Criminal (2016)

"Criminal" stars Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gal Gadot. Released on April 15, 2016, the film is about a convict who is forced to finish an incomplete mission with the memories of a dead CIA agent.

The film is directed by Ariel Vromen, who also directed Jewel of the Sahara, Danika, and The Iceman. Here, we have another action film that has Kevin Costner trying to become an old badass action star like Liam Neeson. Given that my mom is a fan of Costner, I decided to see it and let her know my reaction towards it. In case you didn't know, I'm always in the mood for an action film. Whether they're good or bad, I am a sucker at watching people beat the living bonkers out of each other, especially the Expendables franchise. This film, which has a pretty convincing cast by the way, does have its interesting concept. Unfortunately, its execution lead itself into death row.

Pros:
Plenty of decent performances.

The action was fun to watch, but not memorable.

Cons:
The story and the direction felt sluggish.

The relationship between Jericho (Costner) and Jill Pope (Gal Gadot) was rushed.

A few laughable moments that weren't meant to be funny.

Little to no character development.

The first and second acts weren't that engaging, but the final act got a bit better.
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Final thoughts: While it does have a respectable list of talented actors and an intriguing concept, "Criminal" doesn't seem to have the right memory of how to make those two things work. Don't get me wrong, the story was interesting, but it doesn't really do anything to make the film engaging. Although the performances and the action were passable, they're not enough to prevent this film from being a forgettable, yet sometimes laughable, action flick. I think those who like Kevin Costner may or may not like this film more than I did. I mean, the two people who sat next to me in the theater said they enjoyed it, so yeah. More power to them.

D+