This film's title, while descriptive of its story, is also a subtle taunt to the viewer for having wasted their time. "No Way Back" is stale, brainless, and just not that fun.
This subpar action thriller is a load of cliches, but they're not presented in a new or stylish way at all. The tough cop, the reluctant female sidekick, the kidnapped child, etc. None of it is very interesting. There's not a ton of action, either, which is disappointing.
The plot follows Russell Crowe as a tough FBI agent who is disgraced after an outsider he brought in for an operation botches the entire thing. He finds the brother of the woman who ruined it, and arrests them, but a relative of a man killed in the operation kidnaps Crowe's son, so Crowe is forced to turn in his suspect to the gangster in return for his son's life.
Russell Crowe is the best thing about this movie. Everything else kind of falls flat. Crowe is charismatic, and really sells his desperation and determination, and he somewhat elevates a bland story. The story is just old hat and doesn't really make its plot interesting. It even changes tones and genres several times. In the beginning it's a gritty crime story, in the end of the first act it turns into a "Die Hard"-esque action movie, and then into a buddy road movie. None of the changes were very well done either. I can enjoy a good tonal shift or narrative change, but only if it's interesting, and flows well with the story. Crowe's character was also the only interesting character. All the others were just kind of meh. The girl in particular, had literally no reason to be in the story.
The action is pretty bland too. There's not a ton, and in one of the shootouts, it's not edited or shot that well, and a helicopter explodes, causing an explosion that wouldn't look out of place in a TV movie. The action just feels muted, and isn't very visceral or hard-hitting, or even entertaining. Even the climax is bland, and Crowe doesn't even do anything during it. Don't expect an action-packed thriller at all.
It's just not a great film. There are "good" bad movies, which are entertaining in their badness/bizarre nature, and there are just plain bad movies. This film isn't in either category. It's not horrible, and you could do a lot worse, but it's not great. It's a boring kind of bad, where you feel like it's ok, but there are so many better options. It's just a middling action film, that doesn't set itself apart at all, and is in all sense of the term, a "time-waster".
Overall, unless you're a die-hard Russell Crowe fan, or have seriously exhausted your supply of better action movies, then only then will this be a valid option, even for Friday night escapism.
This subpar action thriller is a load of cliches, but they're not presented in a new or stylish way at all. The tough cop, the reluctant female sidekick, the kidnapped child, etc. None of it is very interesting. There's not a ton of action, either, which is disappointing.
The plot follows Russell Crowe as a tough FBI agent who is disgraced after an outsider he brought in for an operation botches the entire thing. He finds the brother of the woman who ruined it, and arrests them, but a relative of a man killed in the operation kidnaps Crowe's son, so Crowe is forced to turn in his suspect to the gangster in return for his son's life.
Russell Crowe is the best thing about this movie. Everything else kind of falls flat. Crowe is charismatic, and really sells his desperation and determination, and he somewhat elevates a bland story. The story is just old hat and doesn't really make its plot interesting. It even changes tones and genres several times. In the beginning it's a gritty crime story, in the end of the first act it turns into a "Die Hard"-esque action movie, and then into a buddy road movie. None of the changes were very well done either. I can enjoy a good tonal shift or narrative change, but only if it's interesting, and flows well with the story. Crowe's character was also the only interesting character. All the others were just kind of meh. The girl in particular, had literally no reason to be in the story.
The action is pretty bland too. There's not a ton, and in one of the shootouts, it's not edited or shot that well, and a helicopter explodes, causing an explosion that wouldn't look out of place in a TV movie. The action just feels muted, and isn't very visceral or hard-hitting, or even entertaining. Even the climax is bland, and Crowe doesn't even do anything during it. Don't expect an action-packed thriller at all.
It's just not a great film. There are "good" bad movies, which are entertaining in their badness/bizarre nature, and there are just plain bad movies. This film isn't in either category. It's not horrible, and you could do a lot worse, but it's not great. It's a boring kind of bad, where you feel like it's ok, but there are so many better options. It's just a middling action film, that doesn't set itself apart at all, and is in all sense of the term, a "time-waster".
Overall, unless you're a die-hard Russell Crowe fan, or have seriously exhausted your supply of better action movies, then only then will this be a valid option, even for Friday night escapism.