crime thriller that stand out and does a good job to entertain. I kind of liked it.”
2. MoodyB / The Cinema Cynic: “…certainly never provides any genuine shocks or surprises, and will also not linger long in the memory, but it has enough thrills and spills to be an immensely enjoyable and easy to watch action thriller.”
3. rogerinorlando / Movie Nation: “This gonzo Netflix Original by Guillaume Pierret (his “Matriche” was nothing like this) has visceral, heart-pounding car chases that compare — favorably — with the very best the “Fast and Furious” franchise has ever offered.”
4. Speaking Volumes / Gulraj Bedi: “Guillaume Pierret’s direction provides the viewers with a lot of thrill and excitement. The execution is fast-paced and follows a water-light plot that leaves no room for interpretation.”
5. The Tomstardis Movie Blog: “I thought that the plot whilst not original was done superbly and the pace was spot on and the running time was just right. It’s not going to win many awards but I thought for a Netflix film it was one of their strongest films in quite a while.”
6. Trailer Trashed: “Maybe it was a good thing the story focuses on the action sequences so much.  Because without them, there would be very little substance to the film at all.”

Not Recommended

1. Jonathon Wilson / Ready Steady Cut: “…its singular focus makes it a decent proposition as the kind of unchallenging mush-brained entertainment you throw on after a long day at work or something. It doesn’t stand out in its field but it also doesn’t disgrace itself. That, though, is the kindest thing that can be said about it.”

Linked above and wondering what would be the cool thing to do next? Commenting once in awhile is always good (I like reader and other blogger interaction). If you have the trackback/pingback come to your site then just approve it because after people read your review then they can come here and follow links and read someone else’s review. What comes around goes around and sharing is the ultimate “thank you!” on the internet.

Did I miss your review? Use the comments to tell me about your movie-related/review blog and I’ll follow. I like following movie-related blogs and pull quoting from my reading list as well as other new blogs shared, liked and discovered.

Happy movie watching!

30+ Extraction Reviews – Solid Action, Thin Character Depth and Story

Extraction ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Netflix Original action movie from the Russo brothers and directed by a stunt coordinator — and the action scenes show. This movie very much could have been something we saw in the theaters, as it has all the polish and sheen of a theatrical movie and yet we can find it on Netflix.

While one might expect a great deal of frenzied shaky-cam vainly trying to capture a never-ending onslaught of bullets and screeching tires, Hargrave thankfully goes the “John Wick” route, with several very impressive, long-take, smooth, unpredictable, and exciting sequences.

‘Extraction’ and ‘1BR’ are among four new movies worth streaming this week – The San Francisco Examiner

… you’ve been warned, SPOILERS ahead …

Produced by Russo Brother of Avengers: Endgame fame

This is the follow-up project from one of the Russo brothers, famous for the #1 box office smash Avengers: Endgame. Having not seen that movie yet (I want to see every MCU movie leading up to that first), I can’t make any comparisons stylistically, but it is worth noting, that some production fire is behind this. I’m not normally that interested in who produced the movie (see: How Important are Movie Producers?), but when the producers are coming off multi-billions at the box office, it’s worth mentioning as a factor.

The film rather quickly earned the #1 spot in Netflix top 10 in the United States list.

Action scenes sometimes remind me of the AC DC song “Touch Too Much”

We get that this is an action movie, so the action scenes need to be good. My only concern with this film is it’s like that’s where the emphasis is almost always at: action. The fighting choreography and stunts are all done well. Sometimes maybe overdone, I guess, is my complaint.

What about character and story? This is sort of the problem with a lot of action films, particularly the ones with stars past their action film days prime trying to relive younger action days (cough – Steven Segal – cough). Age isn’t Hemsworth’s problem here, it purely story and script.

Hemsworth can do more than Thor … when he gets a script that challenges him

I think Hemsworth has the chops to escape any type-casting with Thor, and this movie at least proves that, but when you look up his filmography, most of the titles are that role.

Reviews by Others

What do others think of Extraction?

