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LA photos + critics down on Bounty

20 September 2009 at 11:49 PM | by Melty_Girl, with Lillian

New photographs

Cillian was photographed on Friday in Los Angeles at a screening of his Inception co-star Tom Hardy's film Bronson. We've added a gallery page for these photos in the Public Appearances section.

Early Perrier's Bounty reviews

Perrier's Bounty hasn't gotten nearly as much press as Cillian's previous film that went to TIFF. Could Perrier's find the success of Brendan Gleeson's recent In Bruges? Chances don't look terribly good so far. New York calls Perrier's screenwriter Mark O’Rowe "hilarious ... terrific" and the script "spastic," citing our reviewer The Automatik's favorite quote from the movie as among the best one-liners of the festival. But The Evening Herald, however, accurately terms the "critical response ... tepid" thus far.

FirstShowing.net makes the Bruges comparison I'd been expecting, and finds Perrier's Bounty lacking in originality and surprises, summing up:

While I might argue that Cillian Murphy matches Colin Farrell and both films have Brendan Gleeson, Bounty just doesn't live up to Bruges by a long shot. I still loved the dynamic between the three "good guys"—Murphy, (Jodie) Whittaker, and (Jim) Broadbent—but they followed a story where I knew exactly what was going to happen, and that's not exciting to watch. So in short, it's good, but far from great. See it for the three great leads (seen above), but that's it. ... 6.5 stars."

Sadly, ScreenDaily.com agrees completely:

Any hopes of an In Bruges-style crack at the genre fade early on as Mark O'Rowe's screenplay fails to capitalise on a stirring start, and there's not much in the lensing or locations to nourish a hungry audience, leaving it all for the cast to carry. ... The shelf is crowded with similar, flashier fare.

Part of the problem is the lead character of Michael McCrea, whom Murphy plays with characteristic intelligence. Later referred to as "enigmatic," he's more of a cipher, a badly-drawn boy. ...

... Dotted with rich but loosely indulgent dialogue (the Irish penchant for a swear word is fully indulged; the gangsters all get faux-hip speeches) and a few fierce dogs, this all grinds to an inevitable and violent conclusion in pool halls and disused factories in an autumnal Dublin and its environs. Much more appealing is the relationship between Michael, his father and Brenda, with (director Ian) Fitzgibbin showing a much defter hand.

Most troubling about Perrier's Bounty is the fact that it's almost all there: more time on script development could have made a huge difference to what ends up onscreen.

Thanks to Mitzi for finding the photos!

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Melty_Girl
Posts: 1
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Re: PB
Reply #2 on : Mon September 21, 2009, 14:32:53
I think the first reviewer liked the film, especially the performances, but felt there wasn't enough originality and too much predictability to make it a great film.
Last Edit: October 16, 2009, 02:17:30 by Melty_Girl  
The Automatik
Posts: 1
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PB
Reply #1 on : Mon September 21, 2009, 14:06:34
Hard to believe these folks didn't like the film! That surprises me.
Last Edit: October 16, 2009, 02:17:07 by Melty_Girl