Review: Setup

Originally posted on www.moviemuser.co.uk

Bruce Willis, Ryan Phillippe and Curtis ’50 cent’ Jackson come together in this new heist movie that sees the crime of a lifetime go wrong for two friends, when one (Phillippe) turns on the other and takes off with the haul. Feeling betrayed and wanting revenge, Sonny (Jackson) goes on a personal mission to seek out his ex-friend for payback. Enlisting the help of a dangerous local mob boss (Willis), Sonny is faced with a series of life changing decisions on his personal quest.

From the synopsis the film does sound interesting and if it was written and directed differently then the makers could have been on to a winner here. However they completely miss the mark. Setup has many implausible moments, such as a man named the Butcher (who helps process some very unethical meat) not being explained at all, and a car not noticing it's being followed for about three hours. If I’d have stumbled into this film without knowing what it was about, then at certain points I would have thought it was a bad heist comedy, as there are a number of almost funny moments that take away from what the film is trying to do. The action itself is quite intense in a few parts, so they do deserve credit for that, but the majority of it, including a very important chase scene, are a little lacklustre at best.

Some of the actors are a little hammy, especially one actress who, after crying for five minutes, failed to even smudge her eye makeup. I feel that Jackson could definitely do with some more acting lessons, as he feels totally unbelievable. As for Phillippe, he was cast in the wrong part as a ‘wannabe’ gangster. If Curtis and Phillippe switched roles, then maybe it would have been a bit more believable – that’s still highly unlikely, but maybe.

The only thing this film really had going for it was how weird it was in certain parts, which made you think ‘what am I watching?’. Apart from that it’s a letdown.

Overall Verdict: It definitely one won’t be garnering any Oscar nominations. Unless your ideal film is one with flawed plot lines, hammy acting and a few snooze fest moments, I’d stay away from this one.