Recommended

1. Ambar Chatterjee’s Reviews: “I would not mind watching this film a couple of times more. Thanks to the lack of new original content on the OTT and a total stop on new releases in theaters, Extraction is poised to be a huge draw for Netflix in the coming weeks.”
2. BadBlokeBob (4/5): “It’s not the most sophisticated thriller ever made, and it doesn’t reach the giddy heights of John Wick in the action department, but it’s nonetheless entertaining at what it sets out to achieve. If they do decide to make more, I’ll definitely be there.”
3. Bookshelf Battle: “A lot of great action scenes, gun battles, fist fights, explosions and what have you. Box office blockbuster quality brought straight to streaming in HD.”
4. Cinema Trace: “…the focus went all to the action, making the actual story and characters suffer from formulaic storytelling, cliche backstories, and an overall lack of emotional attachment. Still, Extraction is the best Netflix original action movie of its history, so don’t miss it!”
5. Crespo’s Cave / Brandon Crespo: “…mostly sticks to generic tropes when conveying the familiar story. Where it does raise the bar is with the action shots and camera work. I highly recommend watching it just for that and I promise you’ll love it.”
6. Doc / EYG Embrace Your Geek: “There is a feel of old school 1980’s thrillers with action heroes busting through bad guys.  It is extremely violent and filled with great action and I enjoyed the film.”
7. Everything Movie Reviews: “…pleasantly surprised me, delivering a thrilling action film packed full of fast-paced action sequences with impressive fight choreography and camera work. It’s brutal and gritty and I loved almost every minute of it.”
8. fangirlish.com: “Chris Hemsworth and Rudhraksh Jaiswal did an amazing job at showing a bond of love and companionship in the midst of danger and bullets. And I hope to see more of both of them in the coming future.”
9. FILMAHOLIC / Miguel Araiza: “…might not be on the same caliber as the best Netflix has offered. Still, for a Friday night watch, it’s pleasant enough to keep you entertained throughout.”
10. Franz Patrick’s Film Archive: “Those who wish to focus on the big picture—and only the big picture—will claim that the film is composed merely of a series of stunts. I just showed above how this assertion is inaccurate. But taking this type of criticism as is, I then ask, “So what?” It doesn’t require special glasses to realize that these stunts are well done.”
11. Giadreams / themoviemylife.com: “…it’s a good action film that probably won’t have you too mad that the focus is more on the action and stunts than the story.”
12. Hannah Wales / The World of Celebrity (3/5): “The script isn’t the most inspired and the backstory is far too thin for my liking, but if you want violent non-stop action starring a hunky Hollywood star with his native Australian accent, Extraction will be right up your street.”
13. HCMovieReviews: “…excellent casting alongside the high octane, guns galore action ensure that Extraction is a highlight of recent streaming releases and worth the time of any cinematic action junkie.”
14. Holmes Movies: “…is quick to get to the action and thrill the audience but there is not much of personality in the script. It was not a disappointment or an abject failure but again did need some vital substance”
15. jmjerva / action-flix.com: “…this without a doubt gets my vote for the best action movie of the year. And if this is the type of action film Netflix is going to be putting out, I feel I’m going to be saying that a lot.”
16. Moshfish Reviews: “Despite the fact it seems to be Frankenstein’d from the best parts of various other action media, both Hemsworth and Hooda were compelling and believable action stars, and though the plot is not all that unique, it’s held together with a few twists and turns to keep things interesting.”
17. Phil The Bear’s Film Reviews: “I had a lot of fun with a film that does not want to be big or clever. It just wants to kill lots of people very violently.”
18. Robert Butler III / GEEKS OF COLOR: “Though heavy in bloodshed and light on character development, Extraction is a worthwhile experience for fans of fast-paced gunplay and stunning hand-to-hand combat.”
19. rogerinorlando / Movie Nation: “…runs into the same problems any movie that’s on-the-run/fighting-your-way-out faces. It’s wearing, characters get shortchanged and the temptation to take absurd shortcuts in logic just to get us from point A to B is irresistible.”
20. Sarah Cartland / Caution Spoilers: “…despite its trope-y frustrations (the cardboard cutout supporting characters, the theme of a white saviour going to Asia and making it mostly about his emotional journey) it’s still well worth a couple of your free lockdown hours”
21. Sorabh’s Life Diary: “…a good one time watch & well 2 hours spent during this lockdown.”
22. SM / SeleMoir: “If you like brutal action and are okay with its shortcomings in character development, I recommend you watch it. It is an entertaining one-time-watch”
23. The DC Review Blog (3.5/5): “Overall, a really impressive movie that also delivered a somewhat ambiguous ending that leaves you as a viewer a little puzzled. In my opinion, a great way of ending a movie of this nature.”
24. The Illuminerdi: “Everyone should watch this movie for the sake of enjoying the action scenes, although it offers nothing more.”
25. Trailer Trashed: “Action movie fans will eat this one up, and there is enough of an emotionally mature story for it to not just be a movie full of explosions and guys beating each other up.”

Not Recommended

1. Arth / Arth Joshi: “…is the kind of a film that has some gibberish in between two explosions.”
2. David Ferguson / Movie Reviews From The Dark: “…this is too similar to many movies we’ve seen before, though it serves as a chance for Hemsworth to be something other than Thor.”
3. Irfan Nordin / Irfan Reviews (5/10): “Spectacular stunt work and an electric performance from Chris Hemsworth can’t save Extraction from being dragged down by its aimless violence.”
4. Moody B / The Cinema Cynic: “It will not win any prizes for originality, but despite the generic and minimal plot, thanks to some superbly staged action sequences and a good leading performance,”
5. Scott William Foley: “…is a fast, entertaining action film. It won’t capture your heart or your imagination, but it will certainly thrill, and it will look good while doing it.”
6. The Not Left Handed Either Film Guide: “I’m not sure how much Extraction will register in Hemsworth’s career and like Jeremy Renner, he’s not done with Marvel yet so bigger things will follow. There are worse things he could have done after hitting the box office jackpot though”
7. What Went Wrong or Right With …? (5/10): “With a better Director of Photography and a much better script, Sam Hargrave may create a better movie but his debut is average at best.”

