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“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”
With a running time of two hours, 14 minutes, be prepared for some tedious moments. It is basically a long story of revenge that is saved by an emotional ending that will bring a tear to your tired eyes.
Chris Pine plays Edgin the Bard, a thief whose wife is killed by a group called the Red Wizards. Joined by “friend” Holga Kilgore (Michelle Rodriguez), he tries to retrieve an item that will bring his wife back to life. Leaving his young daughter in the care of his ally, Forge Fitzwilliam (Hugh Grant), he and Holga are captured and sent to prison.
After escaping several years later, the rest of the film deals with Edgin’s attempt to find his daughter. In the process, battles ensue with dragons and the undead, among others.
The film has some fun moments as it focuses on Edgin’s team. In summary, it is composed of a confused wizard named Simon (Justice Smith), a druid name Doric (Sophia Lillis) and Xenk (Regé-Jean Page), a smart paladin who knows how to kick ass and take names. Their interaction is the highlight of the movie.
You can tolerate the smug performances of Pine and Grant by focusing on the appealing role of Daisy Head as the nasty wizard Sofina. Officially known as the leader of the Red Wizards of Thay, at least her victims are comforted that they are dying at the hands of a beautiful villainess.
This is a film falling short of expectations at the box office because it simply lacked any emotion until the moving climax. Who does Edgin bring back from the dead: his wife or Holga?
It is a pity that the film didn’t produce similar human reactions earlier in the movie.
“The Greatest Beer Run Ever”
While there are a number of problems with this film, the most disappointing was wasting the talents of Russell Crowe and Bill Murray. They added little to a film that foolishly tried to add some dignity to our country’s disastrous role in the Vietnam War.
Despite the fact that the film is based on a true story, I found it insulting from the beginning to end. Zac Efron is miscast as Chickie Donohue, a New Yorker who spends most of his time getting drunk in a bar with friends. It’s 1967 and the boys are irritated by war protesters marching in the street.
Chickie decides to travel to Vietnam with luggage filled with beer to show support for the soldiers, some of whom he knows. He stupidly didn’t realize the dangers he would be facing, leaving him confronting his support of America’s war effort.
There are a number of minor roles that add little meaning to the film. Murray and Crowe, playing a New York bartender and a reporter in Vietnam, are little more than a distraction. The only memorable performances are provided by Ruby Ashbourne Serkis and Kaye Tran.
Serkis plays Chickie’s sister Christine, a smart young woman opposed to the war. Tran appears as Oklahoma, a Vietnam police officer who befriends Chickie. Both find a way to provide some meaning to a meaningless film.
Having graduated from college in 1969, this film touched a nerve that I will always remember. Like many, I was protesting the war as I watched nightly news reports on the thousands of American soldiers being killed.
With my college draft deferment ending after graduating, I was classified as “1-A” despite being partially blind in one eye. Had I not won an appeal and received a “4-F” standing, I know that my name would be on the War Memorial in Washington that honors soldiers killed in combat.
This war was a gigantic mistake, and more than 50,000 American boys were buried by shocked parents. It was appalling to watch Efron and his young friends support this war and it took great effort to watch this two-hour insulting movie. It reminded me of a protest chant we frequently used:
“Hell no, we won’t go!”•
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Robert Hammerle practices criminal law in Indianapolis. When he is not in the courtroom or the office, Bob can likely be found at one of his favorite movie theaters preparing to review the latest films. To read more of his reviews, visit www.bigmouthbobs.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
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