TV Show - Hell on Wheels - Series Finale - "Done"

Note:  Major spoilers for the season finale of Hell on Wheels.  You have been warned.

     The final episode was titled Done, which ended up being a perfectly titled name for the series finale.  For the most part, all storylines were tied up, or least put to an inconclusive end that made sense in the grand scheme of the show.  For the last eight episodes of the show, I was pretty sure that I was going to be unhappy with the finale, but now that it is over, I can honestly say that I was wrong.  I thought the finale was pretty good, considering the up and down nature of the show over the years, and I was content with the way it all ended.
     We start off with the final spike being put to the railroad, and it turns out that Durant has put the screws to Huntington one last time, as he is going to put the spike in himself.  As he finishes the job, Campbell shows up to give him a subpoena to show up in Washington to face trial for bribery.  Cullen also gets a subpoena to testify in the case, after he and Mickey start a bar fight that ends up with them laughing and not really knowing why they were fighting anyway, as the railroad is done and they aren't on opposite sides any longer.
     Prior to leaving, Huntington tells Cullen that he has a job waiting for him on the short line railroad in San Francisco after he is done in Washington.  Cullen doesn't think he wants the job, but Huntington tells him that he is a railroad man, and then leaves.  Also prior to leaving, Durant pays Mickey off for his share of the railroad, since he doesn't want Mickey to get tied up in the problems that Durant now faces.  Mickey is angry, but realizes that all he has done was for nothing, and he takes his money and leaves.
     Upon arriving in Washington, President Grant requests that Cullen show up to his gala that evening.  Cullen shows up and meets General Custer, and they have a discussion about how they were on opposite sides of the war.  Grant then pulls Cullen aside and offers him a job as Colonel in the army, protecting the railroad that he helped build.  Cullen isn't sure, and Grant tells him that he is a soldier, much like Huntington told him that he was a railroad man.
     Cullen finds Durant at the gala and they have a talk.  Durant tells him to say whatever he wants, that he has no one left on his side any longer.  He says that several of the people he bribed over the years have turned on him and that he is going to prison anyway.  Cullen says Durant has gotten out of worse things in his life, but Durant looks spent on the subject.
     Meanwhile, Mickey asks Eva to come with him, leave everything behind.  She says she just wants her 10% that she is owed, and that they are no good for each other.  She tries to kiss Mickey goodbye, but he pushes her away.  Eva then goes with Ms. Ellison to make a book about her life, but she ends up backing out after she realizes that she will have to be something she is not.
     Cullen decides to take the job as Colonel, and he shows up at Durant's trial in his uniform.  He refuses to sell out Durant, and only says, "The railroad would not have been built without Thomas Durant."  He is excused from the room, and Durant gives him a look as he leaves, realizing that maybe he does still at least have one person on his side.
     Cullen is shooting some guns with Custer, when he realizes that the job he has been given isn't what he thought it was.  Seeing the way Custer acts, and hearing him tell his stories, makes Cullen realize that this isn't what he wanted after all.  He leaves and goes to a church, and sits down in the confession booth, similar to what he did at the beginning of the series.  The priest asks him a series of questions, and Cullen breaks down crying.  He thanks the priest and he walks out.
     Back at the trial, it is Durant's turn to speak, and he gives a very good speech, that only Durant can give.  He talks about how he was out there making the railroad happen, no matter what means were necessary, he was determined to finish the railroad, and that is what he did.  We are left without knowing if Durant went to jail for his crimes, but I think it is safe to say that, despite his rousing speech, that he did in fact go to jail.  We did see him many years later with nothing left, so he obviously didn't go away for life but I think it's still a safe assumption.
     During Durant's speech, we see everything else tied up as well.  Eva breaks the horse that she got several episodes back and rides it off into the wilderness.  Mickey is shown looking at the slides he and his brother were using at the beginning of the series, and throwing them off into the dirt. 
     And finally, we get to Cullen's ending.  If you have read any of my other posts on this show, you know that I thought Cullen was going to die before this show was over.  He has lost everything, and I thought there was no way that there was a happy ending.  And I was wrong, as it turns out.  He leaves his uniform behind and goes to San Francisco, but instead of meeting with Huntington, he goes to the docks.  He pulls out the paper that we found out earlier in the episode had Mae's address in China on it.  He looks out across the ocean and then we see him sailing away, looking back over his shoulder at America as he leaves it all behind.  After all he has been through, it appears that he is indeed finally done.
     I think it was a very solid ending, that I didn't think the show was ever going to get to.  I was pleasantly surprised, as I wasn't really looking forward to the finale, but they delivered and everything ended as I feel that it should have.  I was happy for Cullen, as he is going to finally get what he deserves, after sacrificing so much for the railroad.  I thought that after everything, he was just going to lose one last time, but he finally is going to be happy, and I genuinely feel good for him.
     The series as a whole has been all over the place for me, but with the solid ending, and the many good episodes along the way, I do think that the show was way more positive then negative.  Certainly not the best show I have ever seen (that goes to Breaking Bad), but overall I did enjoy the show.  I wish the ending could have seen two of my favorite characters, Elam and the Swede, both dead long ago, but for the characters left, I think they got the endings that were deserved and the show ended the way it should have.  After the show was over, there was a commercial thanking the fans for "One hell of a ride," and I guess I would agree that it was a pretty good show overall.

