Alright -- if -- you are really into action; otherwise kind of boring

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2017)

Overall, a viewer can tell that this film was made by fans of older action films that enjoy longer, wider shots with steady, continuous scenes without the modern day 'action shaky camera' that has become all too prevalent.
Part of the issue with most movies these days, is action stars cannot perform action and are chosen for looking 'the look'. Broad shoulders? Good jawline? Look like you've taken more steroids than an entire US farm uses? Congrats! You are cast in Generic Action Film.
To make up for actors being unable to do action, in most films they shake the camera fast, do a lot of panning and technical elements. This movie, however, uses little to no panning, still scenes, long cuts from the same angle and it is extremely easy to both understand the action and pleasant to witness.
Part of the problem comes from a very generic story line and action sequences that become too long with a virtually invincible hero.
Within the story line, you have the premise of, more or less:
*** SPOILER ***
'Bad guys wants a favor. Protagonist does favor. Bad Buy tries to off Protagonist. Protagonist then takes it upon himself to get revenge on bad guy who double crossed him.'
The problem becomes you know what is going to happen, it's clearly laid out from the beginning and goes from step 1 to step 2 to step 3 to the eventual expected ending. No surprises at all occur. You're, more or less, watching a very long action scene, very stylized dialogue then a very long action scene and more stylized dialogue and then a very long action scene. Queue credits.
The action scenes were so long though, it got a bit boring/expected to watch and I was wanting to story to move on or something different to happen in the action scene. I felt this way especially in the catacombs. The subway scenes were interesting though and the beginning sequence was interesting. The mirror room scene went back to boring clichÃ©.
It becomes a bit 'silly' at times though when there are literately 125+ people shooting at our hero who obtains 'Body armor' that's light weight and bulletproof. Not once, does our hero get hurt and always conveniently has the exact number of bullets he needs. The body armor giving him 'infinite life' or 'god mode cheat code' built into his stylish Italian made suit was very convenient.
I have seen video game characters die from less hit. So basically any shot to the body 'Hurts like hell' and effectively does 'zero' damage. So our hero, is literately set bulletproof and just walking through armies of men, mowing them down, taking no damage as if on a Sunday stroll. It reminded me of watching someone play Call of Duty on the easiest mode standing in the open, getting shot by hundred of enemies and just shooting at them one by one til they were all dead and walking to the next 'objective'.
I get he's supposed to be a legendary 'assassin', though, why aren't any other people in this movie....rich enough to buy body armor? Wouldn't him taking out a team of 20 very well trained guards with a combination of martial arts and guns be better than killing 125 guards with guns back to back? I think we get the visual message that he's a bad ass after the first 20 or so.
*** SPOILER ENDS***