my very brief thoughts on.... 'The Bounty Hunter' (2010)

Gerard Butler kind of snuck onto the scene and has since made himself into a household name.... Jennifer Aniston, of course, has been a big name for years.... the idea of putting them together seemed good at the time.... but if you're going to cash in on the success of two big name stars, you'd better have a good script and a good director.... i just don't know that this one quite hit the mark.... there are the occasional moments where i giggled or smiled, but it never was laugh out loud funny.... i was generous in my 3 out of 5 star rating.... i can say some of that goes back to my long term enjoyment of Jennifer Aniston's previous work.... i also have a bit of a man-crush on Gerard Butler and that doesn't hurt.... so that makes me a bit biased.... in my rating of the movie itself, if they were replaced with different actors, i think it might have been more like a 2 star rating.... i don't think i'll ever watch it again.... i don't feel like i wasted my time either.... it's one of those movies where you are home sick on the couch and you check out what's on cable and this movie pops up.... you don't have anything else to do and nothing else is on, so you end up watching this movie.... you feel no better or worse at the ending, you just feel like an hour and a half has gone by and you got to watch two pretty people be silly.... it's OnDemand right now, so if you're at home sick and have some time on your hands, check it out.... just don't expect too much and you'll probably feel satisfied at the end.... i did.

if you want some movies starring Jennifer or Gerard, check out: 'Leprechaun', '300', 'Office Space, and 'Reign of Fire'

my thoughts on.... 'Law Abiding Citizen'

i think Jamie Foxx is overrated.... i didn't care for 'Ray' and i love biopics.... i'm just tired of seeing him in serious roles.... he needs to branch out a little.... however, i like Gerard Butler.... i've enjoyed everything he's done to date.... and my wife, Amy, loves him as most women seem to do as well.... so i was 50/50 on this movie.... the storyline intrigued me.... it was written by Kurt Wimmer who wrote 'Equilibrium' an amazing film that not many people have seen.... it was also directed by F. Gary Gray, who directed 'Be Cool' which i find hilarious.... so all of that overuled my hesitations about Jamie Foxx.... and to be honest i'm glad they did.... i really enjoyed this movie.... it had an original concept, the plot was carried out extremely well.... and it was a fun ride....

it starts with Gerard living the perfect life.... a happy family with a wife and a daughter when a sudden home invasion takes all of that away from him.... he's left completely alone and bitter.... when Jamie Foxx, his lawyer, plea bargins down despite Gerard's desire to take it to trial.... it creates a hatred in the criminals and the legal system that cannot be quenched.... fast forward 10 years later.... one of the criminals is put to death by lethal injection.... the other is free and has slipped back into his old ways.... soon Gerard is on the warpath.... with not only the criminals, but everyone involved in his travesty of a trial.... without providing more information than is necessary as i don't want to spoil the ending.... but it's well worth the time and energy to invest in this story....
my only real issue with this film is that by the time the explaination is given as to why Gerard is the way he is and how he accomplishes all of the things he's done.... it's kind of far fetched and you really have to suspend your disbelief to continue to enjoy what's going on in film.... and i wanted it to be something more than it was.... and perhaps that's my personal hang up.... however, i guess it all comes down to each individual viewer.... and for me it lost a bit of steam.... never the less.... this movie has a lot to offer and pays off in spades....

i gave it 4 out of 5 stars, despite my hang ups.... and i would watch it again, just to relive everything this movie has to offer.... it still doesn't change my opinion of Jamie Foxx.... and nothing probably ever will.... but it continues the winning streak for Gerard Butler, who seems to have just stormed the Hollywood scene not that long ago and just keeps getting better.... and in reality it's probably been more than a decade.... but a slow burn.... do i recommend it....? yes. as a thriller i highly recommend you check it out.... it's original and worth the effort.... just check your brain at the door....

if you like this, check out: 'The Brave One', 'Death Sentence' and 'Death Wish'