Lost City of Z (2016)
Genre: Action adventure
Director: James Gray
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland
Duration: 141 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Based on the bestselling book of the same name by David Grann, the action adventure film follows British explorer Percy Fawcett who made several attempts to find an ancient lost city in the Amazon in the early 20th century.

Fawcett was an archeologist and colonel in the Royal Artillery who was sent to South America in 1906 at the age of 39. He travelled to Brazil to map a jungle area at the border of Brazil and Bolivia, where he claimed to have seen mysterious animals unknown to zoology and also shot an 18-metre-long giant anaconda. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as “savages”, Fawcett made seven expeditions until 1924 in a bid to prove his case. He mysteriously disappeared with his son in 1925.

Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak) plays Fawcett in the film, while Sienna Miller stars as his devoted wife, Tom Holland as his son and Robert Pattinson as his aide-de-camp.

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph UK had only words of praise for the film on various fronts. He described it as “an immediate classic” and as “transporting, profound and staggering in its emotional power”.

Geoffrey Macnab of The Independent had equally positive words. He wrote: “James Gray’s brilliant new feature is both a throwback to an era in which rip-roaring yarns about imperial adventurers were commonplace and a story with a strong and disturbing contemporary resonance.”

Although slightly less convinced, Dan Jolin of Empire said: “Solid and stately, a 1970s-feeling jungle adventure film that’s more of a thought-provoker than an excitement-inducer.”

The film, which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October, has opened in some countries last month but will only  be released in the US on April 14.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Empire: 4 stars

Free Fire (2016)
Genre: Action comedy
Director: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Sharlto Copley, BrieLarson, Armie Hammer, Cillian Murphy, Sam Riley
Duration: 90 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

The action comedy, directed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Sightseers), is about an arms deal that goes terribly wrong.

From left, Sharlto Copley, Brie Larson and Armie Hammer are caught in a heavy exchange of fire in Free Fire.

Set in a colourful yet gritty 1970s Boston, Free Fire opens with Justine (Brie Larson), a mysterious American businesswoman, and her wise-cracking associate Ord (Armie Hammer) arranging a black-market weapons deal in a deserted warehouse between IRA arms buyer Chris (Cillian Murphy) and shifty South African gun runner Vernon (Sharlto Copley).

What starts as a polite if uneasy exchange soon goes south when tensions escalate and shots are fired, quickly leading to a full-on battle.

The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and still has to be released worldwide, has earned positive early reviews. Critics have described the film as a “full-throttle action extravaganza” and praised the British director’s funny yet biting critique of the insanity of gun violence.

Peter Debruge of Variety described the film as “an almost cartoonishly over-the-top action movie which crosses the irreverent cheekiness of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs with the ruthless spirit of 1970s B-movies.”

Helen O’ Hara of Empire wrote: “Wheatley continues an unbroken run of quality, helped by a great cast and a startlingly effective premise. This is seriously cool, stuffed with great dialogue and riddled with bullets.”

And the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Free Fire aims squarely for genre thrills, and hits its target repeatedly and with great gusto – albeit with something less than pure cinematic grace.”

Ratings
IMDB: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Empire: 4 stars

Fist Fight (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Richie Keen
Stars: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan, Jillian Bell, Dean Norris, Christina Hendricks
Duration: 91 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Richie Keen’s comedy sees high school teacher Andy Campbell (Charlie Day) trying his best to keep it together  before the summer holidays amid senior pranks, a dysfunctional administration and budget cuts that threaten his job.

Charlie Day (left) is scared stiff of Ice Cube in Fist Fight.

Things go from bad to worse when he crosses Ron Strickland (Ice Cube), the school’s toughest and most feared teacher. When Strickland gets fired, he challenges Campbell to a fight after school. As news of the showdown spreads like wildfire, Andy desperately seeks any way out of the fight.

The film did not go down well with critics. Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media wrote: “Teachers behaving badly is a classic comedy premise that often works, but this movie's toxic take on masculinity and logical plot holes ruin the funny.”

Peter Debruge of Variety was less forgiving: “By far the most disheartening studio-produced movie in recent memory, setting an abysmal example for anyone who goes to school (or the movies, for that matter) still hoping to learn.”

Fist Fight has so far earned around $40.5 million worldwide since its US release in mid- February.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Empire: 1 star