This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Not black and not white
Plot Overview
When asset manager Bobby
(Rosamund Pike) has her creditor playing hardball rather than
paying up, she springs for a more effective collector Rachel Wild
(Eiza González) to get it done. Negotiation doesn't work but
her crew has bugged the office of billionaire Manny (Carlos Bardem)
to track some of his assets and freeze them getting his attention.
He sets up a meeting with her on his private island.
Having anticipated this
her security team led by Sid (Henry Cavill) and Bronco (Jake
Gyllenhaal) have rigged the island to neutralize the corrupted
policia and
effect a slick egress by one of three alternate routes. The
negotiation, however, turned out fruitful.
Miss Wild is
later kidnapped and returned to the island. She signals her crew
with a 007–type electronic device and they come to rescue her
from the hoosegow (“Manos arriba”) pursued by a reinforced
private army. Her loyal soldier Andre Baker (Kojo Attah) remains
behind as the rear-guard along the vein of a George Van Der Vring
story: “All of us, gentlemen have but one duty and
obligation in this war—namely, that of falling!”
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Ideology
The heavy homicidal action lends itself to comparison
with one of Kenny Rogers's songs concerning a chance encounter with
“The Gambler” on a train bound for nowhere. He offered
his fellow passenger the advice that “the secret to surviving
is knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep.” The
refrain of the song goes:
You've got to know when to hold 'em, Know when to fold 'em, Know when to walk away, Know when to run. You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table. There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
This wisdom of the gambling man's repertoire is old as the hills and was passed on by a raconteur, Agur in Proverbs 30:1, whose four metaphors offered the same life advice as did Rogers's Gambler. That we find in, (Prov. 30:29-31) “There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any; A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.”
We have Agur's “lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any,” and we have Rogers's “know[ing] when to hold 'em.” In our movie the billionaire offers Miss Wild a generous 80% settlement, but she sticks with the full amount her client is owed.
We have Agur's “king, against whom there is no rising up,” and we have Rogers's “Know[ing] when to fold 'em.” A king who knows when to give in to his subjects doesn't experience any uprising. As mentioned above Baker takes a hit for the team over their objections.
We have Agur's
“he goat also” and we have Rogers's “Know[ing]
when to walk away.” When the guy won't negotiate in good
faith, Miss Wild just walks out.
We have Agur's “greyhound” and Rogers's “Know[ing] when to run.” After her prison break it's run for her life, the main action of the movie.
The gambler gave the advice:
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
The original negotiator got the billionaire to sign the deal only to find himself murdered before he could deliver the papers.
Production Values
“” (2026) was written and directed by Guy Ritchie. It stars Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza González. Cavill and Gyllenhaal playing a seasoned team codenamed husband & husband anticipated each other's moves to a fault. González playing a character codenamed mother was devoid of maternal instincts and hadn't a man despite her youth, good looks and money.
MPA rated it R for violence, language and a sexual reference. There were some nice legal moves to counterbalance the extreme action. The pacing and editing were faultless, the whole production was admirable. Runtime is 1 hour 38 minutes.
Review Conclusion w/a Christian's Recommendation
This one is set up to feature long action scenes with a billionaire set to get taken for all the money he owed. There's lots to cheer about.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Edge of your seat action-packed. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
Works Cited
Scripture quotation from the Authorized Version. Pub. 1611. Rev. 1769. Software.
Rogers, Kenny. Songwriter Don Schlitz. “The Gambler.” Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Pub. LLC. Web.
Van Der Vring, George. “Aube.” Compiled in Great Short Stories Of the War. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1930. Print.
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