Plot: Jake Green is a hotshot gambler, long on audacity and short on common sense. Jake served seven years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit after taking the rap for mean crime boss Dorothy Macha. Upon his release he takes on Macha in a private casino game, causes humiliation, and wins. While Macha puts out an order on Jake’s life, Jake meets brothers Avi and Zach who protect him and plot to take Macha down.
Guy Ritchie directs Jason Statham in one of their oddest collaborations to date with middling results, but it’s mostly remembered for Statham’s hairpiece. I’d hesitate to even call Revolver an action picture mostly due to the plodding pacing which is at times screamingly dull.
It does have some action as there are a few shoot-outs with the highlight not even involving The Stath, but hitman Sorter (Mark Strong) going on a rampage towards the end.
This is Statham as you rarely see him actually acting rather than just breaking necks and punching people. He gives one of his best performances but personally, I prefer when he’s kicking ass which he doesn’t do at any point in this movie.
Revolver is more cerebral fare and it’s understandable why it doesn’t get talked about as much as Ritchie or Statham’s other movies. It’s not without its moments however, with plenty of style and a more serious tone with little in the way of humour as it questions what we think is reality and how ego is our true enemy.
Watching an interview with Ritchie as he discusses the film, he seems very passionate about it, and I have to respect that he attempted something unique.
There is some awful shaky cam at one point when a group of mobsters start shooting at Statham, but this was released after Bourne when everyone thought incoherent action scenes were good… they weren’t. Thankfully we seemed to have mostly moved past that phase, but the rest of the action is well done. There is some nice camera work too but for me this is just too damn talky when all we want to see is The Stath paralyzing his enemies.
Ray Liotta always made for a terrifying villain and he doesn’t disappoint here, although by the end he is more pathetic than anything else. As I said above Mark Strong nearly steals the show as Sorter, a hitman who slowly begins to question his employment.
Overall, Revolver requires several viewings to be truly appreciated and to be honest I’m not there yet, but it’s Ritchie and Statham doing something different and I at least respect that. It doesn’t always work and I do find the pacing infuriating at times, mostly wanting Statham to start punching people but sadly it never happens. This is a more philosophical picture which will certainly be an acquired taste.
