John Malkovich Archives

Review: ‘Mr. Blake at Your Service,’ starring John Malkovich, Fanny Ardant, Émilie Dequenne, Al Ginter, Anne Brionne and Christel Henon

September 1, 2025

by Carla Hay

John Malkovich and Fanny Ardant in “Mr. Blake at Your Service” (Photo courtesy of Sunrise Films)

Directed by Gilles Legardinier

French with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in France and briefly in London, the comedy/drama film “Mr. Blake at Your Service” features an all-white cast of characters representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: An affluent British widowed businessman returns to the French manor where he and his deceased French wife met, and he unexpectedly becomes a problem-solving butler at the manor.

Culture Audience: “Mr. Blake at Your Service” will appeal mainly to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners and old-fashioned movies about lonely people who create a familial bond together.

Fanny Ardant, Eugénie Anselin, Émilie Dequenne, Philippe Bas and John Malkovich in “Mr. Blake at Your Service” (Photo courtesy of Sunrise Films)

In a day and age when contemporary-set movies strive to be edgy or provocative, “Mr. Blake at Your Service” does the opposite. Grouchy cynics will dislike this comedy/drama that is old-fashioned and flawed but has a sweet nature and enough good performances to carry this film, which is about an unlikely English butler who breaks down social class barriers at a French manor. “Mr. Blake at Your Service” wraps up in a way that’s a little too contrived and has some other questionable filmmaking choices, but viewers who can tolerate watching the first third of the movie will probably like the rest of the film.

Directed by Gilles Legardinier, “Mr. Blake at Your Service” was co-written by Legardinier and Christel Henon. The movie is based on Legardinier’s 2012 novel “Complètement Cramé,” which means “completely burnt out” in French. “Complètement Cramé” is the French-language title of the movie, which also has the title “Well Done,” depending on where the movie was released. The movie’s biggest flaw is its uneven pacing: It’s too slow in some areas and then has a screwball slapstick sequence rushed in toward the end.

“Mr. Blake at Your Service” begins with Andrew Blake (played by John Malkovich), a successful businessman from England, refusing to attend the 28th annual Innovation Tradition Awards, a gala ceremony taking place in London. Andrew is being given the prestigious Man of the Year Award, but he has chosen to stay home instead. His close friend Richard Ward (played by Al Ginter), who is at the venue, has been frantically calling Andrew on the phone to ask when Andrew will make his appearance at the ceremony.

When Andrew finally picks up the phone to talk Richard, he tells Richard in no uncertain terms: “Thank everybody, but I won’t join the party.” Richard says in an annoyed tone: “I swear, I’ll make you pay for this.” Andrew responds, “Life is already presenting the bill, my friend.”

The reason why Andrew wants to skip this ceremony is because he’s been grieving over the death of his wife Diane, who died because of an unnamed reason four months ago. Diane and Andrew had been married to each for more than 40 years. Andrew met Diane (who was a native of France) when he had been hired to teach her English when he stayed at a grand manor in France called the Beauvillier Mansion.

Andrew and Diane have an adult daughter named Sarah, who is semi-estranged from Andrew because she says she’s too busy to visit him. It’s implied that Andrew was a workaholic for most of Sarah’s life. Now that Andrew is close to retiring and is a widower, Sarah hasn’t set aside time to spend with Andrew in the way that he had hoped.

Andrew tells Richard that Andrew and Diane had promised each other that they would go back to Beauvillier Mansion one day. Sadly, Diane died before they could make that journey. Andrew still has his heart set on going back to Beauvillier Mansion (which operates as a bed-and-breakfast vacation spot) to relive his fond memories of the early days of his “love at first sight” romance with Diane.

Richard drives Andrew to the train station. And when Andrew arrives at Beauvillier Mansion without a reservation, he finds out that the mansion’s owner has died and has left behind massive debts that his widow Nathalie Beauvillier (played by Fanny Ardant) now has to handle. Nathalie has gotten an offer to sell the mansion. And it’s very likely that she will.

In the meantime, Beauvillier Mansion needs to book more guests to stay financially afloat and is in desperate need of a butler. Nathalie doesn’t want to book any guests until the mansion has a full-service staff. The mansion’s sassy cook Odile (played by Émilie Dequenne) has placed an ad for a butler to work at the mansion.

When Odile opens the door to greet Andrew, she thinks that Andrew is someone who has answered the butler ad. When Andrew finds out the mansion’s predicament, he tells Odile: “I’d do anything to live here again, even just for a while.” And so, Odile comes up with the idea for Andrew to pretend to be a butler without telling Nathalie that he’s really not a butler. In exchange for his services, Andrew can stay at the mansion for free room and board.

The rest of “Mr. Blake at Your Service” is a light-hearted farce of Andrew trying to keep his real identity a secret from Nathalie and other people who live on the mansion’s property. Much later in the movie, Richard and his wife Melissa Ward (played by Anne Brionne) show up at the mansion, as Andrew is involved in this butler charade. In various ways, Andrew teaches certain things to these residents, while he also a learns things from them. Odile, the only person who knows Andrew’s secret, is standoffish to him at first, but she starts to warm up to Andrew when she accepts that his compliments to her (such as telling her that her cooking is worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant) are genuine.

