Fri., Jul. 2, 2004 12:00 AM PDT
The title notwithstanding, some viewers are bound to nod off well before
Dead's first character gets picked off. Expectations were high for this reteaming of
Croupier's director (Mike Hodges) and star (
Clive Owen). But the intermittently violent film, set in the London underworld, reeks of incoherence and disappointment. A classic Western formula serves as the plot: Ex-gangster Owen comes out of retirement to avenge the mysterious death of his bro (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).
But Hodges paces his film awkwardly, with too much time spent on preamble and side action, leaving little suspense for the obvious concluding showdown. The acting is consistently good, so it's especially a bummer to witness talents like Charlotte Rampling (as Owen's love interest) and Malcolm McDowell (playing a morally outraged car dealer) being wasted. It's not even a sleeper hit.
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