Space restrictions prevented this review of the pants War On Everyone running in the Sunday Indo last weekend. Ah the joys of the blogosphere. This gets a star just for casting Stephanie Sigman and another for Caleb Landry Jones.
***
War on Everyone
Cert: 16
IF YOU were a crook in Albuquerque, you wouldn’t want to be face-to-face with Terry (Alexander Skarsgård) and Bob (Michael Peña). Without sounding glib, the pair are the archetypal “bad cop / worse cop” duo and have a nice little racket going on in blackmailing and shaking down local criminals with any level of brutality they see fit.
After hours, Michael has family time with wife Delores (the wonderful Stephanie Sigman) while Terry – the muscle to Michael’s mouth – drinks, snorts and dances to Glen Campbell. Their feathers are finally ruffled by Theo James’ posh Brit crime lord and his weirdo sidekick played by Caleb Landry Jones, who are setting up a bank heist. A taste of their own medicine might be coming for Michael and Terry after they look for a cut.
John Michael McDonagh (The Guard, Calvary) is more concerned with zany, adolescent, politically incorrect humour than plot and it is the undoing of this potentially fun caper. A talky, smug sub-Tarantino vibe comes across during the London-Irish director’s first foray Stateside that is too busy and self-satisfied.
2/5
Hilary Adam White 