The mansion’s unsophisticated groundskeeper Magnier (played by Philippe Bas) first meets Andrew one night by shooting a gun at Andrew because he thinks Andrew is a thief. Magnier (who has a crush on Odile that could be mutual) and Andrew later become friendly and do things such as play chess together. Andrew teaches Magnier table etiquette, so Magnier can impress Odile on a dinner date. Yes, it’s that kind of movie.

The mansion’s bachelorette housekeeper Manon (played by Eugénie Anselin) is distressed because she’s pregnant with an unplanned baby and is afraid of telling her boss Nathalie about this pregnancy. Manon is in love with the baby’s father (who is never seen in the movie) and is having relationship issues with him. Guess who gives advice to Manon on how to fix the problems in her love life?

The movie’s cornball comedy is most evident when it has to do with interactions with two of the movie’s supporting characters, one of who is not human. Odile has a Persian cat name Mephisto, who doesn’t like to be touched and reacts to humans in the way that cute and wise cats do in these types of sentimental movies. There’s also a demanding and difficult guest named Madame Berliner (played by “Mr. Blake at Your Service” co-writer Henon), whose storyline ends with one of the most ridiculous parts of the movie.

One of the things that might annoy some viewers of “Mr. Blake at Your Service” is how Malkovich (who is American in real life) speaks in the movie. He gives his Andrew Blake character a slow, often-hesitant speaking cadence to demonstrate that Andrew is not fluent in the French language. Malkovich usually plays weirdos and/or villains in movies, but Andrew is not that stereotype: Andrew is just a lonely and earnest soul who finds more than he expected in staying at this mansion.

Ardant gives a perfectly fine performance as Nathalie, the elegant manor widow who is tryng to hold on to her dignity while struggling with the financial burdens of the mansion. Andrew offers to give her financial advice, but Nathalie doesn’t want him to know the details about her financial problems, partly because of pride and partly because she thinks that Andrew is a butler who wouldn’t know how to help her.

Dequenne has the most complex role as Odile, who purposely doesn’t like to share a lot of personal information about herself. Dequenne’s performance hints that Odile has had her heart broken in the past, but Odile doesn’t want pity and doesn’t want to tell the details. Andrew is the catalyst for Odile to look at the world with less suspicion.

“Mr. Blake at Your Service” doesn’t make the title character saintly. He has a side to him that can be rude and irritable. And sometimes his grief clouds his judgment. However, the movie has a heartfelt message of developing familial bonds with people, sometimes at a low point in someone’s life, and understanding that meaningful relationships often transcend differences in social classes.

Sunrise Films released “Mr. Blake at Your Service” in U.S. cinemas on June 20, 2025. The movie was released on digital and VOD on August 12, 2025. The movie was released in France on November 1, 2023.

Review: ‘Opus’ (2025), starring Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Amber Midthunder, Stephanie Suganami, Young Mazino and Tatanka Means

March 14, 2025

by Carla Hay

John Malkovich and Ayo Edebiri in “Opus” (Photo by Anna Kooris/A24)

“Opus” (2025)

Directed by Mark Anthony Green

Culture Representation: Taking place in New York City and in Green River, Utah, the horror film “Opus” features a predominantly white group of people (with some African Americans, Native Americans and Asians) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A music journalist and several other people are the targets of deadly terror when they go to an exclusive listening party at the isolated compound of a mysterious pop star, who says he’s coming out of a 30-year retirement.

Culture Audience: “Opus” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, but this horror movie fails to do anything interesting or clever.

Murray Bartlett, Ayo Edebiri, Juliette Lewis and Melissa Chambers in “Opus” (Photo courtesy of A24)

“Opus” starts with an unoriginal horror movie concept of people experiencing terror in an isolated area. It goes downhill from there. Yet another campy and weird performance from John Malkovich (as a reclusive pop star) cannot save this misguided movie. “Opus” seems to want to make bold statements about the dangers of obsessive celebrity worship, but it’s really just a substandard slasher flick that takes too long to get to the horror part of the movie.

Written and directed by Mark Anthony Green, “Opus” is his first feature film. “Opus” had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. The movie takes place mostly in Green River, Utah, and partially in New York City. (“Opus” was actually filmed in New Mexico.) Several characters are introduced and then are left underdeveloped. And there are too many plot holes to ignore. “Opus” is like a song that spends too much time on an intro, pretends to be original, but is really just a slipshod ripoff of better previously released work from other creators.

“Opus” begins by showing a snippet of a concert performed by music superstar Alfred Moretti (played by Malkovich), who goes by the name Moretti. His face is not revealed until later in the movie. As the movie’s opening credits roll on screen, individual concertgoers are shown in slow-motion as they dance and look ecstatic. The movie has visual effects that make it look like Moretti’s most star-struck fans have glints in their eyes like glowing stars.

