Misconduct (15.)
Directed by Shintaro Shimosawa.
Starring Josh Duhamel, Alice Eve, Malin Akerman, Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles, Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino. 103 mins
Misconduct is a truly terrible film, but it is at least a compelling terrible film. For the last half of the film I was bursting to use the lavatory but couldn't tear myself away from the cavalcade of random twists and non sequiteurs unfolding on screen. It can loosely be described as a legal thriller but apart from having a few lawyers in it, legal procedure is given a wide berth in a wayward plot that takes in murder, kidnapping and blackmail in no particular order and with no particular reason.
A moderately corrupt lawyer (Duhamel) takes on fantastically corrupt evil billionaire (Hopkins.) For around an hour the plot kind of makes sense but after that it becomes close to incoherent with very few scenes bearing much relationship to the one before.
It does have a really tremendous cast, most of whom flounder spectacularly. The women all fare badly but no worse than Pacino, whose ho-ha bluster seems to be covering his bewilderment at what is happening around him. Of course, logic would suggest that getting all these top class actors together to co-star in a vehicle for Duhamel, a performer best known for playing the stupid soldier who was less stupid than Tyrese Gibson in the first three Transformers movies, might be at the heart of the problem, especially as he's been cast as a super smart lawyer.
You should judge an actor not by his best roles but by his worst. Hopkins is ridiculous in this film but on his own terms. It's like a late era Fat Brando, but instead of the nihilistic self destructiveness, a sense of serene contentment. He seems to be basking in the joy of being paid for such silliness. Best of all though is Glen Powell, who has the thankless role of Duhamel's best buddy. Given a scene stealing role in Everybody Wants Some!! he shone and here, in a role that's pure exposition, he's just as good.
Directed by Shintaro Shimosawa.
Starring Josh Duhamel, Alice Eve, Malin Akerman, Byung-hun Lee, Julia Stiles, Anthony Hopkins and Al Pacino. 103 mins
Misconduct is a truly terrible film, but it is at least a compelling terrible film. For the last half of the film I was bursting to use the lavatory but couldn't tear myself away from the cavalcade of random twists and non sequiteurs unfolding on screen. It can loosely be described as a legal thriller but apart from having a few lawyers in it, legal procedure is given a wide berth in a wayward plot that takes in murder, kidnapping and blackmail in no particular order and with no particular reason.
A moderately corrupt lawyer (Duhamel) takes on fantastically corrupt evil billionaire (Hopkins.) For around an hour the plot kind of makes sense but after that it becomes close to incoherent with very few scenes bearing much relationship to the one before.
It does have a really tremendous cast, most of whom flounder spectacularly. The women all fare badly but no worse than Pacino, whose ho-ha bluster seems to be covering his bewilderment at what is happening around him. Of course, logic would suggest that getting all these top class actors together to co-star in a vehicle for Duhamel, a performer best known for playing the stupid soldier who was less stupid than Tyrese Gibson in the first three Transformers movies, might be at the heart of the problem, especially as he's been cast as a super smart lawyer.
You should judge an actor not by his best roles but by his worst. Hopkins is ridiculous in this film but on his own terms. It's like a late era Fat Brando, but instead of the nihilistic self destructiveness, a sense of serene contentment. He seems to be basking in the joy of being paid for such silliness. Best of all though is Glen Powell, who has the thankless role of Duhamel's best buddy. Given a scene stealing role in Everybody Wants Some!! he shone and here, in a role that's pure exposition, he's just as good.
