Crooked
Release Date: February 20, 2007 Tag Line: Don’t ever trust the law. Description: When a beautiful call girl survives a brutal mob hit that takes out several undercover cops, the police chief (Gary Busey) assigns his two best detectives (legendary kickboxer Don “The Dragon” Wilson and Olivier Gruner) to protect her. But no matter where they hide, they are repeatedly ambushed by a lethal gang of killers. The two cops, with their polar-opposite styles of law enforcement, struggle to keep working together under the cloud that one of them is the informant. Heart-racing action turns this explosive tale of corruption and the underworld into a powerhouse of deadly betrayal. Running time: 93 minutes Rating: R (for violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity) Scoop ReviewPlot: Your basic by-the-numbers action movie plot containing very little in the way of twists, turns, or surprises. In fact, when it’s eventually revealed who the bad guy really is, not only will you be too bored to care, it won’t come as any major shock. No, the plot was designed simply as a vehicle for Wilson and Gruner to display their martial arts prowess, and while they’ve each done that at an acceptable level at various times during their respective careers, this is not one of those times. Acting: Wilson’s been in a ton of movies, and he still can’t act. Gruner’s accent is cool, but he’s the equivalent of a poor man’s Jean Claude-Van Damme. (That, in case you were wondering, is not a compliment.) I can’t buy the supposed conflict between Wilson and Gruner’s characters, and Busey . . . well, he must have had a stroke I didn’t know about, because he slurs his words about a third of the time. Fred Williamson is in this flick for all of about two minutes, whereas I watched the entire 93 minutes. Fred is smarter than me. Special Effects: None to speak of, unless you want to label badly choreographed fight sequences as “special.” Ridiculous Dialogue Sample:
Keep an Eye Out For. . .
The Straight Scoop: I wouldn’t say that Wilson and Gruner are accomplished action stars, mainly because they’re not, but they have managed to build straight-to-video careers for themselves. (At the very least, I have to assume that somebody is paying them.) As for Busey, his career is pretty much over. On the bright side, his son Jake is fun to watch. But . . . he’s not in this movie. You’re in a bad way when you’re pining for Jake Busey. Where was I? Oh, yeah—this movie sucks. Recommendation: Even die-hard action freaks like myself should steer clear of this train wreck. There’s enough disappointment in the world, my friends. No need to pay money to experience more of it. Quality Rating: One scoop Riff Rating: Four scoops Reviewer: Matt Deutsch
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