Dead Man Down Has A Slick Tale of Revenge

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(l-r) TERRENCE HOWARD,  COLIN FARRELL and DOMINIC COOPER

Star in 'Dead Man Down'

 

Revenge is a powerful drug.

Vengeance is at the center of Niels Arden Oplev’s latest drama, Dead Man Down, a sexy, action thriller opening nationwide Fri., March 8.

Colin Farrell plays Victor, a once happy family man who has infiltrated a crime empire run by the brutal Alphonse, a kingpin without a heart played by Academy Award®-nominee Terrence Howard.

Of course, Victor has ulterior motives for joining the gang. He holds Alphonse responsible for the death of his wife and daughter. 

TERRENCE HOWARD

 

It’s a bit like keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  Victor wants to get close to Alphonse so that he can exact his payback.

Adding even more emotion and drama to Victor’s story is his relationship with Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), a mysterious neighbor who lives across the way. Beatrice,  whose face was severely damaged by a drunk driver, has witnessed something that will forever bond her and Victor.  The slow-building relationship between Beatrice and Victor is fascinating to watch. The individual broken souls help the other to find their humanity.

Howard is steady as a soldier in a crime syndicate. And although we’ve seen similar performances from Farrell, he plays Victor with emotion, compassion and a great deal of savvy. Rapace gives a stellar, heart-breaking performance as does Isabelle Huppert, who plays her mother. 

COLIN FARRELL

 

Oplev has weaved together a textured, well-crafted, sexy, action thriller that briefly goes off center, but quickly finds its core.

The film, directed by Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), stars Colin Farrell, Terrence Howard, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert and F. Murray Abraham.

Dead Man Down is Rated R.

On the Donloe Scale: D (don’t bother), O (oh,no), N (needs work), L (likeable) O (OK) and E (excellent), Dead Man Down gets an O (OK).