What makes it different from others?

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

This movie is good, well directed, good the recitation of actors, good the plot good the story-line, but the final scene. The final scene is the classic emphatic magnification of the hero able to face and beat the evil villains in few time. Tarantino was able to make good the final scene in Django where the hero could prevail in a very difficult way, so that scene lasted long time in order to manage every little particular. This comparison allows to conclude that a realistic final is better than a final full of exaggerations above all because currently the viewers are no longer the viewers of movies in the 80 years as die hard or lethal weapon. Told this, the movie is pleasant for the story, the feelings, the motivations, the goodness in the heart in confront of the cruelty of evil.

Really solid and heartfelt gangster/revenge film with some interesting and original plot elements thrown in. All of the performances are top notch, and there doesn't seem to be nearly as much suspension of belief as is normally required for this kind of movie, although part of that feeling is no doubt due to how well this production is done. It carries a sense of foreboding doom throughout, but, by modern standards at least, the actual violence depicted is not particularly extreme or gratuitous, instead being rather sporadic, albeit fairly realistic and unpleasant when it does occur. This is one of those seemingly rare films which, while centered around criminals, doesn't seem to glorify them in any way, and, if anything, makes a life of serious crime look like a very bad choice. Another positive point is that the conclusion wasn't completely telegraphed, and so with both bleak and hopeful outcomes on the table, tension was very effectively maintained; however, with that said, it's the ending where this film lost so much of the magic it had been so carefully crafting, and why I dropped it down from a 10 to an 8. Specifically, and I'm sorry if this is a little bit of a spoiler, it was really disappointing when the grand finale degenerated into that of pretty much just another typical action movie, sadly squandering so much of the thoughtful plot development that had gotten it to that point. Suddenly it became necessary to very consciously suspend belief, which really broke much of the spell it had been casting. (My best guess is that someone made the unfortunate mistake of calling in Michael Bay to do some last minute script polishing, no doubt fearing that the film was otherwise too intelligent for broad commercial success.) All things considered though, it was still way, way better than most movies in this genre, which tend to be all quips and no heart.

Is "Dead Man Down" a great movie? No but it is a very one. I think of this particular quote from "The Godfather" "Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold." What it means is this: Old saying from the Mafiosi in Sicily. Tells that the best payback is the one that comes with planning, and that brings the most horrendous pain to your enemies when they are not expecting and are just enjoying the fruits of all the dishonor they brought upon you. One must wait so he can really inflict pain to those who wronged him. Careful planning is necessary so your enemies will suffer terribly, but you won't be harmed by the Law or by your enemies' allies. (Urban Dictionary). This is exactly what Victor (Colin Farrell), has in store for psychopathic Gang Leader Alphonse (Terrence Howard), and his bunch of thugs who were responsible for the death of his daughter and the murder of his wife. It is so well thought out that he actually saves the life of the man he wants kill (and of course, by doing that he infiltrates the gang). He ends up meeting Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) who blackmails him into killing the drunk driver who disfigured her. What ends up happening though is through fate and luck (there is a Rabbit's Foot of Beatrice's that plays a huge role throughout the movie), these two eventually fall in love, and spoilers ahead: Are what allow them to psychologically, mend. There is one scene where after Victor beats up (but does not kill) the man who disfigured her, he admits it, and Beatrice says "I still love you." Then when Beatrice is captured by his friend Darcy (Dominic Cooper), and brought to Alphonse, and Alphonse gets a call from Victor saying "I am coming." Alphonse says "Are you coming for me" Victor says "No, I am coming for her." A key scene is where after Victor kills a bunch of bad guys he could have killed Darcy but spares him. So at the very end after he rescues Beatrice, and Alphonse and the rest die (and of course, Victor retrieves the Rabbit's Foot), he is confronted by Darcy with a gun, and Darcy asks "Did you spare me, because I have a wife and kid?' And Victor says "No, because they have you." It is worth noting that Darcy had nothing to do with the murder of Victor's wife (he joined the gang later). But the power of love which first saved Beatrice, then Victor, also saved Darcy, so Darcy could go home to is family (one more point about Darcy, he is a very intelligent person who is good at figuring things out (he even compares himself to the TV Detective Lt. Columbo), so you know he realizes how lucky he was and will be okay), while Victor and Beatrice were able to walk away, and kiss on the subway, and start their lives over together. 9/10 stars

There is always a big gamble with revenge flicks : these stories have been told so many times…it takes more than a few big names to make them memorable. Characters, dialogue, tension, subplots, impressive kills...If used properly, these elements will differentiate any formulaic revenge flick from the lot. While Dead Man Down is not a terrible movie, it's just another title that falls in the loop of quickly-released and just-as-quickly-forgotten anonymous revenge flicks.The storyline makes for a synopsis a thousand times more interesting than the actual product resulting from its lazy execution. We've got two parallel quests for revenge, and neither of them is ever able to capture any sense of depth or avoid clichés, thanks to typical sequences of Farrell watching 8mm tapes of an afternoon in the park with the wife and daughter, where they just laugh and do every possible thing to look like the perfect little family. The other quest for revenge, which involves Noomi Rapace's character, stays on the shelf for nearly the entire runtime, which makes it hard for the average and not overly sensitive viewer to become emotionally involved (or to simply give a rat's ass about it) at any point.The very few action sequences are poorly shot. There is not one moment where Colin Farrell is believable as a Hungarian mobster, nor is Noomi Rapace as a French woman that is both physically and emotionally scarred, thanks to the silly accents that both actors clumsily mimic. And while the acting may be Dead Man Down's strongest point (that says a lot), you can feel the cast is trying hard to bring some life to these frustratingly empty characters, especially Terrence Howard.It is a very typical story, and for it to become something special, its basics had to be strong. And it is not the case. Instead of working on its characters, Dead Man Down prioritizes clichéd rubbish visual elements to add some sort of an intrigue feel that never materializes. From the picture puzzle to the bars on the "f"s, the ensemble feels like it was written to feel way more complex than it actually is.Visually, Dead Man Down is equal to its script : we've seen this a thousand times already. A greyish tone to give it some sort of gritty edge, bland directing lacking anything fancy that is never able to generate any kind of dramatic tension whatsoever. It's all tame. Not awful, just awfully tame.This will be on the shelves of video stores for a month, and next times you will see a copy of Dead Man Down, it will be in 5 years, in the five-dollar movie bin at Wal-Mart, lost under a pile of similarly forgettable products.