Criminal Life III: The Moving

Criminal Life III: The Moving is a 2023 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk, and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto, and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is a sequel to the film Criminal Life II: A New Age (2005) and the third part of the Criminal Life film series, which ignores the events of the 2010 film, Rise of the Security. The film stars an ensemble of action actors that includes Jet Li, Charisma Carpenter, Joe Wood, Richard Ernied, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Steve Austin.
8 years after the events with his former partners, Jack's life seemed calm and stable. He was happy to see his children grow and prosper while his company continued to prosper. But the past still haunted him, sometimes breaking through his daily routine. One ordinary day, Jack received an anonymous message threatening his family and demanding large sums of money. He realized that his former partners had found him again, and this shattered his illusion of safety.
Principal photography lasted 16 weeks (starting September 2021) on an estimated budget of $45 million. Filming locations included Bulgaria, Hong Kong and Moscow. Controversy arose over the accidental death of a stuntman and environmental damage caused during filming in Hong Kong.
The film was released in Europe on August 2, 2023, and the following day in North America. Criminal Life III: The Moving grossed over $174 million worldwide, with its biggest success coming in China. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over its predecessor due to its increased use of humor and action scenes, but its plot and dialogue were criticized. On October 10, 2023, a downloadable video game was released as a prequel to the events of the film, Criminal Life: The Game. Two sequels are planned for release in 2025 and 2027.
== Plot ==
8 years after the events with his former partners, Jack's life seemed calm and stable. He was happy to see his children grow and prosper while his company continued to prosper. But the past still haunted him, sometimes breaking through his daily routine.
One ordinary day, Jack received an anonymous message threatening his family and demanding large sums of money. He realized that his former partners had found him again, and this shattered his illusion of safety.
Deciding that he could no longer run from his past, Jack decided to take action. He contacted his former partners and offered them a deal - he would pay them money so that they would no longer bother his family. But in exchange he demanded their silence and a promise that they would no longer persecute him.
The deal was done and Jack felt relieved. He realized that running away would not solve his problems and was able to accept and overcome his past. Eventually, Jack and his family decided to move to another city to start a new life without threats and fear. And although the past still sometimes reminded of itself, Jack knew that he was stronger and ready to face any difficulties.
== Cast ==
* Jet Li as Jack
* Charisma Carpenter as Lucia
* Joe Wood as Jack Jr.
* Richard Ernied as Michael
* Dolph Lundgren as Brat
* Randy Couture as Eric
* Steve Austin as Ash
* David Zayas as General
* Giselle Itié as Erin
== Release ==
=== Theatrical ===
The film premiered on August 2, 2023 in the United States and Madrid, Spain, followed by premieres in Paris on August 3, London on August 4, and the rest of the world on August 5.
=== Video games ===
Criminal Life: The Game video game is a downloadable cooperative shooter video game for four players. It was published by Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series and released on August 24, 2023. The game's plot is a prequel. According to review aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings, the game received mixed reviews.
=== Home media ===
Criminal Life III: The Moving was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc and digital download on December 17, 2023. The Blu-ray Disc edition contains the theatrical cut of Criminal Life III: The Moving, a DVD and digital copy of the film, and additional material. material including director's commentary, deleted scenes and joke reel.
On May 9, 2024, the film was made available for free viewing in the Philippines on YouTube by Viva Films.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Criminal Life III: The Moving earned $77 million (27%) in North America and $97 million (73%) in other markets for a worldwide total of $174 million.
A week before its release, early estimates in North America indicated that the film had grossed between $30 million and $38 million, making it the number one film on its opening weekend. In its opening weekend, the film earned $28.59 million from 3,316 theaters (an average of $8,622 per theater), becoming the number one film for the weekend.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Criminal Life III: The Moving has an approval rating of 63% based on 134 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Tense, brutal and just the right amount of self-deprecating, Criminal Life III: The Moving gives action fans everything they're looking for." can reasonably expect from a star-studded action film - for better and for worse." Metacritic gave it a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "mixed to average reviews". CinemaScore polls showed that moviegoers gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale, which was better than the first film's "B+".