The movie’s first scene with dialogue takes place in the New York City headquarters of an unnamed print magazine whose specialty is music coverage. During a staff meeting in a conference room, 27-year-old journalist Ariel Ecton (played by Ayo Edebiri) pitches an idea to do a feature article on the possible comeback of a legendary singer named Tamara Camden, whose two most recent albums have been flops.

Ariel’s editor boss Stan Sullivan (played by Murray Bartlett) rejects the idea. But then, he quickly changes his mind and assigns the story to a male writer. Ariel is hurt by this rejection because this type of snub has happened to her before at this magazine where she has worked for the past three years.

Ariel is then seen having lunch with her friend Kent (played by Young Mazino) and complaining that she’s not respected at her job. Ariel wants to do articles about celebrities because she thinks that will bring more attention to her. She has yet to be assigned this type of article. Kent tells her with brutal honesty that Ariel probably isn’t respected at the job because she comes across as too average, too boring and too inexperienced in life.

Kent bluntly says to Ariel: “You’re middle as fuck,” meaning that she’s too “middle-of-the-road.” This is the only scene where anything is mentioned about Ariel’s personal history. She grew up in a stable, middle-class home with her two married parents. And she has a hard time letting anyone get close to her. These are all things that Kent says out loud to Ariel.

When Ariel goes back to the office, her co-workers are abuzz because Moretti’s flamboyant publicist Soledad Yusef (played by Tony Hale) has posted an online video announcing that Moretti is coming out of a 30-year retirement to release his 18th studio album, titled “Caesar’s Request.” A select number of people (about 50 to 75 guests) from around the world will get invitations to an exclusive listening party for the album, with each guest getting an all-expenses-paid trip to the party. Moretti is hosting the party at his sprawling compound in a very remote desert area in Green City, Utah.

It’s explained that before Moretti “disappeared” into retirement, he was the biggest pop star of the 1990s. He had 38 No. 1 singles and the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. His retirement was abrupt. He has not done any interviews since his retirement. And he has rarely been seen in public. However, he still has a devoted fan base.

The trailer for “Opus” already reveals that Ariel and Stan are two of the people who received invitations to the listening party. Arrangements are made for them to get flown by private jet to Green City. When Ariel and Stan arrive in Green City, they are greeted by Moretti’s chief assistant Jorg (played by Peter Diseth), who is welcoming but has an intensity about him that is unsettling. Jorg dresses like he was given throwaway clothes from “Star Trek.”

Ariel and Stan are then told that they will go on a tour bus called The Debutante to go to Moretti’s compound. The other people on the bus are tabloid TV host Clara Armstrong (played by Juliette Lewis); paparazzi photographer Bianca Tyson (played by Melissa Chambers); social media influencer Emily Katz (played by Stephanie Suganami); and an entertainment journalist named Bill Lotto (played by Mark Sivertsen), who is a competitive rival to Stan. Later, it’s revealed that Moretti has a grudge against Bill for a very petty and uninteresting reason.

On the way to the compound, these six guests see Moretti fans who weren’t invited to the party but are camped out as close to the compound entrance as they can get. When the guests arrive at the compound, a tall and imposing staffer named Najee (played by Tatanka Means) tells the guests that they are required to hand over their phones during the trip. Later, Ariel finds out that her laptop computer was taken without her consent from her guest room. A note is left behind, saying that her laptop computer was taken to “ensure your comfort,” with the promise that she will get her computer back at the end of the trip.

Once at the compound, Moretti makes his big entrance (his wardrobe is a combination of 1970s Elton John and New Age guru) and almost everyone does some type of celebrity worship of Moretti. Ariel gets caught up in it too, but not to the extent that she sees other people excessively fawning over Moretti. She notices that Jorg and other Moretti employees refer to themselves and Moretti’s other devoted fans as Levelists, with each person having to attain different levels to get closer to Moretti.

Stan mostly ignores Ariel because he is more interested in schmoozing with Clara and seeing if he can be the first person to interview Moretti at this party. And so, at the first big group dinner, where everyone is seated at long tables, Ariel is by herself when she is approached by a friendly girl named Maude (played by Aspen Martinez), who is about 8 or 9 years old. Maude invites Ariel to sit next to her at the dinner.

Maude is one of the few children in this group of people. Who is Maude and why is she there? Don’t expect any answers to that question. Later, Moretti is seen holding Maude’s hand like a parental figure. There is no mention of Moretti being a parent to Maude. Where are Maude’s parents? Don’t expect the movie to answer to that question either.

In another scene, Jorg tells Ariel that Jorg used to be a music teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, but he suddenly left it all behind when he got a surprise phone call from Moretti, who asked Jorg to work for him. Jorg tells Ariel, “I was on the plane the next day.” Jorg says part of his job is to teach music theory to Maude, but whatever musical skills Jorg might have are never shown in the movie.

Ariel sees many other indications that Moretti is the leader of a cult. People obey his orders, no matter how strange they are. All of the people at the first group dinner are expected to eat from the same loaf of bread by biting into the bread loaf. By the time the loaf gets to Ariel, it’s lumpy and sticky from other people’s saliva. She hesitates to take a bite, but she gives in to peer pressure and does it anyway. The guests are also given specific schedules for their activities during this trip.

