Written by / 4/25/2014 / No comments / , , ,

PAUL WALKER AND DAVID BELLE IN BRICK MANSIONS

year: 2014 rating: ***
Here’s a movie for anyone wanting cinematic closure from the late Paul Walker, at least until his final FAST AND FURIOUS… And it can also serve to quench SPIDERMAN fans since David Belle’s resilient criminal Lino leaps around in the same frantic fashion...

BRICK MANSIONS is named after an extremely dilapidated part of town that no one wants to talk about or deal with, especially politicians... It's become a dangerous harbor for RZA’s drug dealing villain, Tremaine, who hijacked a neutron bomb and is threatening to blow up the better parts of Detroit if he’s not given a large sum of money…

Sounding more like James Bond than an energetic action thriller, MANSIONS is actually an urban Kung Fu flick that gives Belle a chance to show off his hyperactive fighting skills to a mainstream American audience. 

That's not to say Walker’s vengeful cop Damien doesn’t pull his own weight… Ironically and not surprisingly, he’s into really fast cars: This ranges from driving them around to hanging off the back when someone else is driving. And while this is a substantial Paul Walker vehicle, providing the actor his usual slowburn to hot tempered persona throughout, it feels like he was highlighting Belle's talents, who co-starred in the original French movie, DISTRICT B13, rather than sustaining his own FURIOUS fan base.

The best scenes occur when Walker and Belle work as a physically synchronized team within the heavily guarded location (reminiscent of the urban fortress from Walter Hill’s TRESPASS, with taller buildings), eventually fighting an eclectic mix of brainless heavies. Meanwhile, the rap-blasting brawls supersede the peripheral threat of that ticking bomb strapped to a rocket, a plot device ultimately serving a clichéd 11th hour twist that, in bringing together the Good, Bad and Ugly, makes everything else seem futile... But it's a fun ride before they get all serious. 
Share This Post :
Tags : , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

All Time Popular

Featured Post

GEORGE MAHARIS SABOTAGES THE TV-MOVIE 'DEATH FLIGHT'

George Maharis up to no good for DEATH FLIGHT Year: 1977 Rates: ***1/2 Let's quickly kill two birds with one stone... the death of ROUTE...

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM

WWW.CULTFILMFREAKS.COM
Movie Reviews, Interviews, Articles and Pop Culture from White Heat to Blue City

RIP ACTOR KEN HUTCHISON

TOTAL HITS

Popular Trending

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE

FOUNDED BY JAMES M. TATE
RANDOM QUOTE: “Forgive me, Majesty. I am a vulgar man! But I assure you, my music is not.” Tom Hulce as Amadeus

FILM NOIR & NEO NOIR CRIME

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)JUNGLE STREET 9)ANATOMY OF A MURDER 10)THE CROWDED SKY 11))THE MAN FROM LARAMIE 12)SHARKS' TREASURE 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)THE SYSTEM 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)HIDDEN FEAR 20)FALLEN ANGEL 21)NIGHT CREATURES 22)CURSE OF THE DEMON 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE BREAK 25)AIR PATROL 26)HANNIBAL BROOKS 27)EASY LIVING 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)FRENZY 30)THE ROARING TWENTIES 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 1)VIRGINIA MAYO 2)SUE LYON 3)GENE TIERNEY 4)MERRY ANDERS 5)FAYE DUNAWAY DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)STANLEY KUBRICK 4)ORSON WELLES 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)JOHN LANDIS 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)VAL GUEST 9)JOHN CARPENTER 10)MICHAEL WINNER

BRITISH NEW WAVE CINEMA

RARITIES AND EXPLOITATION

HAMMER HORROR & THRILLER

Popular This Month

CHARLES BRONSON CINEMA

CINEMA OF DANA ANDREWS

WESTERN GENRE REVIEWS

PEAKING INTO THE SIXTIES

KICKING IN THE EIGHTIES

TALES AND REFLECTIONS

REVVING THE SEVENTIES

FOR HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS

Most Popular Last Year

RETURN TO THE HOMEPAGE