Brick Mansions - The action makes up for the downfalls

‘Brick Mansions’ is a remake of a foreign film (which I haven’t seen, so I can’t really compare it to that.  However, if you check out the internet forums, you’ll naturally see many comments on how the original is better than the Hollywood remake).

It’s also Paul Walker’s last (fully-filmed) film, which adds an element of poignancy to it all.  Even though he never really had a breakout stand-alone film that really catapulted him much higher than a decent B-list action star, I always felt he had it in him somewhere to really move into the mainstream.  And, because of his tragic death, many will go easy on his last outing.  I would have liked to see him produce something really memorable to go out on and, although you’ll probably have seen much of what’s on offer here before, it is entertaining enough to raise itself above the mountains of generic action B-movies infesting the DVD buckets.

Paul Walker plays an undercover cop (yes, another one – if you’ve seen him in The Fast and the Furious) who has to infiltrate another gang before they blow up the world.  Or something.  That may just be me making that bit up.  But it doesn’t really matter.  You know he’s the good guy and will have to bring down the baddies before they do whatever bad things they’re going to do.

And, in my opinion, it’s kind of the baddies who let the film down most.  They’re just too clichéd.  They all have a weird tendency to  shoot dead their own men in front of the rest of the gang.  Yes, this is a display of force intended to show just how terrible they are and keep their gang members living in fear.  However, I always wonder why the gang don’t leave on account of it might one day happen to them?!  Also, the baddies keep exotic fish here and there – all they’d need to be a proper ‘Bond villain’ would be a volcano lair and weirdly-named henchman.  Naturally, all baddies use machine guns, yet five of them firing round after round only serves to shoot ‘near’ our hero.
It makes you wonder what the film-makers were trying for.  For the most part everything is really serious.  Yet, suddenly they’ll throw something funny in there that wouldn’t be out of place in a Roger Moore Bond film.

Paul Walker does what he does best and you can’t fault his performance or what he’s given to work with.  But, the best part about the film is its action sequences.  Yes, they’re hardly realistic, but they’re so well-choreographed that they’re damn good fun to watch.

So, if you’re into your action movies and fancy a fun, if not a bit generic, one that does its best to say farewell to Paul Walker, give it a go.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights