Z-View: “Brick Mansions”

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The Pitch: ”Hey, let’s do an Americanized remake of the cult classic action film District B13!”

“Let’s do it!”

The Tagline:  “Their Streets.  Their Rules.“

The Overview:   *** Beware –  spoilers are found below ***

The year is 2018.  Because of out of control crime [think The Purge on a daily basis], a part of Detroit called Brick Mansions has been walled off from the rest of the city with military police guarding the few exits in or out [think Escape from New York with two Snake Plisskens].

Paul Walker [the first Snake Plissken] is an undercover cop whose dad was killed in Brick Mansions.  David Belle is an ex-con [and the second Snake Plissken] who lives in Brick Mansions and works against the crime lord [played by Rza].

Walker and Belle find themselves as unlikely partners when a stolen neutron bomb is hijacked, armed and aimed at a US city.

The Good

  • Brick Mansions begins with a great extended action-scene with Belle doing his parkour!
  • The cast: Paul Walker [in his final completed role], David Belle [should be making more American movies], RZA, Ayisha Issa, Carlo [24] Rota,  Andreas [Riddick] Apergis, and  Robert [300, Sherlock Holmes] Maillet.
  • Every scene with Belle doing parkour is fun.
  • Ayisha Carlo and Robert Mailet were especially well cast.

The Bad:

  • The aim of almost everyone with a weapon.
  • Ayisha Carlo and Robert Mailet .
  • Characterization and rationale thought are left with the coming attractions.
  • Making RZA a “good guy” at the end.  Rza played an interesting bad guy, but let’s not lose sight that he was a really bad guy, a drug king pin who killed people without a second thought.  Yeah, he make a great mayor!
  • Cartoon violence.

The Ugly:

  • How Belle deals with crooked cops.  How Walker deals with giants.

 

Rating: 3 out of 5