Mr. Majestyk (1974) - Standard Bronson

Despite being a huge fan of Charles Bronson in his - obviously - most famous role of Paul Kersey in the 'Death Wish' films, I found 'Mr. Majestyk' on a streaming site and thought I'd give it a watch.  Um, basically it's like 'Death Wish' in terms of plots, just not so... er. 'Deathwishy.' Maybe 'Death Wish lite?'

I was curious as to whether this or 'Death Wish' came out first, so I looked them both up on IMDb and, apparently, this one came out a week before 'Death Wish' from what I can tell.  Strange, because they basically have similar plot beats, only 'Death Wish' went on to become iconic and this one was pretty much forgotten.  

Here, Bronson plays a melon farmer who falls foul of a group of local thugs which ultimately makes him the target of a hitman on the run.  The police are of little help, so, like Paul Kersey, it's up for Bronson to take matters into his hands in his own - lethal - way.

And, it's okay really.

There's not that much action and not much killing (believe it or not), but then I guess when it's up against 'Death Wish' it will always come across as a poor imitation.  It's certainly not a bad film and it kept me entertained enough.  If you're a die hard fan of Bronson it's definitely worth a watch, or if the 'Death Wish' films are a little too violent for you then this one - sort of - offers a more 'PG' take on the same storyline.

6/10

Heads of State (2025) - Way better than it has any right to be

Over the years my expectations for 'straight to streaming' movies has become suitable lowered.  Even if they star decent, recognisable actors, there's really no guarantee that they'll be any good.  So I just kind of put 'Heads of State' on in the background and didn't even think I'd bother finishing it.  Luckily, I was (eventually) proved wrong.

The opening is a bit 'meh' - the American President (John Cena) arrives in London to meet the British Prime Minister (Idris Elba).  They don't really get on and things seem a bit awkward.  The film is billed as an 'action-comedy' and neither of these sub-genres show up early on.  However, once the action picks up, things definitely improve.

The two world leaders are forced to go on the run while hunted by hitmen and this is the point where the movie properly starts.  It's helped by not just two excellent actors as the leading men and it's fun to watch them bicker at each other in between fighting for survival.  But perhaps the film's greatest strength is that it never really takes itself seriously.

I don't think it would have worked if it had tried to be serious all the time, but it knows it's goofy enough to know when to put the laughs in and when to play it straight (some of the actions scenes are daft, but fun and reminded me of some Roger Moore Bond levels of silliness!).

As 'Heads of State' is on a streaming service and you're not paying cinema prices to watch it, if you're in the mood for a cheeky little action film with decent actors, you could do a lot worse than this one.

7/10

The Flash (2023) - Not (quite) as bad as I'd heard

I never saw 'The Flash' at the cinema.  It was - originally - part of the 'DC Universe,' but, by the time it came out, the film project had effectively been cancelled and most of the audience this was aimed at knew that, no matter what happened in this movie's story, nothing really mattered as it was due to be rebooted by James Gunn.  Add to this the amount of internet chatter about what (leading man, Ezri Miller) was getting up to in his private life and the amount of reshoots that were going on with this project and I really didn't rush to make watching this a high priority.  So, by the time I found this on a streaming service it's fair to say my hopes weren't high.  And maybe that's the key to getting something out of it - severely lower your expectations.

It starts out strong.  Not dwelling on the actor and concentrating on the character of 'The Flash' i.e. Barry Allen, he's actually quite funny and interacts well with other superheroes in the opening action scene.  Plus the set-piece is fun and reasonably novel.  A decent enough start.

Then the opening credits roll and I realise what the film reviewers were talking about when they said the special effects seem 'unfinished.' Whoa - they are not good in the credits.  And, throughout the film, they are hit and miss in equal amounts.

Now, when this incarnation of The Flash was first introduced in 'The Justice League' he was effectively the 'comic relief' among the more serious heroes.  And, he played that part as best he could.  However, now effectively we have the comic relief as the lead role and - what's more - he travels back in time in order to save his parents, but inadvertently encounters another version of himself - one that's actually more annoying that the original.  

What follows are long scenes of exposition.  Never have a seen a film that has so many instances of two (sometimes three) people sitting around talking about things that have happened, things that are happening, things that are going to happen and a mixture of the three versions - played out in alternate universes.

Now, you can't talk about 'The Flash' without mentioning Michael Keaton, as he reprises his  - arguably most famous - role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.  And, yes, he's as good as you might expect doing this.  For those of us who geeked out in the late eighties when 'Batman' was first brought to the big screen and given a Tim Burton-esque darker edge, it's a joy to see him back again.

Then you have further action scenes with both Flashes, Batman and even a Supergirl (who, although should have been Superman, is actually a decent addition).  And these too are pretty good.  I guess the main drawback is that, if you've already seen the preceding films in the franchise (i.e. 'Man of Steel' and 'Justice League') then you kind of know where all this goes, as you're really just seeing what you've already seen, only played out slightly differently in an alternate plain of existance.

Overall, I found definite enjoyment in parts of this film.  I just wish that I could trim down some of the talking scenes, delete at least one of the Barry Allens and polish up some of the special effects.  Shame Michael Keaton's return to the role was wasted on a project that wasn't up to his talents.

6/10

The Accountant 2 (2025) - Just stick with the leads

I don't know why modern films are just sooooo long.  Maybe it's because they see how well dramas do on streaming services and think that more means better?  Either way, a movie like 'The Accountant 2' should really be no more than an hour and a half (a hundred minutes, tops).  Back in the eighties, an action film (let's say 'Commando') could easily fit everything it had to say in ninety minutes and was simple great fun. 'The Accountant 2' has all the elements in it to make it great fun, but it's just so full of 'bloat' that it makes it a real slog to get through.