Linked above and wondering what would be the cool thing to do next? Commenting once in awhile is always good (I like reader and other blogger interaction). If you have the trackback/pingback come to your site then just approve it because after people read your review then they can come here and follow links and read someone else’s review. What comes around goes around and sharing is the ultimate “thank you!” on the internet.

Did I miss your review? Use the comments to tell me about your movie-related/review blog and I’ll follow. I like following movie-related blogs and pull quoting from my reading list as well as other new blogs shared, liked and discovered.

Happy movie watching!

Spring 2020 Movies Coming Soon + Viewing Challenge

UPDATE 3/31/2020: With the coronavirus pandemic, most theaters have closed and planned release dates have changed. A strikethru on the title indicates the planned date has changed.

Baseball. Fresh growing green grass. Signs that another Spring is upon us. Spring also brings new movies to theaters in March 2020, April 2020 and May 2020 (will be posted by March 15, still waiting for trailers to drop — SEE UPDATE AT TOP OF POST). The titles below are taken from the Coming Soon To Theaters In 2020 list.

This list is sorted by most to least interest. Anticipation for a movie will change based on new information that comes out closer to the release date.

1. (Mar 20) A Quiet Place Part II – FIRST LOOK
2. (Apr 10) No Time To Die – FIRST LOOK
3. (May 1) Black Widow – FIRST LOOK
4. (Mar 13) The Hunt – FIRST LOOK
5. (Mar 13) Bloodshot – FIRST LOOK
6. (Apr 17 10 – VOD) Trolls World Tour – FIRST LOOK
7. (Mar 6) Onward – FIRST LOOK
8. (Apr 3) The New Mutants – FIRST LOOK
9. (May 15) Scoob! – FIRST LOOK
10. (May 15) Spiral (Book of Saw) – FIRST LOOK

Honorable mentions: Fast & Furious 9, Bad Trip, Mulan

There are more movies I’m looking forward to than the top 10 listed above and undoubtedly there will be surprise anticipated drop-in titles (The Hunt was a drop-in title recently, and look how far up the list it is for me). This is what happened with my Fall 2019 and Winter 2019-2020 anticipation list, which is why I continue to monitor new movies that are previewed and update.

My Summer 2020 list will be posted toward the end of May 2020.

What Movies Are You Looking Most Forward to Seeing in Spring 2020?

It’s your turn, what movies are you most looking forward to seeing?

Spring 2020 Viewing Challenge

From March 1, 2020 – May 30, 2020 goal is to watch or rewatch any 30+ action/thriller/suspense movies. That’s an average of 10 action/thriller/suspense movies every month or about 2-3 per week.

Past Viewing Challenges

Spring 2020 (March 1 – May 30, 2020) will be interactive movie viewing challenge #5. Here are the others:

1. 2019 October Viewing Challenge: 66+ Horror Movies Viewed In October (completed: 74 movies watched, rated & reviewed)
2. 2019 Holiday Viewing Challenge: 25+ Christmas Movies Viewed 11/1-12/25/19 (completed: 25 movies watched, rated & reviewed)
3. 2020 January Viewing Challenge: 21+ New/Unseen Movies
   (completed: 30 movies watched, rated & reviewed)
4. 2020 February Viewing Challenge: 14+ Romance Movies
   (pending end of month results)

The February 2020 14+ romance movie viewing challenge isn’t completed as of this posting yet. Those results will be posted next week after the month has concluded, but there’s still time to go on a romance movie marathon and join in if you like.

What are viewing challenges?

It’s where we try and watch a minimum number of movies of certain type(s). They are usually themed based on the month(s) or seasonal. For example, around Halloween, horror movies and holiday movies during the holidays.

Any movie watcher is welcome to participate. You do not need a blog or website, but do need some way to track the movies you’ve watched during the challenge. Fortunately, there are several free services available.

How To Participate

Just keep track of all the thriller/action/suspense movies you’ve watched from March 1, 2020 until midnight May 30, 2020. Sites like Letterboxd make it easy to do. Tag movies watched with #spring2020challenge. EXAMPLE. here are movies tagged for #feb2020challenge. You do not need to write reviews or rate any movies to use the Letterboxd service.

It’s free and fun to participate. Hope to see others joining in too!