I’m going to break with fledgling tradition this week and forgo my usual independent fare and this time pick a semi-mainstream film in Dead Man Down. Starring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, and Terrence Howard, Dead Man Down is a sort of pulp assassin’s-revenge story a la Hard Boiled but with less gunplay. While Dead Man Down is technically a studio film—co-produced by the WWE nonetheless—it failed to ignite a firestorm at the box office, which is too bad for the film is actually quite good. Director Niels Arden Oplev of the original Girl With the Dragon Tattoo fame does a brilliant job of bringing real human emotion, drama, and love into what could have easily become another formulaic Hollywood shoot ‘em up.
Everything about this film is rather surprising honestly. The cinematography is fantastic. The score is slow moving, brooding, but above all tense. The editing and pacing—up until the end—is incredibly restrained, which I absolutely loved. In truth, while not unsatisfied with the film’s ending, the film is a near perfect example of genre filmmaking at its best—up until the last few minutes. The final moments do play out a bit like a producer or studio cut, but it doesn’t ruin the film outright—it just waters it down a touch. Regardless, I went into Dead Man Down with little expectations and came away more than satisfied—and a little surprised actually.
Dead Man Down is available to rent or buy via Vudu for $5.99 and $14.99 respectively in HDX format. It is also available on Blu-ray Disc. The film is rated R and for good reason and has a run time of 118 minutes.