My rating for the episode is 8/10

My rating for the series is 7/10

Movie - Star Trek Beyond

Note:  May be minor spoilers throughout, but will try to keep them to a minimum.

     With a new director, and Simon Pegg taking over partial writing duties, Star Trek Beyond brings back the crew from the previous two movies to make a third installment of the Star Trek reboot franchise.  I really enjoyed the first two movies, and I was a bit apprehensive about the new director taking over for J. J. Abrams, but by the end of the film, I felt like all the things that made the previous two films good were still intact, while feeling even a little bit bigger than the previous two installments.
     The movies picks up some three years after the previous installment, as the crew of the Enterprise, more specifically Captain James T. Kirk, are in a rut.  Kirk is questioning why they are even doing all of this if the universe is infinite and they will never see everything or understand everything.  It looks as if Kirk is going to give up the Enterprise for a desk job in the city when a strange ship arrives and a female alien explains that her ship was lost inside a nebula and asks for help.  Kirk and the Enterprise are sent on the mission, where they are viciously attacked by an alien force unlike anything they have ever seen before.  The crew gets separated and stranded on the planet, as they try to reunite, find a way off the planet, and stop Krall, the leader of the aliens that attacked them.
     I'll start with the director, Justin Lin.  Primarily known for his directorial duties with the Fast & Furious franchise, I was a little worried that attention to the plot and details were going to be thrown aside for bigger, badder action scenes.  But that didn't end up being the case.  In fact, I found myself enjoying the action scenes more than I did in the previous two installments, as he really brings a nice flare to the action sequences, without making them feel over the top as some of the scenes in the Fast & Furious movies feel.  The plot made sense, and the pacing was pretty good, but it was a little slow at first as the movie tried to find its footing, but when it finally got rolling, every scene felt important as they built to the climax of the movie.
     The performances were once again really good by the cast (RIP Anton Yelchin, a fine performance), and I feel that at this point, the actors have really gotten a feel for the characters, and so the actions on screen make sense to the characters, and they are brought to life as we have come to expect.  While that does lead to some predictability, it's not as if we watch these types of movies to be blown away, but to be entertained, and Star Trek Beyond goes above and beyond (see what I did there?) to make sure the audience stays entertained.  It has equal doses of humor and seriousness, with a nice mix of character development and action sequences.  It really is the pure definition of what a blockbuster should be.
     I don't know if I would say this was better than Into Darkness, but it was certainly close.  Idris Elba did a fine job as the bad guy, but it's hard to top Benedict Cumberbatch from the previous movie, so I think that is the primary difference here.  Overall, I was thoroughly entertained, and as I sat there watching the movie, I was thinking to myself about how this has become one of the more solid franchises on the market today.  It has a distinct feel to it, and Beyond only helped solidify that feel, and I can only look forward to the next installment (which I hear is going to bring Chris Hemsworth back as Captain Kirk's father, which is only a plus).

My rating for the film is 8/10

TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "Railroad Men"

Note:  Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels.  You have been warned.

