Nicolas Cage’s fake nose is the realest thing about this crass, boring crime thriller from action director Steven C Miller, which finally attempts to solve its narrative problems with a truly fatuous burst of righteous revenge-violence that wraps things up nicely – and no worries about the police.
Adrian Grenier is on bland form as JP, a hardworking, prosperous guy with a happy Christian marriage. All his life he’s had to look out for his big brother Mikey (Johnathon Scheach), who went off the rails early in life and is now associated with Eddie King (Cage), an erratic bulbous-nosed mobster with “brother” issues of his own. When Mikey is kidnapped, JP calls on the help of tough-guy plainclothes cop Sal (John Cusack).
This is a movie laden with sentimental self-importance, which makes the infatuation with macho violence even uglier. And that “brother” theme is desperately shallow. One to avoid.
