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Back in 2016,Kevin Costnerand Ryan Reynolds starred in an action film that was a box office bomb. The film,Criminal, had all the makings of a decentsci-fithriller but turned out to be a financial and critical disappointment. With a solid cast and an interesting enough concept,Criminalcould have been so much better.
Criminalstars Kevin Costner as Jerico Stewart. A convict and sociopath, Jerico is unexpectedly recruited by the CIA to take part in a scientific treatment where memories of a fallen agent are implanted in his brain. The agent, Bill Pope (played by Ryan Reynolds), is the key to finding the location of a hacker who has developed a program that would allow him to hijack the world’s nuclear defense codes.
Although the treatment initially fails, Jerico eventually finds himself overcome with Pope’s memories and infused with his skills. With the threat of nuclear war and a dead man’s memories invading his head, Jerico must work through his troubled brain to save the world and Pope’s family before it is too late.
So Many Stars, so Little Depth in Kevin Costner’s ‘Criminal’
Criminalhas a number of stars in leading roles. Along with Costner and Reynolds (who is effectivelylittle more than a cameo),the film stars Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Eve, Scott Adkins, and the future Wonder Woman Gal Gadot. Despite the talent of the cast, the film is a surface production with little emotion or perceived danger. The evolution of Jerico from a psychopathic criminal to a conflicted man haunted by Pope’s memories is downplayed through Costner’s stoic portrayal.
Though the resurgence of Pope’s memories seems to focus Jerico’s violence, there is no real transformation in his character, who never proves himself to be likeable. Jerico is selfish, dangerous, and violent in a way that is unacceptable for action heroes. His abuse of innocents is done for no noble cause. And while the film moves on from this,Jerico’s character shows no true evolution that would make the journey worth the risk.
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For an action film,Criminaloffers very little in the way of action. While it is true that there are gunfights, explosions, and car maneuvers, all of these sequences are tepid at best. Momentary blink-and-you’ll-miss-it car chases lead to uninspiring shoot-outs and one lone explosion. And if one is looking for hand-to-hand combat, it would be better to simply look elsewhere. An action film that has very little action, as well as a main character that has no true development,Criminalis a pretty solid idea that suffers from a shallow execution.
‘Criminal’ Put Up no Fight at the Box Office
Criminalwas a financial loss as the film grossed $38 million against its reported $31 million production budget. Pulling in a paltry $14 million in the United States and Canada, the film opened with $5.8 million, making it one of the worst openings of Costner’s career. (Kevin Costner’s filmHorizonmanaged to open even lowerwith a $4.1 opening in 2024.) The film was widely panned by critics and audiences. The film currently has a 30% critical rating and a 47% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics called the film dull, a travesty, and full of clichés. Many questioned how so many big-name stars managed to get roped into the unfortunate event. However, the case can be made that (for some films)the greater the number of stars, the better the chance that the film will be an unmitigated disaster. While some critics praisedCriminal’sunique spin, others thought the film pretended to be more thoughtful than it was. Overly dramatic, depressing, and brainless, critics didn’t hold back in their censure of the film.
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More positive reviews of the film accepted it as an entertaining guilty pleasure. While audiences were mixed in their praise, the general consensus is that the film is not as bad as critics claim…but not much better either. Though the film had early negative reviews, more recent audience scores have been more favorable with regard to the film. Audiences appreciated the concept and casting of the film. With twists and turns, some audiences deemed the film entertaining enough, even while stating that it was slightly generic.
From the concept to the cast,Criminalhad such great promise. Led by Kevin Costner, with Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman, and Tommy Lee Jones, the film was stacked with top-level talent who, unfortunately, couldn’t save the middling film. Although the film offers a unique and innovative take in its combination of the spy and mind-swap genre, the half-hearted execution destroys the promise of the film.Criminalis available now for streaming onMax.
