Matthew ShallueThe Code (2009)
Normally when I see a film with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas in it, I am fairly certain that it will be a film worth watching. The Code is close, very close to being an exception to that. I cannot take anything away from either Freeman or Banderas; their acting is right on with every other performance they have given. Where The Code is lacking is in substance.
The Code is not an abysmal movie; it does have some redeeming qualities. The storyline is a decent one. Ripley (Freeman) and Martin (Banderas) are trying to steel two Faberge Eggs worth twenty-million each. The vault used to secure them is no necessarily unique to other movies, but it is cool. Combining biometric readers, voice recognition, and of course laser beams as deterrents. How the two thieves gain access to the eggs and get them out is probably the only clever part of the film.
The story is weak, and tries to be way too clever at the end. The majority of the film is your standard heist plot, with small scenes of romance thrown in here and there. It’s really nothing special and some of the effects involving iPhones are like something out of a badly made television movie. You’re supposed to believe that Martin (Banderas) is a master thief, but everything shown makes him look like a pick-pocket or thug.
The end of The Code, is confusing. The last 15 minutes is where the “big” explanation happens. You know the part of the film where all the loose ends are tied-up. What is revealed is a spider web of twists and explaining details what should have been at least hinted at through-out the movie. Seriously, this could have been such a better movie if the viewers would have been let in on some what the characters knew.
I am never surprised when an actor stars in a film what questionable entertainment value, but in this case, I would think that Freeman and Benderas could have scenes this one coming a mile away.
Director: Mimi Leder
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell, Robert Forster, Rade Serbedzija, Michael Hayden, Marcel Lures
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
The Code is not an abysmal movie; it does have some redeeming qualities. The storyline is a decent one. Ripley (Freeman) and Martin (Banderas) are trying to steel two Faberge Eggs worth twenty-million each. The vault used to secure them is no necessarily unique to other movies, but it is cool. Combining biometric readers, voice recognition, and of course laser beams as deterrents. How the two thieves gain access to the eggs and get them out is probably the only clever part of the film.
The story is weak, and tries to be way too clever at the end. The majority of the film is your standard heist plot, with small scenes of romance thrown in here and there. It’s really nothing special and some of the effects involving iPhones are like something out of a badly made television movie. You’re supposed to believe that Martin (Banderas) is a master thief, but everything shown makes him look like a pick-pocket or thug.
The end of The Code, is confusing. The last 15 minutes is where the “big” explanation happens. You know the part of the film where all the loose ends are tied-up. What is revealed is a spider web of twists and explaining details what should have been at least hinted at through-out the movie. Seriously, this could have been such a better movie if the viewers would have been let in on some what the characters knew.
I am never surprised when an actor stars in a film what questionable entertainment value, but in this case, I would think that Freeman and Benderas could have scenes this one coming a mile away.
Director: Mimi Leder
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Radha Mitchell, Robert Forster, Rade Serbedzija, Michael Hayden, Marcel Lures
MPAA Rating: R
Runtime: 104 minutes
Competition Queen
Always Learning
Cinema Voyage