But, there is good contained within - namely the two leads: Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal.  They play a pair of brothers who, as well as having the usual grating relationship siblings tend to have on each other anyway, also happen to be trained assassins.  The back and forth between them is great to watch and you get a real sense of the love-hate relationship between them.

Then there's the rest of the cast.  Um, I can't remember much about them - mainly because all their characters are so wafer thin that you won't remember anything about them either once the credits (finally!) roll.

There are also a couple of good punch-ups and action scenes, but - again - these feel too sparse, due to all the sub-plots with the duller characters who take up way too much of this film's runtime.

If there was some way of releasing a 'director's cut' of 'The Accountant 2' which just keeps the two leads and any action scenes they're involved in, it would be pretty good.  I guess that's why there's always a 'skip' function on DVDs and streaming services - you can just not bother with any scenes that don't include Affleck or Bernthal - you'll enjoy the film much more (and save yourself an hour or so of time).

5/10

Heretic (2024) - Hugh steals it

I was never a massive Hugh Grant fan back in his heyday - he always popped up as the annoying British fop in a predictable rom-com.  However, I'm pleased to say he's moved on from all that (or rather his looks have left him, so he's been forced to move on - meow!) and his more recent (darker?) roles have really showed that he's more than just a lovable, floppy-haired book store owner.

Here we meet two young, female Mormons who call at the door of an elderly (sorry, Hugh, but you're officially 'elderly' now!) man's remote cabin, in order spread the 'good word.' What follows is a kind of spiritual cat and mouse, or at least that's the main set-up - and it's really good fun.

The two female leads hold their own and are really strong at what they do, but it's Hugh every time who has the better lines and the more charismatic delivery.  There's some real moments of dark levity and even a few moments that will genuinely make you think how religion in general is thought of (don't get me started on how the script managed to get both Radiohead and Jar Jar Binks into a theological debate!).

However, the movie does tend to lose its way a bit and, despite a very strong start, does go in some unexpected directions which may sadly disappoint some of its audience, ending with a bit of an anticlimax which feels a little too 'traditional' and 'safe' after what's come before.

Personally, I was already having too much fun with the film and was happy to let those aspects slide.  I'd recommend you just enjoy Hugh's transformation and not think too deeply into the hows and whys of what eventually follows.

8/10

Knock at the Cabin (2023) - Good.  Mostly

I read somewhere that the definition of a 'slow burn' is a film which isn't faced paced (for the most part), but has a pay-off which makes the lack of speed worthwhile.  The opposite is a film that is just slow and ends up being a complete waste of time.  I guess 'Knock at the Cabin' falls into the former, as - for whatever reason - I stuck with it until the end just to see how it all turned out.

It's about a couple who take their adopted daughter to a remote cabin for a break, only for four strangers (led by Dave Bautisda - who's actually becoming a better actor than most people ever thought he could be!) to break in and hold them hostage.  The catch being that these 'home invaders' don't want to hurt or steal from them.  They just want one of them to kill themselves in order to prevent the apocalypse (which is taking place within an hour or so).

So what follows is a kind of cat and mouse game where the captives try to deal with whether they should simply escape, fight back, or believe their captors and do the unthinkable.

Like I say, I stuck with it.  Once it finished I realised it was an M Night Shyamalan film and it kind of made sense.  That kind of explained the slightly stilted dialogue and I just kept thinking back to a YouTube reviewer who said of Shyamalan's dialogue 'That almost sounds like how a real person would talk!' and I can't help but agree.

Now, if you know anything about Shyamalan's (mainly early) work, you'll know he's well known for his plot twists.  So, if you're expecting something out of 'left field' to blow your mind at the end, you won't find it here.  Everything is - uncharacteristically - well wrapped up here, so there won't be much left to debate once the credits roll.

Overall, this is a decent enough film which should keep most people entertained, but I'm not sure it'll be remembered along with his classics like 'Sixth Sense' and 'Unbreakable.'

6/10

A Working Man (2025) - Okay, but not 'vintage' Stath

I confess - I didn't get round to watching this in the cinema.  I'm a pretty big fan of Jason Statham's output - yes, I know it's hardly Shakespeare, but if I'm in the mood for some good ol' fashioned action silliness, 'The Stath' normally provides.  However, in between the theatrical release and me finding it on streaming, I did see a fair few YouTube reviews of it.  Most said that it was 'Okay, but with flaws.' Then they went on to list what was wrong with it, so perhaps by the time I got round to viewing it myself, I was kind of on the look out for what was mentioned.

The plot revolves around Statham as the titular 'working man' who has traded in his special forces military background for a life on a construction site.  That's until his employers' daughter gets kidnapped and it turns into a kind of 'Taken' affair with him using his 'skill-set' to get her back.

Now I find myself listing the problems I heard about on YouTube regarding the film.  Yes, it's a bit too long.  Yes, it feels a bit unfocused with the fact that there really doesn't seem to be a 'real antagonist' for Jason Statham to fight.  He just goes from place to place, beating up henchmen until he gets to the 'lead gangster' of that area, deals with him and then moves on to the next setting (yes, a bit like a videogame beat 'em up!).  Then there are the secondary characters.  Each is brought on like they're going to have a major impact in the story, only for them to either be killed or simply abandoned as the story progresses.

Overall, I got my action.  I got my silliness and so I got my money's worth out of 'A Working Man' so I can't really complain too much.  But, seeing as I have the 'Transporter' trilogy and 'Crank' films on DVD, I'd rather watch any of them instead of this one again.  I wonder if the 'sequel bait' at the end will pay off?

6/10