TROPIC THUNDER
Action comedy. 2008. 116 min. With Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jnr, Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise. Director: Ben Stiller. 16VL.
Rating: 4/5
Reviewer: Kim Van Reizig
When pampered actors’ egos get in the way of their work in a new war movie the director sends them to a real war zone at the instruction of the crazed producer (Cruise).
He sets up hidden cameras to capture the raw emotion of the unlikely group which includes Tugg Speedman (Stiller), Jeff Portnoy (Black) and Kirk Lazarus (Downey).
Unbeknown to them the jungle where they are dropped is home to a heroin-producing gang. When Tugg is captured by the gang the rest set out to rescue him while also dealing with their own problems. Meanwhile Tugg’s agent (McConaughey) is oblivious of his client’s troubles and travels into the jungle to find him.
Each actor holds his own in this hilarious film and if you don’t mind too much action their interactions are too good to miss.
RIGHTEOUS KILL
Suspense thriller. 2008. 96 min. With Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Curtis Jackson. Director: Jon Avnet. 16 LVS.
Rating: 2/5
Reviewer: Lara Atson
A vigilante serial killer is on the loose and targeting sociopathic criminals. Veteran NYPD cops Turk Cowen (De Niro) and Rooster Fisk (Pacino) should retire but they still want to solve their last big case. All hell breaks loose when they come to the shocking conclusion the killer might be a rogue cop.
It’s always great seeing these screen icons in action but their third movie together misses the mark. There’s a strong spark between them but no genuine character development and you’ll realise what the twist is long before the end of the movie.
The only reason to hire the movie is to see De Niro and Pacino together on screen.
