Movie Review: Even Money (2006)

Genre: Gambling Drama  

Director: Mark Rydell  

Starring: Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, Kelsey Grammer, Tim Roth, Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta, Carla Gugino  

Running Time: 113 minutes  

Synopsis: Aspiring author Carolyn (Kim Basinger) is addicted to slot machines, but keeps her problem a secret from husband Tom (Ray Liotta). At the casino she meets and forms an empathy bond with has-been magician Walter (Danny DeVito). Clyde (Forest Whitaker) is deep in gambling debts owed to bookie Augie (Jay Mohr), and pressures his brother Godfrey (Nick Cannon), a star college basketball athlete, into shaving points. Both Augie and Walter have reasons to connect with ruthless criminal Victor (Tim Roth), who controls the biggest illegal gambling network on behalf of the reclusive Ivan. Meanwhile, police detective Brunner (Kelsey Grammer) tries to keep a lid on escalating violence in the gambling world.

What Works Well: This anthology benefits from the pervasive down-but-keep-digging psychology of gambling, with key characters deep into the addiction morass and far from seeking help. Kim Basinger and Forest Whitaker add star power to the doldrums, and allow the separate stories of Carolyn and Clyde to quickly develop within the efficient running time. Tim Roth contributes venom to Victor's heartless dean of crime, while Kelsey Grammer fits perfectly into a frumpled detective's overcoat, his defeated attitude saluting the human propensity for self-destruction.

What Does Not Work As Well: A sub-plot featuring Augie's partner in the bookie business Murph and his girlfriend (Carla Gugino) just gets in the way. Overall, emotions are confined to plastic predictability, and the resolutions default to tidyness carrying bags of faux poignancy.

Key Quote:

Detective Brunner (narrating): The question is...what are you willing to lay on the line?

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Movie Review: Heads Of State (2025)

Genre: Action Comedy  

Director: Ilya Naishuller  

Starring: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid, Stephen Root, Paddy Considine  

Running Time: 113 minutes  

Synopsis: Although they don't like each other, US President Will Derringer (John Cena) and UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) are together on-board Air Force One when the plane is attacked by agents working for fugitive arms dealer Gradov (Paddy Considine). Derringer and Clarke parachute into Belarus and make their way to a safe house in Poland, where they receive help from CIA Agent Marty Comer (Jack Quaid) and MI6 Agent Noel Bisset (Priyanka Chopra). Bisset has to escort Derringer and Clarke to Trieste, Italy, where Gradov and his accomplices are orchestrating the collapse of NATO.

What Works Well: Following on the heels of the similarly-themed but much worse G20, Heads Of State succeeds by celebrating the absurdity of its premise. The tension between the two protagonists establishes classic buddy movie dynamics: Derringer is a Schwarzenegger-type action movie star turned politician, Clarke is an idealistic social justice warrior actually believing he's in politics to help people. It takes a while for them to overcome their differences, but of course they both end up kicking butt, wielding weapons, and blowing away bad guys. The special effects are above-average, the next well-staged action set-piece is never more than 10 minutes away, and the trio of Priyanka Chopra, Jack Quaid, and Paddy Considine add memorable support.

What Does Not Work As Well: The evil mastermind is eyerollingly predictable (as the script itself acknowledges), and the  hold-NATO-together imperative is never treated as anything other than superficial politicizing.

Key Quote:

Derringer: Dear, God!

Clarke: I think He's had the day off.

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Movie Review: Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

A wild action thriller, Gunpowder Milkshake is a stylish, over-the-top battle fest celebrating girl power. 

Samantha, or simply Sam (Karen Gillan), is an assassin for a shadowy organization known only as The Firm. Her latest job ends in a bloodbath, and one of her victims is the son of powerful gang boss Jim McAlester. 15 years earlier, Sam's mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), also an assassin for The Firm, had to disappear after one of her jobs ended badly.

Nathan (Paul Giamatti) is Sam's handler, and he issues her next assignment, to retrieve money stolen by an accountant. She arms herself with guns provided The Firm's "librarians" Madeleine (Carla Gugino), Florence (Michelle Yeoh), and Anna May (Angela Bassett). 

After Sam kills the accountant, she learns he only stole the money because a vicious gang held his young daughter Emily (Chloe Coleman) hostage. She gets involved to save Emily, disobeying Nathan's orders. With McAlester seeking revenge and The Firm turning against her, Sam is in a lot of trouble, but Nathan provides some support by arranging a surprise reunion.

