Imagine sitting down for a big-screen spectacle, only to realise the real war is happening 30 years from now and ordinary people like you and me are being drafted to fight it. That’s the wild premise of *The Tomorrow War*, the 2021 Amazon sci-fi action film that dropped during the pandemic and still finds its way onto weekend watchlists.
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The streaming wars continue to deliver cinematic experiences directly to our homes, and one of the most anticipated releases of 2025 on Netflix was Gareth Evans' "Havoc," starring the ever-compelling Tom Hardy. Known for his visceral action and intricate storytelling, Evans takes his talents to the digital platform with a film that promises a relentless descent into a city's brutal underbelly. Having finally had the chance to witness this digital chaos unfold, we delve into the plot, performances, action, direction, and its impact in the streaming landscape. Image source: Wikipedia
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in a nutshell: A ragtag group of rebels, led by a troubled woman with a connection to the Force, embarks on a desperate mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, sacrificing everything to give the Rebellion a fighting chance.Image source: IMDB
Released on August 13, 2021, "Free Guy" is a science fiction action-comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and features a captivating blend of video game elements with real-world themes. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as Guy, a mild-mannered bank teller who discovers that he is, in fact, a non-player character (NPC) in an open-world video game titled "Free City." This revelation ignites a transformative journey in which Guy evolves from simply following his mundane programming, leading to unprecedented adventures.
Another movie on runaway train but this time inspired by true story…
(Poster source: http://www.filmofilia.com)
It starts with 2 bungling railway staff (ya, what else?) who manages to get a fully loaded train (to make things more interesting, with 8 highly toxic cars attached) to run away without brakes (they could not find a couple of seconds to spare to attach the loose brakes) and without any driver at the cabin. And then add that with the runaway train running through several highly populated towns, leaving the town people praying for a miracle (which comes in forms of 2 “at the right time, right place” heroes).
(Image source: Wikipedia)
It is simply claustrophobic!
I watched 2 movies about men getting trapped in small confined areas – one was Danny Boyle’s biographical adventure titled 127 Hours and the other, the excellent Buried by Rodrigo Cortés.
For a few seconds into the movie Buried, all we can see is dark screen and then a couple flickers from the lighter and we see eyes of a man in sweaty, confined situation. It is brilliantly executed and set the premise for the rest of the movie.
The premise of Buried is rather simple - Ryan Reynolds who plays the character of Paul Conray is a truck driver who is working for a private contactor in Iraq. His convoy was attacked and he was captured by insurgents who bury him in a box into the ground, supplies him with a couple of things which includes a mobile phone. Conray who wakes up with hands tied trying to make sense of things and panics at first and then starts to call for help. He then gets a call from his captors who demand for USD5 million to be paid before 9 at night. Conray then calls home, FBI, the State Department and then the Hostage Working Group in Iraq for help. This forms the crux of the story.
(Paul Conray in a dark, confined box armed with just a lighter and a mobile phone)
Paul Conray is buried deep down in ground, so the camera focuses on him and him alone. We are shown the interior of the box and at times, we are in the dark with Conray as his lights goes off leaving him in the darkness. We could hardly breathe too. The box is hardly big enough to fit him and he had to move around to get some items at the end of the box and it is not easy. The camera angle is brilliant – we see from all angle of the box and yet we are inside with Conray trapped in the box, feeling claustrophobic. Lighting is naturally done – when we see light in the box, we are sure that it comes from the lighter or the flashlight or the neo lights or the mobile phone and it is just nice and not too dark like we seen other poor light scenes in movies
(If there is one thing I love about the movie, it is camera angle and it always focuses on Conray and him alone)
Rodrigo Cortés adds moments of suspense into the already claustrophobic moments like a snake sneaking into the box and into Conray’s pants and the power running out on his only lifeline – the mobile phone left by his captors for him to get the ransom money. Can you imagine if you are in a box where you can hardly move and a snake slithers in? And as Conray is kept on hold on the phone by people who does not understand his situation, we can feel his frustrations as well, especially when a 911 operator asked if he climbed into the coffin himself.
Other than Paul Conray and his female colleague who shown in a video message, get shot after demands for ransom went unanswered, we don’t see any other characters but we are left to imagine based on the voices alone – Conray’s wife and kids, his cold and vengeful captors, the people from the States and one from the HWG who keeps up Conray’s spirits and keep the lifeline open by saying that they are very close to get him out.
The captors asking for USD5 million ransom and then reducing it to USD1 million and then asking Conray to cut off one of his fingers may make us angry of the situation where innocent and non combatant individuals get stuck in sticky situation when all they wanted to do is to work to get enough money for their families. Conray explains this many times to his captors but we can feel that the captors have suffered enough under the US occupation as well. That is the reality of things in Iraq and Afghanistan now days.
Not many films out there are focuses on one man, in a confined space and other characters not allowed being in it other than just voices. The audience is left to imagine the background of which Conray is in – the on-going negotiations and the rescue efforts.
Pros: The gripping story, terrific location and good acting
Cons: The ending - I wished Paul Conray was actual saved instead left buried after all that effort