Later, Ariel and the other guests are each assigned a “minder,” who is supposed to keep them under surveillance, 24 hours a day. Ariel’s minder is a scowling Levelist concierge named Belle (played by Amber Midthunder), who follows Ariel almost everywhere. Ariel is given some privacy (Belle stays outside Ariel’s room when Ariel is in her room), but the movie never explains how Belle can really watch Ariel 24 hours a day, as if Belle doesn’t need to sleep. (“Opus” is not a science-fiction movie where the Levelists are really surprise non-human creatures.)

There’s too much build-up and not much payoff happening in “Opus.” At least half of the movie is about showing Ariel getting increasingly uncomfortable about being at the compound. Something that really raises alarms for her is the fashion/beauty makeover that she and the other guests are required to have before the listening party. It has already been decided for all the guests exactly what their makeovers will entail.

An employee Levelist named Rachel Malick (played by Tamera Tomakili), whose perky personality seems very fake, oversees Ariel’s makeover. And let’s just say that the grooming is too close for Ariel’s comfort. Rachel tries to shame Ariel into thinking that Ariel is being too uptight if she refuses any part of this makeover. “Opus” repeatedly makes the point that people will overlook and excuse a lot of uncomfortable weirdness if it means pleasing someone who’s rich and famous.

One of the biggest failings of “Opus” is that it tells nothing about who Clara, Bianca, Emily and Bill really are, even though they are all put in the same group as Ariel and Stan for various activities at the compound. Clara gets the most dialogue with Ariel and Stan, but Clara is ultimately shallow and has nothing interesting to say. Bianca’s presence in the movie is unnecessary because Bianca has absolutely no bearing on the story.

For most of “Opus,” Ariel just exists to react to the bizarre things that she experiences, including witnessing extreme oyster shucking in a sweat-lodge tent; hearing Moretti tell a weird story about Chuck Norris and Muhammad Ali competing with each other backstage at a 1980s Mortetti concert to see who could slice up a mosquito the most with his bare hands; and watching an offbeat puppet show called “The Tragedy of Billie” about Billie Holiday. (Rosario Dawson has a voice cameo role as Billie Holiday.) As a journalist, Ariel has lousy investigative skills and not much common sense. But then again, horror movies often rely on characters to make less-than-smart decisions. Edebiri gives a serviceable performance as Ariel, who is likable but dull.

Malkovich’s performance as demented creep Moretti might get mild chuckles from viewers, but Moretti is not scary enough or funny enough to be an outstanding villain. As for Moretti’s songs, they are mediocre electro-pop tunes written by Grammy-winning writers/producers Nile Rodgers and The-Dream. If you waited your whole life to see Malkovich gyrate to bland pop while pretending to be a pop star, then “Opus” is the movie for you.

Most horror movies are not expected to be masterpieces. But the best horror movies should get viewers interested enough to care what happens to the main characters. Unfortunately, “Opus” fails to deliver, in terms of characters and a story that can be engaging. The last awful 15 minutes of “Opus” drag like a strand of toilet paper clinging to a toilet bowl before being flushed down the toilet. And that’s probably the best way to describe how this derivative flop film wasted a lot of opportunities to be a better movie.

A24 released “Opus” in U.S. cinemas on March 14, 2025. The movie will be released on digital and VOD on April 1, 2025.

Review: ‘Fool’s Paradise’ (2023), starring Charlie Day, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody, Jason Sudeikis, Jason Bateman, Common and Ray Liotta

August 11, 2023

by Carla Hay

Kate Beckinsale, Charlie Day and Ken Jeong in “Fool’s Paradise” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

“Fool’s Paradise” (2023)

Directed by Charlie Day

Culture Representation: Taking place in the Los Angeles area, the comedy film “Fool’s Paradise” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with a few African Americans Asians and Latinos) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A mostly mute man goes from being patient at a psychiatric facility to impersonating a famous actor while also hanging out with a con-man publicist.

Culture Audience: “Fool’s Paradise” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, because their name recognition is the only thing that this embarrassing dud has going for it.

Charlie Day and Adrien Brody in “Fool’s Paradise” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions)

“Fool’s Paradise” is more like viewer’s hell, for anyone expecting this comedy to be funny. It looks like the type of flop whose all-star cast members are there because the director begged them to be in his movie, instead of the screenplay being good. Not only is “Fool’s Paradise” painfully unfunny, but it’s also relentlessly boring.

Written and directed by Charlie Day, “Fool’s Paradise” is Day’s feature-film directorial debut. Day has made a name for himself by mostly doing comedies on TV and in movies. (He’s one of the stars of the long-running comedy TV series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”) You’d think that someone with all of these years of experience in comedy would’ve learned how to make an entertaining comedy film. “Fool’s Paradise” looks like a movie directed by a complete amateur who convinced several famous people to be in the movie.

