Colibel
Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Brendon Jones
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Well, "House of the Rising Sun" proves to be no grand thespian experience. I mean, just look at the cast ensemble, and you essentially know what you are in for.The story is about former dirty police officer Ray who is now working security detail at an illegal casino and brothel. After a robbery Ray finds himself framed for the robbery and murder and must go to extreme lengths to clear his name.It should be said that the movie is entertaining enough for what it was; a somewhat bland action movie that was running on autopilot and offering nothing to challenge the intellect of the audience.Now, I mentioned that this is not a grand thespian experience earlier, and with names like Dave Bautista and Dominic Purcell at the lead, well, enough said. Bautista moves about with the grace of a bull in a China shop, and Dominic Purcells hair just gets taller and taller with each movie.There were a couple of adequate action sequences here and there, but it was not sufficient to lift up the movie and bring it above mediocrity.If you enjoy action movies, then your money is better spent elsewhere if you want a movie with just an ounce of content. However, if you enjoy pointless and predictable movies that are devoid of anything to stimulate your intellect, then by all means spend an hour and a half on "House of the Rising Sun".
Matt Kracht
The plot: After a violent heist, a dirty ex-cop/ex-con is tasked with recovering the stolen money and avenging the death of a mobster's son, only to face increasing pressure and suspicion from both the cops and mob.While undeniably clichéd, the story had some real potential. The movie even starts off well, introducing all of the stereotypical characters that you expect to find in a traditional crime drama. Obviously, I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking or unique, but, for what it was, it looked like an above-average entry. Somewhere around the middle of the movie, however, they just give up and decide to hit every cliché they can, while half-heartedly shooting a bunch of boring action sequences.The biggest problem is the fight choreography. When you cast a giant bruiser as your protagonist, people are going to have certain expectations. This movie does not meet them. There aren't enough fight scenes, and the few that do exist are terrible. None of them are believable. The action sequences suffer from similar problems.The acting was alright. There are a few B movie veterans that you'll probably recognize. Dave Bautista, the star, gives a decent performance, but I can't really say that I see him going anywhere but direct-to-video action movies.If you're a fan of gritty, urban crime drama/thriller/action movies, you might like this, but there are much better choices.
madmatthew-521-221019
Nighttime shots of Grand Rapids, Michigan in winter. Huge Hulk talks to other people, then fights with them. Some fights he wins, others he loses. Then he talks to someone on a pay phone. (Where the hell did they find all those pay phones? I don't think there are that many pay phones left in all of the Midwest, much less Grand Rapids, Michigan. I swear they had to go buy some and tie them to streetlights with coat hangers.) Then he drives. Then there's some more nighttime shots of Grand Rapids, Michigan in winter. Then Hulk talks to some other people, then fights with them... repeat for 90 minutes. There, I just saved you the necessity of watching this dreadful movie. I watched this one late insomniac night on HBO because I noticed right away it was shot in Grand Rapids, and I'm a West Michigan guy. But the location is all it has going for it. There are just flat out ridiculous occurrences in the script -- the hero goes from driving a 1980s Oldsmobile from driving a 1990s Firebird or Camaro; no explanation given for the vehicle switch. Another time, he takes punches that would leave an actual human's face looking like lasagna, pro wrestler or no. He goes to visit his ex- girlfriend, who remarks that he looks like crap. Camera cuts to his face, and he has one tiny smidge of blood on his chin. Yeah, that's just awful. Finally, I'm a little surprised the city fathers in Grand Rapids didn't complain about the portrayal of their city -- who knew there was a gigantic four-story illegal casino and whorehouse in the middle of downtown, and the entire police force was among its best customers??
newt2440
The trailer for this is actually pretty solid and i thought it would be good because of the supporting cast as well. batista limited to short lines and fightng wouldve been fine, except that they did the opposite. they gave him useless stupid long lines of dialogue, and i think i counted three "action" scenes. I put that in quotations because none of the action aside from maybe the opening shootout was fast paced.this was miscast, in terms of the lead cop who plays a minor foil for batista. he acts all tough, but looks like a scrawny little punk, as does purcell's lead henchmen who looks 160 lbs soaking wet.there were a few unintentionally funny moments where i laughed because the lines/cussing seemed so unnecessary. for instance when in the parking lot, batista wants another file from his ex partner, at the end of it the ex partner randomly goes "f*ck you, asshole!" with a double flick off, then drives off. also after he fights the black guy at the house, batista says, " let's go you big f*ck." end scene.at the very end of the movie after amy smart is shown shoving cops and saying ray for about two tediously long minutes, the last line is "have a great life, jeannie."...jenny...whatever her name is. and that is that.... no real closure. abrupt, silly ending to a very cliché movie with no real action.