A Piece of the Action .....

It's spring break, the family is away on a trip, and I've got the place to myself ..... what a great opportunity to enjoy a little action ... er, action movies, that is ... the kind that are a little too violent for My Favorite Landman, and not-at-all age-appropriate for the kiddo (and barely age-appropriate for me).

Thank goodness for DVD rentals! So far, I've already had a chance to watch a couple of films I really did mean to catch while they were in the theaters ... but never got around to it ... their limited stay on local screens didn't help, either.

One was Hitman, a film adaptation of the popular video game series of the same name. Considering the source material, it should come as no surprise that the movie is a little long on violent action, and short on storyline - most of it, IMHO, borrowed from a variety of sources, everything from the Jason Bourne series to Dark Angel. What did surprise me about the actual film was that it didn't seem to portray a strong church-connection for 47's Organization, which I thought was suggested by the trailers for the film. The movie was okay, worth the cost of a rental ..... though maybe not the cost of a pair of theater tickets, a couple of sodas and a barrel of popcorn.

My other rental was Shoot 'Em Up, a "ramped-up action film on steroids" that made the jump from theaters to DVD faster than a speeding bullet. Again, long on violent action (with more than a little sexual overtone), and short on storyline. But the choreography and editing is first-rate. The website worstpreviews.com suggested, "the script started off with the shoot-outs and then had a plot thrown into it, and not the other way around," which may not be far from the truth. IMHO, I think the script - such as it is - features some great, sometimes hilarious lines. In his review in Hollywood Reporter, Frank Schreck found the film "all very silly, but also undeniably fun." Me, I agree with him. Roll the film, suspend the disbelief, then sit back and enjoy the ride ... especially if you liked Clive Owen's character in Sin City.