     The railroad is finally finished.  Five seasons in, and the railroad has been completed, with only one episode left in the series.  The last couple of weeks have certainly been better for the show, but I'm still afraid the show is going to end more on a whimper than with a roar.  Based on the previews for the final episode, I guess there will only be one last loose end to wrap up, and I can't say I'm that excited to see it.
     We start the episode with both railroads making the final push to Ogden, where the first one to arrive will get control of the town.  Early on in the episode, we see both sides trying to lay claim before the railroad has actually laid track, but Campbell puts up a post and says the first one to touch it gets the town.
     Cullen arrives back at the railroad to see that half of his men are missing, and automatically assumes that Durant and Mickey are to blame.  He goes to confront Mickey, who tells him the same thing happened to him.  They both go off in search of a man calling himself The Pirate, who is running a mine nearby.  When they arrive, it turns out to be Jim who is The Pirate, which is an interesting turn of events.  Cullen tries to get Jim to leave his men alone, but he shuts Cullen down as it is clear his life has fallen apart a bit since the last time we saw him leaving the railroad with his family.  Mickey is able to get some of his men to go back with him, and so it looks like Cullen may come up short in the race.
     Mickey and Cullen meet at night to have a conversation, and Cullen says that he has ten miles to go.  Mickey explains that he and Durant only have six miles to go, and they wish each other good luck.  Cullen says that no one has ever laid ten miles of track in one day, and Mickey says he has learned to never bet against Cullen Bohannon.  Cullen also runs into Psalms and buys him a drink, exchanging pleasantries between two railroad men.  Cullen reassures him that no matter who ends up with the credit, it got there because of men like him.
     As day breaks, both sides set out, with Cullen hammering spikes along with his men.  They are making up ground, which causes Durant to get upset and give his men a "pep talk."  This causes Psalms to get ticked off, and he leaves, taking several of the men with him.  He goes to Cullen and he and his men begin to help with laying the track.  In the closing moments, it is clear that Cullen is going to win, and Durant and Mickey look on in disbelief as Cullen and his men cross the line, winning the town.  As they get to the last spike, everyone steps back and lets Cullen finish the job.  I guess I was wrong about this part, Cullen did get to finish the railroad after all.  I guess after all he has lost, it's the least that could happen to him.
     At the evening festivities, Durant has one last trick up his sleeve.  He says that the railroad will have to be inspected before a winner can be decided, knowing that Huntington has cheated and skimped his way to the finish line, much like Durant.  Huntington goes to Durant and tries to pay him off, but Durant says he wants the town.  Huntington gives in, knowing that an inspection will result in him being thrown in jail for mishandling government funds, and so it looks like Durant has won anyway.  Durant goes to Cullen to rub it in, but Cullen isn't in the mood and just brushes him off, saying, "Yep, you won."  He goes back to his train car, and then collapses, looking like he may be having a heart attack.
     I liked the episode, as it had some closure, but there is still apparently one thing left up in the air.  In the previews for the final episode, it looks like Durant is on trial, and Cullen is going to have to testify in the case.  Will he sell out Durant, as he probably deserves?  Will he feel bad for everything Durant has gone through and actually help him get off?  I guess these are the things we are supposed to care about, but I just have a hard time doing so. 
     Cullen lost everything, but he got to finish the railroad.  I thought that was the whole point, so to still have one more episode to go feels a little off to me.  With the way this episode ended, I guess Cullen's health is up in the air as well.  Will he have a bigger complication in the final episode and be killed off?  Maybe, but I feel like it was a red herring of sorts.  I have thought for quite some time that Cullen is going to die before the show is over, but now I'm thinking he just gets to live out the rest of his life with no purpose, no family, no friends, and just the knowledge that he built that railroad.  It's not what he set out to do at the beginning of the show, but it turned into his purpose along the way, and maybe that is just all that he gets to have.  I guess we will find out this Saturday on the series finale.

My rating for the episode is 8/10

Movie - The Lobster

Note:  There may be minor spoilers throughout, but will try to limit them to only as necessary.

     After seeing the trailer to The Lobster, I knew that it was going to be an extremely strange movie, but I don’t know that I was fully prepared for just what transpired. If there is nothing else that can be said of this movie, it is that it is unlike anything you have ever seen before. It has a unique vision, unique cinematic style, and unique performances, that all combine into an enjoyable experience, even if you don’t know exactly what you are looking at half of the time.

      The Lobster is set in a dystopian future, where people are not allowed to live alone. Upon the loss of one’s significant other, they are shipped off to a hotel, where they have 45 days to find a new mate or they are turned into an animal of their choosing. As the title states, the main character David wants to be turned into a lobster, if he is unable to find his mate in the required time frame. Outside of the hotel, in the woods, those that have rebelled against the system live as the Loners, where they have their own very distinct rules, of which the main rule is that they must be alone. This presents two very distinct different lifestyles, with no real grey area for any one person to live, and that is what shapes the premise of the movie, in my opinion.