There isn’t much to the rambling and garbage plot of “Fool’s Paradise,” which takes place in the Los Angeles area. Day portrays two characters in the movie: the constantly confused main character Latte Pronto and look-alike difficult actor Sir Thomas Kit Bingsley. Someone who buzzes around like an annoying insect in the movie is a con man named Lenny (played by Ken Jeong), who has decided he’s going to convince people that he’s a publicist in the entertainment business. Much of “Fool’s Paradise” is about the silly antics that happen after Lenny meets Latte.

“Fool’s Paradise” begins by showing Lenny in a tense meeting at a diner with an unnamed comedian (played by Andrew Santino), who is furious because he hired Lenny to introduce him to agents and managers, but Lenny hasn’t delivered on that promise. Lenny makes weak excuses, but this angry client has had enough of Lenny and fires him on the spot. With no more clients to deceive, Lenny goes on the hunt for his next scam victim.

Meanwhile, at a psychiatric facility, two unnamed doctors (played by Peter Mackenzie and Christine Horn) decide that they have to discharge one of the patients at the facility. The first doctor says about this hapless patient (played by Day): “The patient is a nobody. He has no family or friends. He has the mind of a 5-year-old or a Labrador retriever.” The doctor adds that the state won’t pay for any of Latte’s therapy, “so we’re going to put his ass on the first bus downtown.”

While this displaced man is now homeless walking on a street, he’s spotted by an unnamed producer (played by Ray Liotta), who is driving by and immediately notices that this person on the street looks identical to hard-drinking actor Thomas. The producer is frustrated because Thomas has been acting like a spoiled, alcoholic diva on the set of the producer’s latest movie, which is a Western.

The producer decides to meet this stranger and hire him as Thomas’ double whenever Thomas is too drunk to work. Even though this stranger seems incapable of telling anyone who he is, the producer decides to go through with the plan. The producer invites the stranger to be on the movie studio lot. During a lunch with the stranger, the producer orders someone to get him a “latte, pronto.” And that’s how the stranger begins to call himself Latte Pronto.

The problem? Latte has lost his ability to speak. That’s supposed to be the movie’s main gimmick, but “Fool’s Paradise” is so stupid, it does away with that gimmick by showing that Latte is mute, except when he has to deliver his actor lines when he’s impersonating Thomas. His co-star in the movie is Chad Luxt (played by Adrien Brody), who plays the villain character Black Bart in the producer’s Western movie.

Before the movie can be completed, Thomas is found dead from self-asphyxiation. At the producer’s urging, Latte takes over Thomas’ identity completely, in order to finish the movie. The producer doesn’t want to lose his investment in the film. Latte then begins to live the life of a movie star, including having Lenny as his publicist. Also in Latte’s entourage are an agent (played by Edie Falco), an attorney, a stylist and an intern (played by Shane Paul McGhie).

An actress named Christiana Dior (played by Kate Beckinsale) starts off in the story as Chad’s girlfriend, but she dumps Chad to marry Latte. Christiana is a shallow trophy wife and one of the worst-written characters in “Fool’s Paradise.” Jason Sudeikis has a brief supporting role as a movie director. Jason Bateman makes a cameo as a special effects technician.

John Malkovich and Tom O’Rion portray wealthy businessman brothers Ed Cote and Dartanon Cote, who are heavly involved in political campaigns. It’s an obvious spoof of the real-life Charles Koch and David Koch. Hip-hop star/actor Common has a small supporting role as a homeless guy named The Dagger. Most of the characters in “Fool’s Paradise” do not have names.

There are some really awful movies where you can tell that at least the cast members were having fun. That’s not the case with “Fool’s Paradise,” which is the type of dreadful misfire where the principal cast members look like they know they’re stuck in a horrible movie, and they all (including Day) give lackluster performances. The sluggish pacing makes this cinematic cesspool of bad comedy even worse. The only good thing that might come out of “Fool’s Paradise” is that if Day directs another movie, hopefully he’ll learn from this colossal failure of creativity, and he won’t make the same mistakes again.

Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions released “Fool’s Paradise” in U.S. cinemas on May 12, 2023. The movie was released on digital and VOD on June 2, 2023.

Review: ‘One Ranger,’ starring Thomas Jane and John Malkovich

May 28, 2023

by Carla Hay

“One Ranger”

Directed by Jesse V. Johnson

Culture Representation: Taking place in Texas, Mexico, Eastern Europe, and the United Kingdom, the action film “One Ranger” features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some black people, Latinos and Native Americans) representing the working-class, middle-class and criminal underground.

Culture Clash: A Texas ranger is enlisted by a British intelligence agent to help capture a Northern Irish terrorist.

Culture Audience: “One Ranger” will primarily appeal to people who don’t mind watching low-quality “law and order” chase movies.

Dean Jagger in “One Ranger” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate)

“One Ranger” star Thomas Jane is one of those actors who has done so many bad movies over the last several years, people who watch a lot of movies already know that any film he stars in will be a terrible flop. “One Ranger” is just a ridiculous series of chase scenes where viewers are supposed to believe that MI6 can’t catch an international terrorist without the help of one Texas Ranger. John Malkovich’s oddly placed role in the movie is really a glorified cameo.

