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Reviews
Hannibal (2013)
Cliches, Tropes, Unlikable Characters
The only likable character is Mikkelsen's Hannibal. He's the sole reason why I gave it a "4." The rest of the characters are tired tropes and cliched. The plot drags. Lazy writing. I can't believe that people rank this so high .
Smarten up, folks.
Manhunt (2017)
Hollywood Dramatic Liicense Hurts An Otherwise True Story
It's not a bad crime procedural, if that's what you're looking for, but don't mistake this story for reality. Even a superficial amount of research reveals that:
- Jim Fitzgerald ("Fitz"), while a real person who worked on the Unabomber case, is actually a composite here of a number of agents who worked on the case. It's sexier for dramatic effect to make it one man against powerful people and institutions, so that's why the producers of this series went with that old story line cliché.
- The battles between Fitz and his colleagues/bosses is central to this story, but the antagonist/protagonist conflicts portrayed in this series are not historically accurate. Again, Hollywood loves dramatic effect.
- Fitz never actually met with and talked to Ted Kaczynski. Again, dramatic effect.
Jim Fitzgerald, himself, is partly to blame for allowing these changes to the story, since he was consulted during the entire production. It's unfortunate that he and the producers felt the need to sacrifice an intriguing true story to old crime procedural television banality.
That said, there are many true facts in this story, like Ted's biography and Fitz's background. It's worth a watch, but remember that it is ultimately only *based* on a true story, which means that dramatic license is in play, and how.
Message from the King (2016)
Average Crime Thriller
This crime thriller/revenge action film is a straightforward story about a guy from South Africa who comes to LA to find his sister, only to learn that she was viciously beaten and murdered. He spends the rest of the film tracking down her murderers and learning why she was killed. He's easy to sympathize with; you will care about this man and what he's going through. The plot is steady and things are slowly revealed, enough to keep your interest. There is not a big plot twist at the end like some reviews have (for some reason) hinted at. Quite a bit of violence, but nothing gratuitous; it makes sense within the plot.
In sum, this film has good acting, it's a decent story, and it has a plot steady enough to keep your attention. Perfect for Netflix and chill.