      Shortly into the movie, the performances by the cast are what really grab your attention. Everyone is very flat, and emotionless, and that is done deliberately. The subtleties of the cast, which includes Colin Farrell in probably his best role, John C. Reilly, whom is always good, and Rachel Weisz, whom is also always good in her roles, really make each character feel like the others, which is the whole point. The movie states on multiple occasions that people have to be matched based on a common physical aspect that both mates share, which doesn’t leave room for personality, and the cast does a good job of pulling this off.

      The camera work in the film is very dark and drab, once again on purpose, to further the overarching point that society puts so much emphasis on being a physical match with someone, that none of the other stuff matters. I feel that the director really had a vision of how he wanted all of this to mesh together, and he pulled it off brilliantly. Even the music overtones, which are essentially the same throughout the film, continue to express how every scene is kind of the same as the previous scene, but is also tied together as we lead up to the conclusion of the film.

      Which leads me to the (somewhat) problem I had with the film. The ending is very open ended, once again on purpose, and depending on how you viewed the film all the way to the end is how you are going to interpret the ending. Due to not spoiling the ending, I won’t give my thoughts on the ending, but I was just hoping for something a little more concrete at the end. But considering how the rest of the movie played out, I guess it shouldn’t surprise me, and if nothing else, it leads to some interesting talking points for two different people that have seen the movie. I think two different people can give two very different interpretations of the ending, and both could be completely accurate in how they took it.

      There are some very dark scenes in the movie, and I mean that from a content perspective, not just the dark and drab camera work. There is a dark humor aspect to the movie, but also a lot of what happens isn’t funny at all, but still comes off that way due to the performances of the cast. It almost feels like a Wes Anderson film, only in Wes Anderson movies, the tone feels lighter. In this movie, the tone is pretty heavy and stays that way throughout.

      If you are looking for a movie that will make you think, and really look at the symbolistic message that the movie is trying to tell, than you probably won’t find many better movies than this one. I was pretty enthralled throughout the movie, even as I was wondering just what in the world was going on half of the time. But by the end, I think I got the point that the filmmakers were trying to get across, and I have found myself thinking about the movie long after the credits were finished rolling. It is definitely a unique experience, and one that I felt is very rewarding if you are willing to put the time in to absorb everything that is being thrown at you.

My rating for the movie is 8.5/10

TV Show - Mr. Robot - Season 2, Ep. 1 and 2

Note:  Major spoilers for the episodes of Mr. Robot.  You have been warned.

     I came a little late to the party for Mr. Robot season 1, but then I binge watched the whole season in a couple of days several months ago.  I was amazed at how well done the show was, and I thought the cast and writing were about as good as anything else on television.  So, it's safe to say that I was excited about season 2 starting up, and when they said they would be doing the first two episodes back to back, I was ecstatic.  I can honestly say that I was not disappointed.
     We start off about a month after the end of the first season, so I was a little upset that we didn't get to find out who was behind the door, but that is something I'm sure we will get to at some point throughout the season.  Elliot has gone off the grid of sorts, trying to get Mr. Robot to get out of his head, but so far, it isn't working.  Elliot has gone back to his shrink, even if she did take some convincing after what he did in the first season, and we get to see him explaining to her what is going on inside his head.  I think it is fascinating how they have set Elliot up in this episode with his father/Mr. Robot still always lingering around, waiting for his opportunity to take control so he can make Elliot finish what he started.  I wondered how they would handle this now that everyone is in on the secret, and they way they have done it so far has been pretty close to perfect.
     But the episodes aren't only about Elliot, as we get to see what the rest of the cast is up to as well, in fairly equal fashion.  We see Darlene leading the revolution in Elliot's place, of sorts.  She sets up Evil Corp. and causes them to burn about 50 million dollars in the street, which was a fun scene to see play out.  We see Angela embracing her new role at Evil Corp., and she really seems to be enjoying herself, even though she still looks a little hesitant but is still moving forward with her plans to continue to work for them.  We also get to see Gideon trying to get Elliot to help him, or he threatens to turn Elliot in for the role that he played, but before he can do so, he gets shot and killed in a bar by some random guy.  The only main character we really don't get to see is Tyrell, whom is still missing in action.  That is until the last few seconds of the second episode, when Elliot gets a phone call from Tyrell and that is it.
     We also get to see a few new characters, the most intriguing for me is Ray, played by Craig Robinson.  I'm a pretty big fan of him, and am used to seeing him in solely comedic roles, so I'm interested to see how he does in this show, which is not really very comedic, other than dark comedy some.  I'm guessing he will play a pretty big role later on in the season, but we only get to see him talking to Elliot a couple of times at a basketball court, and it turns out that he has talked to Mr. Robot at some point, because Elliot doesn't remember the conversation.
     Having watched both episodes back to back, the time just flew by.  There was limited commercial interruption when the two episodes aired, but it was way more than that.  The pacing of this show, and the delivery of the performances is so good, that the time just seems to fly by and we are left wanting more.  I feel like a lot got accomplished, but at the some time, not a whole lot happened, and it really was just laying the groundwork for the season laid out before us.  I'm super excited to see how everything plays out, because if these first two episodes are any indication of what is in store, I think it's going to be an exhilarating ride.

