Matthias Zehner

I’m constantly amazed by how many bad movies are in circulation. And when I say “bad”, I’m describing plot lines, plot holes, the ending, etc. If you showed this movie to 100 people who DIDN'T know who Aaron Paul was, 98 people would give this movie 1 star or less (there’s always at least 2 idiots in the crowd), but since we’re all Aaron Paul fans, we got sucked into WASTING 2 hours of our life. The plot has so many holes that it would take a lifetime to describe them. i.e. the final scene shows the main characters lying on the floor and looking up at a bullet-riddled ceiling that was the result of bad guys shooting through the window from the outside on LEVEL ground. Somehow, I’m supposed to be believe that dozens of bullets magically curved upward at a 90-degree angle to puncture the ceiling?!! Not only are there are dozens of such examples, but there is also neither an explanation of who the bad guys are, nor an explanation of what happened to Claire during her disappearance. The plot seems to revolve around some photos showing a group of men talking together - nothing illegal or compromising - but apparently these photos will ensure the downfall of Western civilization. The viewer is never told who these men are, but it can surmised that one group is the Russian GRU or mobsters while the other group is a collection of ad hoc American intelligence assets. Even if we assume the worst, we're asked to believe that an innocuous photo showing an American speaking to a Russian is enough to drive the entire movie . . . really? F_ _ _ ing pathetic! Seriously, how can educated, knowledgeable individuals who make movies not bother to take the time and ask, “does this make sense?” That was a rhetorical question because the producers simply exploited Aaron Paul's cache value to suck in viewers. It's really too bad because it would have taken only an hour of editing the "plot script" to make this a really good movie. Instead of spending an extra $100 to edit the script, the producers simply chose to screw us with our pants on. DO NOT WASTE TWO HOURS OF YOUR LIFE ... use the time to write your own screenplay. Apparently Netflix will fund anything....

I’ve watched 36 minutes and am bored out of my skull, which is saying a lot considering I live in CA where everything is shut down with nothing to do. Movie 101 basics: use the opening scenes to grab the viewer’s attention; establish the protagonist and antagonist; provide enough background info to establish context, etc. Yet none of these elements are evident. Hard to imagine that some as accomplished as George Clooney wasn’t able to incorporate these elements into the movie. The bottom line is that if the viewer can’t identify with a character or cause within 30 minutes, then the viewer has no reason to continue. I am that viewer.