The Misfits Review

PLOT: A crew of worldwide do-gooders enlists assistance from a grasp thief, Richard Tempo (Pierce Brosnan) to assist them foil a infamous jail magnate (Tim Roth) with ties to worldwide terrorism.

REVIEW: Together with James Bond and Remington Steele, I’d wager that Pierce Brosnan’s different signature position is Thomas Crown from John McTiernan’s 1999 gem The Thomas Crown Affair. That film is the uncommon remake that’s arguably higher than the unique. For years Brosnan has teased a sequel, however none have come to fruition, so it is onerous to not see THE MISFITS, the place he performs a distinctly Crown-esque determine, as a form of quasi follow-up. Too dangerous then that the movie is such a dud contemplating the expertise concerned, together with grasp motion director Renny Harlin.

The director of such untouchable classics as Die Arduous 2, Cliffhanger, The Lengthy Kiss Goodnight, and extra, Harlin does his finest to lend some verve to this thinly plotted heist film. It’s sunk from just about the opening scene, the place Nick Cannon’s clunky narration introduces us to the titular Misfits. Cannon, who mugs wildly all through in what appears to be a Chris Tucker impersonation, is particularly tiresome because the movie goes on. He’s a so-called grasp of disguise named Ringo, however the disguises include him doing a little fairly un-P.C impressions of Arabs, a recurring motif on this movie that dates the movie badly. That mentioned, earlier than all of us clutch our pearls too tightly, the film is produced by United Arab Emirate’s FilmGate Productions and is the primary western manufacturing each set in and filmed in Abu Dhabi, so clearly this wasn’t a significant concern to the financiers.

In reality, the film looks like a glorified tourism advert for Abu Dhabi. Harlin no less than has some enjoyable with the setting by making it a dream world the place the taxis that choose you up on the airport in any respect Lamborghinis, stunning ladies with plunging necklines stroll cheetahs in lodge lobbies, and all of the extras are drop-dead beautiful.

The premise is little greater than an excuse to stage a glamorous travelogue, however even nonetheless the film lacks one large part of a movie like this – motion. Brosnan appears to be having a ball as a extra louche model of Thomas Crown, cracking smart and sporting impeccably tailor-made fits. He earns his wage, however he’s sidelined within the film’s one large motion scene – a automobile chase involving co-star/producer Rami Jaber – a former rally automobile racer. He performs Prince, the man who assembles the “misfits”, which additionally contains Thai pop star Mike Angelo (who’s bought plenty of charisma), Hermione Cornfield (as Brosnan’s estranged daughter), and Jamie Chung because the workforce’s badass.

Chung has all the time been underrated and it is enjoyable to see her play an motion heroine, however her fights are few and much between, with a jokey intro that pays tribute to The Matrix falling flat. Roth exhibits as much as gather a paycheck because the sniveling baddie however doesn’t contribute an excessive amount of given his restricted screentime.

It is a tribute to Harlin’s ability behind the digital camera that The Misfits, as dangerous as it’s, nonetheless manages to be a tolerable ninety-minute time waster. There’s nothing in any respect to it, however his visible type is (as all the time) interesting and he is aware of easy methods to craft a frenetic tempo. I additionally appreciated that he introduced Trevor Rabin on to co-write the rating, however each guys (together with Brosnan and Chung) deserve a lot extra.

It’s too dangerous as a result of I used to be form of excited for The Misfits. A world thriller starring Brosnan in Thomas Crown mode, being directed by Renny Harlin and co-written by Equilibrium’s Kurt Wimmer sounded nice, however the completed product sadly falls flat. Too dangerous.