Written and directed by Jesse V. Johnson, “One Ranger” not only has subpar acting and poorly staged action scenes, it also has a barrage of cringeworthy dialogue. The movie foreshadows how horrible it’s going to be with a captioned statement in the introduction that says: “In 1896, Texas Ranger Captain William ‘Bill’ McDonald arrived in Dallas to quell the riot expected to an accompany an illegal heavyweight fight. Seeing MacDonald alone, the mayor asked where the other lawmen were, McDonald replied, ‘Hell, ain’t I enough?’ One riot, one ranger.”

This hokey statement is supposed to be the excuse for why the entire movie is about how only one Texas Ranger is needed to take down an elusive international terrorist. The Texas Ranger in this case is Alex Tyree (played by Jane), a rough-and-tumble character who is nothing but a hollow stereotype, as are almost all the characters in this creatively bankrupt film. “One Ranger” viewers will learn nothing about who Alex really is as a person. He might as well be a robot.

Alex is first seen in a shootout involving the arrest of Tom Worth (played by Gregory Zaragoza), because Tom has violated his parole. Tom is being accused of assault, brandishing a firearm in a public place, and stealing a horse, a rifle and whiskey from Tom’s employer. Alex snarls at Tom: “Try to run, I’ll kill you … You’re just more trash in Terlingua County, like me.”

Alex and Tom are in a desert area. Out of nowhere, a gunman shows up and tries to hold Tom hostage, but the the gunman runs away when he sees that Alex is a skilled shooter. Later, Alex is seen getting into a confrontation with a generic FBI agent with the last name Derby (played by Spencer Collins), who gets punched in the face by Alex. We get it. Alex likes to intimidate criminals and federal agents.

One day, Alex gets a visit from someone who describes herself as an agent from “British intelligence.” She won’t say the word “MI6,” but everything in the movie indicates that she’s from MI6. Her name is Jennifer Smith (played by Dominique Tipper), who informs Alex that she needs his help in catching an international terrorist who has shown an extraordinary ability to evade capture. Why was Alex chosen? Jennifer says Alex has a reputation for being the best Texas Ranger to catch fugitives.

The terrorist is Declan McBride (played by Dean Jagger), whom Jennifer describes as an “ex-provisional IRA wanted for a string of terrorist activities on and off the British mainland.” She also describes Declan and “vicious” and “resourceful.” Jennifer says that to get money, Declan charges a “small fee” to rob banks. He then passes on the proceeds from his robberies “to the worst criminal causes imaginable.”

Jennifer has gotten a tip that Declan is planning a big job in Great Britain, and he might or might not be hiding in a part of Mexico that’s close to the Texas border. The rest of “One Ranger” alternates between showing Declan and showing Alex (with Jennifer sometimes accompanying him) in this fugitive pursuit. There are several uninteresting, time-wasting scenes in the tedious buildup to the predictable final showdown.

Alex goes to London at one point to meet Jennifer’s boss: a prickly cynic named Geddes (played by Malkovich), who talks in a weird cadence and sounds like he’s slurring his words. Don’t be fooled by Malkovich sharing headline billing with Jane for this movie. Malkovich’s screen time in the 95-minute “One Ranger” is less than 10 minutes.

The movie has a few boring scenes of Declan meeting with a terrorist crony named Yuri the Cossack (played by Nick Moran, doing a terrible Eastern European accent), a character that doesn’t add anything substantial to the story. Declan is shown having relationship problems with his disheveled and angry lover Angel (played by Rachel Wilde), who has one glass eye and who gets drunk a lot. Declan also has a muscular protector named Oleg Jakovenko (played by Jess Liaudin), who has a stereotypical brutish role.

Tipper makes some effort to bring some spark to her performance as Jennifer, but Jane is just going through the expected motions for his robotic Alex character. Jagger (who is American in real life) does a very questionable Northern Irish accent as Declan. Everyone else in the cast is easily forgettable because their characters are so banal. “One Ranger” is the kind of “one and done” movie that only needs to be watched once, and it will be probably be followed by the feeling that the time could have been spent watching a much better film.

Lionsgate released “One Ranger” in select U.S. cinemas, on digital and VOD on May 5, 2023. The movie will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on June 13, 2023.

Review: ‘Shattered’ (2022), starring Cameron Monaghan, Frank Grillo, Lilly Krug and John Malkovich

February 9, 2022

by Carla Hay

Frank Grillo, Cameron Monaghan and Lilly Krug in “Shattered” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate)

“Shattered” (2022)

Directed by Luis Prieto

Culture Representation: Taking place in an unnamed city in Colorado, the dramatic film “Shattered” features a nearly all-white cast of characters (with two African Americans and one Asian) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A tech multimillionaire gets in a sexual relationship with an alluring young woman and finds out that she has sinister intentions for him.

Culture Audience: “Shattered” will appeal mainly to people who like watching tacky crime thrillers.

John Malkovich in “Shattered” (Photo courtesy of Lionsgate)

Trashy and utterly predictable, “Shattered” dumbs down all the stereotypes of a murderous female sociopath who seduces an unlucky lover. John Malkovich’s campy performance as a creepy voyeur can’t even save this mess. Malkovich has a supporting role in this formulaic dud of a movie, which he helped finance, since he’s one of the producers of “Shattered.” There used to be a time when Oscar-nominated Malkovich was known for his edgy roles in artsy movies. And now, he’s reduced to making B-movie garbage.

