Sometimes all you want from a movie is a plot that can be summed up in a sentence.
A hot woman who knows how to shoot to kill and kick some ass has to quickly make 5 dangerous cash pick ups and deliver the money back to a guy who has kidnapped her daughter.
Oh…and she does it on a motorcycle. Boom. Done. Goodnight.
In Vanquish, Morgan Freeman plays a former cop, Damon, confined to a wheelchair, and living in an amazing pad out of Miami Vice or something. In fact, the whole film has the glossy nighttime look of that very series. Hmmm-how did he get that kind of money?
In short, because he was corrupt. Old people like me will remember Freeman’s indelible performance as a villain in 1987’s Street Smart, but you younger folks mostly know him as a benevolent presence. Not here.
Damon’s in-home caregiver just happens to be a former Russian drug courier (Ruby Rose), and it is she who he forces to get his cash, and it is he who has made sure she won’t see her daughter unless and until the mission is complete.
Here, I should probably stop and say that Vanquish is not a great film. It’s not realistic, it doesn’t always make sense, and Mr. Freeman’s entire performance happens in close-up shots where he watches the TV monitors and give directions into his headset,
But, I was okay with its construction, She goes to stop #1, has her encounter with bad guys, then takes the money. Then it’s on to stop #2, and so on. The OCD in me liked that structure.
On the other hand, I can barely remember having seen this movie. Sometimes that’s all you want. A one sentence plot, a two hour commitment. The End.
Vanquish opens theatrically on April 17th and will be released on Digital and On Demand on April 20th and DVD April 27th.
2 out of 4 Stars | Rated R | Reviewed by Kyle Osborne
