This is a movie that wants to be a taken a lot more seriously then it should be, and from the reviews, it probably will be. It has a lot I liked, or can appreciate, the cinematography and direction is very well done, in the vein of 'Seven' and 'Next Three Days', all grim and taut greys and blacks....there is a talented cast in place, but I can't say I thought Jackman's performance, or any others in the film were masterful, oscar worthy, or anything along those lines. Terrence Howard doesn't get much to do, but whine and be that SAME guy from his other roles, but theres a scene or two of great acting from him. Jackman snarls and glowers his way through a performance, that never really anchors itself in reality, and halfway into the movie I'm snickering, at scenes of torture and brutality, because of how absurd it's all become, I'm sure at least one person thought I was deranged. I laughed out loud at least 3 times.
He becomes Charles Bronson, Jack Bauer, and any other assorted everyman turned hero, in a preposterous plot contrivance, that the director drags out....for no real reason at all, as that plotline is almost completely pointless, considering the movies third act. In fact, the torture and moral quandary is all but abandoned in the agonizing last 40 minutes or so, where cliche after cliche emerge from the screenplay, as the film lurches around, trying to find it's bearing. Maria Bello has NOTHING to do in her role, and her scenes are laughably bad, no real fault of hers. The director drags out mundane scenes, and stages ridiculous scenarios, that come at the viewer faster and faster, while the climax lurks around the corner, more like an episode of a 1960s cartoon program involving teenage detectives and a dog, then what this overwrought, ludicrous thriller wants to be. The script is not heavy enough to hang on all these themes, and hardly even tries to, throwing in a twist, a surprise villain, some snakes (in a tense and disturbing sequence, credit where it's due), by the time we roll around to the last few minutes, it's all become cartoonish, and I felt a little queasy, knowing that child abduction, rape, molestation, were all played for shock value suspense. ]
The beginning sequence, post Thanksgiving was chillingly effective, and the movie falters from that point forward, the movie is not deserving of such a competent few scenes, that establish some real dread, fear, and sense of foreboding. The director seemed to have a lot to say, about the security of families, mans right to protect himself, the morality of torture, obsession, whatever...the film veers in so many directions, none of this is really given the seriousness it deserves, and you'll either feel uneasy, or amused at the violence. Or both. This is a C grade thriller, you catch on TNT at 2:00 AM, this has the presentation of 'Seven', and the heart of 'Striking Distance'. This is 'Law Abiding Citizen' with Wolverine and child molestation. And snakes. Throw in a a suicide, a cult, a picture that holds the final clue, which the haunted detective notices after trashing his desk....this is fukking laughably bad. Go see 'Short Term 12', it's a lot better, and has a suicide attempt or two.
the entire time. then ends with me 
