GERARD BUTLER. “Kandahar.” / “Last Seen Alive.” / “Copshop.”

“Kandahar” (2023, Sling) spy action thriller film, loosely based on actual events, the story follows a CIA operative and his translator who flee Afghanistan after their covert mission is exposed. Stars Gerard Butler. 



       Mr Butler's CIA and ex-MI6 Tom Harris’ bearded macho posturing is easily the highlight of this movie, forget that this is all a lame derivative of the usual Americans/Europeans warring elsewhere cliché. With some stabs at guilt? And the battle scenes are short of spectacular. 🎥💻📽


“Last Seen Alive” (2022, Hulu) action thriller. A man takes the law into his own hands in the search for his missing wife. 


       A critic mentioned that this movie is “achingly similar” to that of the 1997 Kurt Russell film “Breakdown.” I saw that movie but I am not bothered by the similarity. Many movies manage to project “original” identities although loosely based on previous films (such as Akira Kurosawa films) or actually treaded the same plotline from other previous work.

       I mind the current work by writer Marc Frydman and director Brian Goodman. “Last Seen Alive” kind of worked for me because it isn't plodding or pretentious. The basic framework is predictable but I still couldn't predict the end game by the last quarter of the ride. And Gerard Butler's dramatic grip kept the thrill alive. 🎥💻📽


“Copshop” (2021, Netflix) neo noir action thriller. Set in a small-town police station that becomes the battleground between a hitman, a novice police officer, and a con artist. Stars Gerard Butler. 


       Joe Carnahan is an action writer/director who revels in cartoonish shootouts and pseudo-intellectual repartees. 

       Check out “Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane,” “Smokin' Aces,” “The Grey,” and the recent “The Rip.” It's either his mischief works damn fine, or fails miserably. In this “Copshot” thingy, the old-school thrill is just fine. Feels like 1970s blaxploitation or Robert Rodriguez joint. Still enjoyable. 

       This is more a Frank Grillo flick though than it is Gerard Butler's gig, and Alexis Louder as Val Young, a rookie police officer, is a revelation. 🎥💻📽

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