Directed by Luis Prieto and written by David Loughery, “Shattered” has trailers (red-band and green-band) that give away 90% of what happens in the film’s plot. The only thing that’s not shown in the “Shattered” trailers is who survives and who’s dead at the end of the movie. But even the deaths are very easy to predict.

Loughery has a history of writing schlocky movies about people being terrorized by deranged killers who at first appear to be friendly: His six previous movies are 2008’s “Lakeview Terrace,” 2009’s “Obsessed,” 2013’s “Blindsided,” 2013’s “Nurse,” 2019’s “The Intruder” and 2020’s “Fatale.” All of them end exactly how you think they’re going to end.

“Shattered” has a concept that’s very similar to “Fatale.” Both movies are a ripoff of the “Fatal Attraction” template: A married man gets involved with a seductive woman, who turns out to be a ruthless psycho, and she’s out for bloody revenge when she doesn’t get what she wants.

At least “Fatale” made some effort to have a few surprise twists, even if the ending was a foregone conclusion. There are absolutely no real surprises in “Shattered,” especially if you’ve seen the trailer before watching the movie. Even the movie title “Shattered” is unimaginative and lazy.

The married man in “Shattered” is actually close to getting divorced. He just hasn’t signed the paperwork yet. He’s a retired tech multimillionaire named Chris Decker (played by Cameron Monaghan), who lives in seclusion in a sleek mansion somewhere in the Colorado mountains. (“Shattered” was actually filmed in Montana.)

The movie’s opening scene shows Chris in a video chat with his estranged wife Jamie Decker (woodenly played by Sasha Luss), as they discuss their impending divorce. Chris and Jamie have an adopted daughter named Willow (played by Ridley Asha Bateman), who’s about 7 or 8 years old. Jamie and Chris both adore Willow very much. It’s not mentioned how long Chris and Jamie have been separated, but Jamie has full custody of Willow, while Chris has visitation rights.

During this conversation, Chris says remorsefully to Jamie: “I should’ve fought harder to keep us together.” Later, it’s revealed that Chris founded a tech company that he sold for millions, and he retired from working. But his financial success came at a cost to his marriage, because Jamie says that Chris cared more about the company than saving the marriage. Chris tells Jamie that he only sold his company for the money.

Chris now has a lot of time on his hands, but it’s too late, because Jamie and Willow no longer live with him. Chris’ regret over how his marriage ended is the main reason why he hasn’t signed the divorce papers yet. Jamie tells Chris that it’s time for both of them to move on with their lives. And so, Chris finally agrees to sign the divorce papers and says he’ll talk to a lawyer they know named Kendall about it.

After she gets off of the phone with Chris, Jamie is seen talking to Willow, who is an adorable and perceptive child. Willow tells Jamie that she misses Chris. Jamie tells Willow that people can love each other but not be together. This opening scene is less than five minutes long, and it’s as far as the movie goes in showing a backstory for any of the characters.

The movie vaguely describes Chris as a security technology expert. Therefore, his mansion is supposed to be decked out in a lot of the latest security systems. It’s all for nothing though, because Chris lets someone into his life who turns out to be a homicidal menace who wants to steal his fortune.

Her name is Skyler “Sky” Webb (played by Lilly Krug), who appears to be a sweet and innocent college-aged woman when Chris meets her one evening while he’s shopping at a grocery store, and she asks him to recommend a bottle of wine. The movie has a clunky and not-very-believable way of explaining why multimillionaire Chris does all of his own grocery shopping: He’s such a recluse, he doesn’t have any servants.

But why then doesn’t “reclusive tech whiz” Chris do any of his grocery shopping online or call to place orders for delivery? Don’t expect any logical answers in “Shattered,” because it’s the type of movie that has too many unanswered questions and illogical plot holes. And if Chris were as smart as he thinks he is, he wouldn’t have been so easily fooled by Sky. Chris and Sky exchange flirty looks during their conversation, and then they go their separate ways.

Outside of the grocery store, Chris sees Sky looking anxious. She explains to him that her Uber ride cancelled her appointment. Without hesitation, Chris offers Sky a ride to her home. Is it bad judgment to offer a ride to a total stranger or accept a ride from a total stranger under these circumstances? Of course. But people do it a lot in real life, and movies like “Shattered” wouldn’t exist if everyone used good judgment.

During this drive, Sky says that she and her roommate, whom she calls “Loony Lisa,” had an argument, so Sky is reluctant to go back to her apartment. Chris, who’s clearly attracted to Sky, then invites Sky to spend the night at his place. Sky appears to be reluctant and says no at first, but then she says yes.

After Chris shows Sky a little bit of his mansion (including his wine cellar, because he says he’s a “wine nerd”), he asks her what she does for a living. Sky says that she’s a model, but she has a night job working at a bar whose name she mentions in the conversation. Chris and Sky hook up, and their steamy affair begins.