My rating for the two episodes is 9/10 and 9/10

TV Show - Hell on Wheels - "Any Sum Within Reason"

Note: Major spoilers for the episode of Hell on Wheels.  You have been warned.

     As expected, in this episode we find out that Chang has figured that Mei is in fact a woman, and that she and Cullen are in a relationship.  I knew this was coming, I guess I was just a little surprised that it all happened in one episode, and was resolved before the end of the episode.  I can honestly say that most of the episode caught me off guard, as they really picked up the pace and did some things that I wasn't expecting.
     We first see some backstory with Chang and how he came to run the business on the railroad.  He answered to a man in a flashback, and the man allowed Chang to start his business, as Chang sells himself as ready to take on such responsibility.  He buys one of the Chinese women, which happens to be the woman that knew about Mei all along, and they head to the railroad.  She attempts to kill him to be free, which causes him to break her leg, which explains her limp.
     Back in the present, we see Cullen going to try to buy the Chinese women, and we get an interesting exchange between Cullen and Chang, with neither side willing to budge, due to their genuine dislike for each other.  Cullen tells Chang not to underestimate him, and Chang tells Cullen not to underestimate the people he works for.  On the way out, Cullen realizes that the woman is wearing Mei's mother's dress, and realizes that Chang knows.
     He gets a boat ticket for Mei, and tells her that she has to leave immediately.  She fights him on it, but ultimately gives in and goes with Stagecoach Mary to Cheyenne.  On the way there, they are attacked by Chang and his men, and Mei runs off.  Mary sends a telegram to Cullen, letting him know that the coach has been attacked, and Cullen takes off immediately.  Mei runs to a mine, and Chang follows, where he is confronted by the men working.  They attack Chang and he whoops all sorts of ugly on the men.  It had been hinted at that Chang was dangerous, but we see him in action here, and he takes out about five or six men with little trouble.  Meanwhile, Mei runs to a saloon in the village nearby.
     Chang goes inside and asks the bartender if a young man had come through within the last hour.  Mei is hiding out under the bar, with a gun to the man, and he says that there was someone, but they left and headed east.  There is a noise outside, distracting Chang, and Mei then gets the jump on him, using the gun that Cullen had given her before she left.  Chang is forced to drop his weapon, but he has a smile on his face, because he knows that he will get the upper hand on Mei before all is said and done.  But then the door opens, and Cullen walks in.
     Assessing the situation, he knows that there is only one thing he can do.  Frustration is apparent in his face, as he realizes that all he has been trying to accomplish over the last couple of season is about to come to an end, and with that, he shoots Chang in the head, killing him.  He then proceeds back outside and kills all of Chang's men with efficiency.  He comes back in, gets Mei, and they leave together.
     On the way back, he tells her that she has now see what he truly is, and she says that he saw the real her a long time ago.  After they get back to town, Mei tries to give the boat ticket to the Chinese woman, but she refuses to take it.  Later, Cullen asks why she visited the woman who had betrayed her, and she said that the woman had lost way more than she ever could.  She also tells Cullen that she loves him, and he doesn't respond, because he feels guilty for what he did.  She says that she accepts him for what he is, and they get busy, as is the recurring theme in the show lately.
     The next day, the man that Chang worked for shows up in town, and she tells Cullen that they have to leave, that they can't fight against the man and his company.  Cullen says that he has lost all these people in his life because he gave up, and that he is done giving up.  He tells Mei that he loves her, and he goes to meet the man, telling her to stay inside.
     Arriving at the railroad office, Huntington is there talking to the man when Cullen walks in.  Cullen says that maybe Chang was killed because he was arguing over the cost of one of his whores, and asks if risking his whole business was worth one man.  The man judges Cullen and says that business will continue as if nothing happened, and will send a replacement for Chang.  The man leaves, and Huntington asks Cullen if he had anything to do with Chang's murder.  Cullen doesn't answer, he just walks out, seeing wanted posters around the town for Mei Fong.
     Arriving back at the room, Mei is gone, and we see that the boat ticket is also gone.  She has left, so that Cullen doesn't have to spend the rest of his life fighting for her, and Cullen has now lost the only real thing he has left in his life.  We see Mei on the boat, leaving the country to end the episode.
     Okay, so a lot going on here, actually a really good episode.  It's the episode that I have been waiting for, it just took them this long to get to it.  We get to see Chang finally do something other than glower menacingly, even if he is dead one scene later.  We get to see Cullen go back to accepting who and what he is, and doing it for the woman he loves.  We get to see Mei do what she has to do to protect the man she loves.  And we get to be left at the end wondering just what else can happen to poor Cullen Bohannon.  He has been through the ringer and back again, and from what I can tell, there is only one purpose left for him, and that is to finish the railroad.  I really don't think he has anything left, and I wonder if he even really is going to care about that when we finally get there.
     There are two episodes left, and I honestly don't know what will happen in them.  I almost feel like all the storylines that have been hanging out there are over, so I don't know what will happen in these final two episodes.  I assume the railroad will get finished, but I'm thinking that everyone involved will have lost everything good by the time they get there.  We saw it last week with Mickey and Durant, and this week, Cullen loses even more, so there is no way that the show can end on a positive note.  I think I have come to the conclusion that Cullen is going to die before the end of the show.  I don't know how or under what circumstances, but honestly, with all that he has been through, it might be the best ending that can happen for him.  For the first time in this last part of the final season, I'm actually interested to see what happens next.

