The Courier (2012) Reviews

• There's No There, There

  messiercat2012-03-29

  This movie certainly had style. It seemed to be directed well. Editing was crisp enough and on the surface it looked pretty interesting. Cinematography was basically very good and quite inventive with a lot of action. But the whole package was a mile wide and an inch deep because the screenplay was a muddled mess, the storyline was laughably inane. Mickey Rourke and Lili Taylor, two actors who can really deliver the goods, were incredibly wasted and about a third of the way into it you realized it was going to be all style and no substance, and that was when I just stopped caring. A clue as to what happened comes when the credits roll. Producers, co producers, associate producers, executive producers galore. Too many cooks in the kitchen destroyed the soup. I've never quite seen a movie like this that had promise and so much energy put into production, but ultimately fell flat on it's face. The first movie that I've seen where I'm completely at a loss as how to rate.

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• A wasted opportunity

  bastiaan07402012-04-05

  As a fan of 'the transporter', I looked forward to this, because it's 'the courier'...which means basically the same. Only this time, not so much with cars. The movie started out great, getting to know the courier and his type of work, just finishing a job. He is then forced into his next job, which is a bit out of his comfort zone - making an unknown delivery to an unfindable crime lord - played by Mickey Rourke! The premise allowed for so much, I was genuinely excited by now - but I soon got disappointed. As a whole, the delivered briefcase, the job, and the impossible plot made no sense. All the obligatory elements in the movie viewed apart - the sidekicks, the stolen airplane, the torture, the assassins, the bugged apartments, the murders, the arrests, anagrams, and much more... - had a feel of pointlessness and irrelevance to it, as if someone just grabbed some spy story ingredients and threw them together. Our courier stumbles through his unlikely adventure to complete his job and gets, true to the movie, an ironic surprise ending that made no sense. A total let-down.

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• Utter Garbage

  Raydio2012-03-24

  What's truly amazing to me is that in these days of post-GFC fiscal austerity, a film such as this can still attract funding. Seriously, either the tax write-offs must be very attractive, or there are some considerably wealthy individuals who are just desperate to proclaim, "I'm making a movie" to their friends. "The Courier" has so many flaws it's hard to know where to begin. Firstly, the story itself is woeful. It's a painful mishmash of assassins, FBI agents, Elvis-impersonating arch villains, and the obligatory female tag-along love interest. Add to that the father figure, who like some bad impression of Huggy-bear, seems to know everything and everyone that's happening on the street and, well...you're starting to get the picture. It's as if the writers were working from a "Scriptwriting for Dummies" book. Then there are the many obvious technical mistakes, such as a woman hostage falling from a great height while bound only by her wrists, and seemingly not suffering any ill effects when the rope breaks her fall. I would have thought having both shoulders dislocated might result in at least mild discomfort! Then there was the protagonist with a clearly unloaded revolver which fires bullets in the next scene. Perhaps the two killers who captured and tortured him, loaded it while he was unconscious in the bathtub? And what about the ease with which the hero and his girl accomplice borrow an aircraft, not once, but twice, and land it in St.Louis and Las Vegas. Did they even bother to lodge a flight plan? I was especially amused by the hero's uncanny ability to instantly hack any computer in order to locate just the info he was looking for. I mean why bother being a high-risk delivery man, which is clearly not paying off too well for him, when he could have a highly lucrative career working for Google? I could go on, but I feel the less said about this movie the better. Suffice to say that of 968 films I've rated on IMDb, "The Courier" ranks as number 3 in my all-time worst list, only bested by "Little Nicky", and "2001, A Space Travesty". Regrettably one or two decent actors took part in this disaster, so it's clear that work is hard to come by in tinsel town these days. Their valiant efforts are the only reason this film didn't get 1 star. Definitely one to avoid. 2/10

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• The Courrier misplaces its package

  cultjones2013-02-11

  Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a specialist in delivering packages without questions in Hany Abu- Assad's, The Courier. The best in this niche industry, Morgan is forced to take on a job to protect those close to him by delivering a package to someone who is supposedly dead. A dark mystery unravels as he gets closer to discovering the truth about his target and himself. With notable performances on the small screen in Supernatural and Grey's Anatomy as well as a significant contribution in Zack Snyder's, Watchmen, one shouldn't be surprised with Morgan headlining a suspense thriller. Thing is, you wish he had opted out of this feature. Even with recognisable faces, The Courier has that low-budget feel about it and the story never really hooks you. It's a respectable attempt but the plot really doesn't blow your mind away and may instead give you a headache. After a while it begins to get tedious and you decide to follow it to the end only to write a review! Assad's attempt isn't amateurish but it certainly isn't award winning. Morgan gives a solid performance with what he's got but it's nowhere near enough. The story is, well, blah and this is one to miss.

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• Started mediocre, and all downhill from there - vague spoilers

  Matteus722012-03-29

  Like a previous review mentioned, this movie actually started out fairly promising. The first 20-30 minutes were exciting enough to stay interested, despite the fact that you've seen the clichéd premise before. I have no problem with clichéd premises provided that it's done well with a few original sequences and even partially compelling characters. Though it seemed to be a lower budget and weaker scripted version of The Transporter, at least it had some credibility with favored actors like Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Til Schweiger, not to mention Mickey Rourke, and the action was fast paced and fun. Unfortunately, by the time Micky Rourke even shows the back of his head, I no longer cared. After 30 minutes, the movie starts to fall apart. A character or two whom you've never seen before or even heard referenced start showing up, and are ascribed importance for no fathomable reason. The action sequences, though not terrible, no longer hold any weight due to the confusion caused by the messy script, and plot holes and character inconsistencies abound. Til Schweiger is totally wasted here, and Mickey Rourke is practically non-existent, though I can't say I blame him. Josie Ho as the love interest(what?) seemed very miscast, and I found her hairstyle distractingly ugly. At the end of the movie they try to wrap up all the many confusing loose ends with what was no doubt supposed to be a shocking reveal-all diatribe prior to the "boss battle", but I couldn't have cared less even if I wanted to understand. I found myself getting angrier that I was still watching this mess as the minutes rolled by. The end could not have been worse. It's like it ended in the middle of a scene, though it's hard to say. I was busy watching condensation roll down my glass by this time, then was startled back to the screen by the movie ending abruptly. So all in all, not good. I give it a 3 for the first 30 minutes, and for Jeffrey Dean Morgan who did his best with what he had.

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