Excellent but underrated film

A Disappointing Continuation

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

this movie is as predictable as it gets. Sure you get good action and shootings there, but both the story and the characters couldn't be more transparent. I was expecting at least quite decent action movie since Vin Diesel is in it but his character is kinda flat, and to be honest I don't blame him, he hasn't been given much to work on. I suppose the only thing he could have done differently was not accepting that role... The only role that raises above average is Larenz Tate's, he really should get a credit for that. Sadly there is no "good" villain in that movie. Timothy Olyphant's role was promising but failed to keep that promise. all in all, if you have nothing else to do, you can watch that movie. But if you have a choice, choose something else.

Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) and Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate) are part of a DEA team sent to join Mexican police to take down drug lord Memo Lucero. Memo is captured and brought back to the US. A mysterious new player Diablo is taking over Memo's territory and killing his men. Diablo's men kill Sean's wife (Jacqueline Obradors) in a failed assassination attempt. He goes to seek revenge for his dead wife. They start investigating Hollywood Jack (Timothy Olyphant).It's a crime melodrama. There is a good deal of overacting. The story has several cliché plots jam together. Vin Diesel tries to do a lot. I don't blame him because that's the way it's written. He's a super cop. He's a happy street-wise family man. He's a grieving widow. He's a gangster thug avenging cop. He's too much and the movie suffers. It feels like a lot of poser acting. It doesn't get the benefit of gritty realism. There are quite a bit of gun action but it's not fun or exciting. This movie is going for a lot and probably too much. Around the halfway point, I stop caring about this movie.

Wow! This movie actually made me shed a tear, and with me that is rare. I probably started to leak because I've been in a similar situation as Sean. I've been to hell and back a few times, and a part of me is still there and always will be.The sad part really got to me, and that's a big plus. That is a sign that the people who made this movie have done their job properly. The start was great. To use my famous action-curve, it started out pretty high and it went a little down to push the sadness and the storyline on us, and then it went up, up and away with some minor detours down. In other words, it was great.The acting was, as expected with Mark Vincent (aka Vin Diesel), freaking awesome! He is, always have been and always will be one of my favorite actors. Now Vin may have done a perfect job, but he wasn't the only one with acting skills out there. Larenz Tate and that Olyphant-guy who played Hollywood Jack were great as well. They made me believe it. And that is always a good sign in this business.Now, let's talk ending. Without giving anything away, I can say, honestly, that I was genuinely surprised at the ending. First I was a bit confused with the handcuffs, I was thinking about what would happen next, and he turned his back and I was genuinely disappointed, disappointed for 2 seconds give or take. I did not see that one coming! Not at all! And I seriously see EVERYTHING before they come! OK, to sum it up. It had everything, even a few laughs appeared, and not on the screen. So, it was perfect, give or take. Simply perfect. Which means it gets a perfect 10 out of 10 stars from me. I also recommend you to see it, I really do. I would almost say this is a must-see movie.Until next time, Ciao! Buenas noches! Bonsoir! Good night! Shevy

There are a lot of people reviewing this film that have no clue about the Vin Diesel oeuvre. This movie rocks. F. Gary Gray's best film, by far. It is straightforward, it is hard, it is cruel, there are no caricatures here.The supporting cast of Larenz Tate, Timothy Olyphant, Emilio Rivera, Jeff Kober, and a bunch of people you would never want to run into in a dark alley, is key to the gritty realism of this film. People comparing it to XXX or the Fast and Furious chain must have fallen asleep during this film because they are miles apart. This is where you find out how hard Vin Diesel can be. Where you get to see him without pity or remorse. If not for A Man Apart, the glimpses of power you see in Pitch Black and XXX and Knockaround Guys never blossom into their full Vin-ness.This is a powerful character portrait of a broken and bitter cop, intermingled with a stud action film. If you've never seen it, shame on you.