Solidly engaging and entertaining, but never as funny or thrilling as it appears to be

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2016)

Somewhat of a throwback of a film, which is perhaps to be expected from Shane Black. The odd-chemistry of the mis-matched buddies are what drives this film, while the noir-esque plotting and style helps it too. The film has a reasonably engaging story-line, good casting, good laughs, some good action, and plenty of specific moments that make it enjoyable. And it was enjoyable, however this is different from saying it is a great film – because it isn't.
In the moments or specific aspects, it does work, but as a whole it seems disjointed and unsure of what it is trying to be. Instead of it feeling like one common film as it flows through moments of varying tone and content, it feels like a series of moments of different tone which have been pieced together to become a whole. In some ways it is dramatic with a wry comedy, in others it is pure slapstick, and then again in others it asks us to take the plot seriously. Mostly it works in this, but it never totally convinces either.
A lot of credit for it working should go to the casting and performances from Crowe and Gosling. They work very well in their characters; in particular Gosling manages to make his daughter work as a relationship (as poorly judged as she is as a character), and even makes things like a Lou Costello / Lethal Weapon-style moment work. The supporting cast features plenty of familiar faces – some work well, but some others only serve to remind of better films (Basinger and Crowe together nods to LA Confidential – which is too good a film to be put in the viewer's mind when watching this).
It is all solidly entertaining stuff, but it never wholly comes together in a way that makes it stick in the mind as a great film that I'd love to see more of.