Movie reviews: Bodies At Rest, Stuber
BODIES AT REST (NC16)
In this crime actioner directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea), a triad of criminals break into a morgue on Christmas, wearing festive masks to hide their identities and demanding the coroner (Nick Cheung) and his assistant (Zi Yang) retrieve a bullet from a corpse.
Bodies At Rest checks off textbook action movie criteria: Violent hallway fights, tense moments hiding under tables, and round after round of bullets being fired. Elements of black comedy are also in the mix.
Beyond that, flashbacks inject mystery into the plot, as Cheung's coroner works to figure out who these men are.
Richie Jen is the ruthless leader, playing a villain you love to hate.
Combined with Cheung and Yang's characters' desperation to survive, we are left rooting for the duo to make it out alive.
When the puzzle pieces finally all come together, Bodies At Rest proves to be an interesting take on Hong Kong action flicks. - CHEE MUN YI - 3.5 Ticks
STUBER (M18)
Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) is an Uber driver - and that is about as clever as this oddball buddy comedy gets.
Things take a wacky turn when he picks up a crazed cop (Dave Bautista), a mountain of a man who cannot see because he did Lasik earlier in the day, and they end up chasing down a crime lord (Iko Uwais).
Stuber draws much of its laughs from Bautista and Nanjiani's chemistry, as well as the absurdity surrounding a mild-mannered Uber driver being the "eyes" of an LAPD detective in combat situations.
The standout scene involves the two leads fighting each other in a sporting goods store, during which their individual flaws are displayed in a show of comedic violence.
However, the confrontation between Uwais and Bautista features editing so frenetic, it is difficult to make out the choreography, wasting these two action heroes' talents.
But despite the weak action, Stuber still drives home the laughs. - JOHN TAN - 3 Ticks
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