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Terminal (2018)
IMDB: Terminal (2018) Rated R
Terminal is a movie for fans of noir films. I’d say more modern noir. It’s dark and gritty as well as full of twists. Sure, there were the obvious ones easily noticed by movie buffs. I can usually spot many twists, but this movie floored me more than a couple of times. I also really enjoyed the references and foreshadowing of madness. Fans of Alice in Wonderland will appreciate the references. I’ll be honest though; this movie isn’t for everyone. It’s dark and deals with dark themes. It doesn’t leave you guessing and wondering though. Every question you could have is answered. I re-watched it several times and can confidently say that everything is spelled out eventually.
The story starts off easy enough. There is a big bad guy that is a legend when it comes to orchestrating and facilitating hits. Our femme fatal, Margot Robbie, has decided that she wants to be the number one hitman for the big bad. There is some serious competition to eliminate of course. She must prove herself and boy does she ever. She seduces, manipulates, and is clearly a master of orchestrating plans within plans within plans.
The two assassins, Max Irons and Dexter Fletcher, have excellent chemistry. They’re beyond believable as a senior assassin and his apprentice. Young Alfred (Irons) is starting to rebel against their dynamic and it builds tension with Vince (Fletcher). Their dialogue is often tense and amusing to follow. They’re often playing a bit of cat and mouse. I’d keep my eyes on these two actors. We’ll be seeing more of them.
Terminal isn’t just one story going on either. There’s several sub-plots going down. Simon Pegg is excellent as a suicidal teacher being baited by our femme fatal. Some of the best dialogue I’ve ever seen dealing with the topic of death occurred between Pegg and Robbie. Mike Meyers shows his chops by playing two separate rolls that’ll leave you awestruck.
The story unfolds in an awesome environment. That’s right all roads eventually lead to the train station or terminal. The cast was awesome, the cinematography and soundtrack were fantastic. I went out of my way to try and track down several of the songs. One was made specifically for the film and is unobtainable. You’ll catch it if you keep your ears tuned in during the assassins delve down the rabbit hole. Normally, I would say that there was a little over kill in explaining everything but there was hopping around. Also, I can appreciate an awesome villainous monologue every now and then.
C E Score Sheet (1-5)
Production Quality: 5
Cast: 5
Cinematography: 5
Soundtrack: 4 (Still a little miffed I can’t get my hands on a song.)
Story: 5
Re-watchability: 5
C E Metascore: 4.8 – A must own for noir movie enthusiasts.