My rating for the episode is 8/10

Movie - The Green Room

Note: Minor spoilers throughout, but will keep them to a minimum.

     I don't normally get into this type of movie, but due to the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin a few weeks ago, I decided to give it a go from hearing other reviews of the movie.  It also didn't end up being quite what I thought it was, as I thought it was a horror/psychological movie, but I don't think I would quite put it in that category.  I was thinking Hostel or maybe Saw, but I feel like it came off more like a survival/psychological movie, like Deliverance.  I guess it was somewhere in the middle of the two types of movies, as there were aspects from each type throughout.
     The film follows an indie band that is traveling around trying to make their mark, without becoming too famous.  They do an interview for a guy, and then he tells them that he show has been cancelled, so they are out of a job.  With no money and no gig, the guy throws them a bone and gets them a gig at a club out in the middle of nowhere, with some shady clientele.  After their set, but before they can leave, they witness a murder, and so the club owner (played by the fantastic Patrick Stewart) spends the rest of the movie trying to get rid of them so they don't tell the cops.  Locked inside the building, they get locked into a stalemate between the club owner and his men.
     First off, the movie started a little slow for me.  They were developing the characters a bit, but I didn't think it was that terribly necessary for this type of movie.  It was a good half hour in before anything really happens and you start to see that things are going to go south rather quickly for them.  The movie is only an hour and a half, and I guess they needed to fill some time at the beginning, but I just felt like I was waiting on something to happen for longer than I thought I should.
     The acting in the movie was okay, but most of the actors were just kind of throw away actors anyway, so I guess I didn't expect a whole lot from most of them.  Anton Yelchin and Patrick Stewart both did a really good job, being the main stars in the film, but nobody else really stood out to me very much.  They all did their part well enough, they just weren't very memorable, and for those that met their untimely demise, I really didn't care that much.
     Once the movie got rolling, there were some pretty intense moments.  I was really drawn in as the stand off started to take place and you were seeing both sides try to jockey for position over the other side.  It was a pretty good back and forth for a while, but then as things started to break down, that tension was throw off to the side for just a quick, violent moment.  Nothing terribly over the top, but just sort of a lot of buildup to just off people rather quickly.
     I wasn't that terribly impressed at the end, especially with the ending that seemed to come about as abrupt as a lot of the scenes I mentioned above, but I also am not normally that into this genre of movie.  Based on that, I was interested and was sucked in a bit through the middle part, so I would say that it stood out to me more than a lot of other movies in this genre.  If you are a big fan of this type of movie, I do think it was done pretty well and is well worth the watch, but it wasn't something I will be dwelling on much after the credits have gotten done rolling.

My rating for the film is 6/10