After spending the night with Chris, Sky goes back to her place, which is a shabby apartment building that looks like it used to be a motel. The building’s owner/landlord is a weirdo named Ronald (played by Malkovich), who happens to live right next door to Sky and her roommate Lisa (played by Ash Santos), who are two weeks’ behind on their rent. It’s later revealed that Lisa has been living there for eight years, while Sky moved in more recently. Ronald tells Lisa, “You were happier before Sky moved in … I’m not only your landlord. I’m your friend.”

Ronald’s proximity to Sky and Lisa allows him to easily spy on them. When Sky comes home, he knows she spent the night elsewhere. Ronald looks through the window and says with disgust, “Walk of shame!” He’s by himself when he utters this remark, which is the first sign that Ronald talks out loud to himself when he’s alone.

Ronald also shows his disdain for Sky when he warns her about not paying the rent: “Don’t play games with me. I’m not the kind of man you want to trifle with.” When he makes this threat, Ronald holds up a rose and makes a lewd licking gesture with his tongue—in case it wasn’t clear enough that Ronald is a sleazy jerk.

Lisa is upset that Sky spent the night somewhere without saying where she was. Ronald is annoyed that Sky doesn’t seem to care about the unpaid rent. Sky brushes off Lisa and Ronald, as if she can’t be bothered with them. Why? Because her plan has already been set in motion to get Chris’ money.

Because Sky deliberately didn’t give Chris her phone number, he tracks her down at the bar where she works. And that’s when he tells her that he’s about to be divorced and that he’s a father of a daughter who visits him on a regular basis. She admits to him that she lied to him about coming from a gypsy family. Sky says that she actually grew up in foster care and she thinks of herself as “damaged goods.” Chris says he was raised by his parents, but “they weren’t there for me.” This sob story exchange about their childhoods seems to make Chris feel a deeper bond to Sky.

One night, Sky and Chris are out on a date when they see a man trying to break into Chris’ car in the parking lot. Chris attempts to stop the man, who has a crowbar and viciously beats Chris and then runs away. The assault leaves Chris with a broken right leg and other injuries that require him to use a wheelchair or crutches to move around.

After he gets discharged from the hospital, guess who Chris decides is going to be his live-in nurse, even though she has no medical experience? It isn’t long before Chris tells Sky that he’s in love with her. Because Chris is on various medications for his injuries, she jokes in response: “It’s the drugs.”

Chris finds out that Sky is up to no good when he sees on the local TV news that her roommate Lisa was found murdered in their apartment and that the police are looking for Sky. When he asks Sky about it, she nonchalantly confesses that she was the one who murdered Lisa, who was not only her roommate but also her lover. (None of this is spoiler information, because it’s all in the movie’s red-band trailer.) And then all hell breaks loose.

The trailer for “Shattered” also reveals that Sky knows the man who beat up Chris because the assault was all a set-up masterminded by Sky. The attacker’s name is Kiju (played by Dat Phan), and he pays a visit to Sky in Chris’ home, after Chris finds out that Sky targeted him to get his money. Jonathan discovers that Sky is now living with Chris, so he goes to Chris’ mansion too, because Sky owes him money, and Jonathan wants to see how he can get money from this millionaire too. You can easily guess what happens to Jonathan.

Another cohort of Sky’s shows up in the last third of the movie. His name is Sebastian (played by Frank Grillo), who is not only her stepfather but he’s also Sky’s lover. Chris meets Sebastian when Chris almost escapes outside, and Sebastian pretends to be a Good Samaritan who picks Chris up in his car. When Sebastian hands Chris his phone to call for help, Chris finds out that Sebastian had really called Sky, and Sebastian has driven back to the mansion, where Sky is waiting for them. (Again, this plot twist is in the movie’s trailer.)

“Shattered” has a relatively small number of people in the movie’s cast. And since there’s a limited number of characters who are expected to live or die in the movie, it’s only a matter of time when Jamie and Willow show up at the mansion for a pre-arranged visit. They’re in for a shock when they find out that Chris is being held hostage. Who gets killed and what happens when Jamie and Willow show up are really the only parts of the movie’s plot that aren’t revealed in the trailers for “Shattered.”

One of the biggest problems with the movie, besides the terrible screenplay and direction, is that the performances are incompatible. Krug, Grillo and Malkovich ham it up, as if they know they’re in a cheesy B-movie and can’t take anything too seriously. Meanwhile, Monaghan and Luss are dead-serious and act as if they think they’re in a Hitchcock masterpiece. When a movie’s acting is this inconsistent, the fault ultimately lies with the director, who didn’t correct this problem while filming the movie.

But even if “Shattered” had Oscar-caliber acting, it still couldn’t erase how creatively bankrupt everything else is in the film. Sometimes, tawdry and predictable thrillers can be fun to watch if the tone is right and the characters are engaging. “Shattered” has none of those qualities and is as empty and forgettable as the movie’s entire story.

Lionsgate released “Shattered” in select U.S. cinemas, on digital and VOD on January 14, 2022. The movie is set for release on Blu-ray and DVD on February 22, 2022.