Episodic Hardcore Unrelenting

Rating: 9/10 (2 April 2005)

The movie starts off strong with a classically Noir situation of an over-the-hill cop letting things get personal, then speeds up quickly with an unrelentingly disturbing and awe inspiring revenge plot. The entire movie is essentially driven by the inner turmoil of the three main characters.
The book-ending episode featuring Bruce Willis might qualify as the most touching, but for me nothing's better than the completely raw visceral ride that Mickey Rourke's episode takes us on. For this episode, I think I can count on one hand the number of shots that don't include nudity, sex, blood, babes, or awesomely drenching rain. That is to say, this episode rocks.
The Clive Owen episode brings this roller-coaster to a screeching halt, not so much because it's less action, but moreso because it's boring. Granted, this episode would probably rock on its own as a short, but in following the Marv episode, this episode totally drags on and on and on with no character motivation other than "I don't want somebody to get hurt or be in a specific location," and negatively-motivated spine plots always suck.
The movie is also bookended by a Josh Hartnett thing, but that's just a tangent. The real heart of this movie for me was the Marv (Mickey Rourke) section which is essentially a very awesome, totally ass-kicking romp where every character we meet dies by the end. This is what moody comic-book adaptations should be: cold, violent, and dizzyingly fast-paced, not some BS involving a see-saw (AKA Daredevil).
Go see it, if only for the section starring Mickey Rourke.