Gunpowder Milkshake features many good girls with many big guns (and assorted other weaponry), battling many bad guys with just as many big guns (and assorted other weaponry). Director and co-writer Navot Papushado crafts a feminist action extravaganza bathed in surreal neon and ultra-abstract sets, channeling Tarantino, Woo, and Leone with unfettered passion.

The plot is almost irrelevant, providing just enough of a string to hang the thrills on. The dialogue scenes focus on establishing a sorority of women, mother-daughter bonds, and surrogate parent relationships. Sam is the node around which her mother, the three librarians and Emily revolve, creating three generations of strong and morally sound women battling to rid the world of men either faceless, evil, or both.

The levels of violence and the action set-pieces are wildly enjoyable at the cartoonish level. The exquisitely choreographed highlights include a hospital battle between Sam and three goons, her arms paralyzed by a serum while the villains are compromised by laughing gas and a previous altercation. This is quickly followed by a cat-and-mouse parkade duel with young Emily (eight and three quarters of a year old) at the wheel. Papushado leaves the best for last, a linear, slow-motion beauty of a single-shot gun-down at a supposedly neutral diner.

At 114 minutes and with next to no genuine narrative depth, the energy does start to flag. A battle at a library goes on, and scene after scene of bone-crunching combat with the women mowing down an army of men get repetitive. But with cool attitude to spare, Gunpowder Milkshake is unapologetically always craving the next explosive slurp.



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Movie Review: Faster (2010)

A superlative revenge thriller, Faster flamboyantly - and surprisingly - enjoys multi-character depth and twisty narrative surprises.

Released after serving ten years in a California prison, Jimmy Cullen (Dwayne Johnson) is intent on avenging the death of his older brother Gary. The siblings were double-crossed after a heist, Gary was killed and Jimmy, the getaway driver, miraculously survived a bullet to the head. Now he secures a powerful Chevelle and targets the men responsible, working his way through a list.

Within hours Jimmy ruthlessly dispatches his first two targets, earning the attention of Los Angeles police detective Cicero (Carla Gugino). She is dismayed when detective Slade Humphries (Billy Bob Thornton), a burned-out addict nearing retirement, is teamed with her. Meanwhile, handsome and wealthy assassin-for-hire (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) receives an assignment to kill Jimmy. The assassin is deeply in love with his girlfriend Lily (Maggie Grace) and pondering whether it's time to retire.

As he fights his inner demons, Jimmy encounters difficulties terminating his next two targets. Meanwhile, Cicero, Slade and the assassin close in, each harbouring a different agenda.

Superficially carrying all the hallmarks of a stock man-on-a-revenge-mission thriller, Faster aims much higher. Director George Tillman Jr. has a clever and character-rich script to work with courtesy of Tony and Joe Gayton. And while Dwayne Johnson in the central role is rock-faced and does not even try to convey charisma, he is adequate when it's time to seek self-doubt.

The pleasant surprises start with three men defined in rich detail. Faster creates space for wheelman Jimmy Cullen, damaged detective Humphries, and the nameless professional assassin to share the spotlight. While Jimmy works his way through his kill-list like a wrecking ball, Humphries is a messy counterpoint as an antagonist and manipulator, complete with a complicated home life and a shadowy past. Meanwhile the suave hired killer schedules personal therapy sessions between assassinations and is becoming convinced Lily is his forever soulmate. He is more than wealthy enough to retire, but out of professional pride needs to fulfil his final contract.

With a foundation of three eloquently drawn characters, the second half dares to humanize further, and soars with audacious backstories for two of Jimmy's intended victims. In a canny feint, the confrontation between Jimmy and the bouncer Nixon (Lester Speight) is advertised as a bone-crunching showdown but suddenly veers into inter-generational torment. Then the preacher Jarod (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) moves from radio voice to in-person presence, and introduces a painfully weighty moral dilemma for Jimmy to grapple with.

All the lines between good and bad and right and wrong are deliciously blurred, giving birth to soul-breaking decisions. Jimmy's troubled upbringing and family background come into focus, further enriching his quest.

The bursts of action are frequent and forcefully short, all delivered with calm coherence. Faster knows when and how to propel machinery, but is much more interested in the flawed drivers.



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Movie Review: Gerald's Game (2017)

A suspense and horror psychological drama, Gerald's Game explores a broken marriage and childhood trauma through a sex game gone wrong.

In Alabama, married couple Jessie and Gerald (Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood) are trying to spice up their stale marriage by spending a romantic weekend at an isolated lakehouse. On the drive to the cabin they encounter a stray dog, and upon arrival Jessie tries to feed it. Gerald is using Viagra and has brought along handcuffs to instigate a rape fantasy.

He handcuffs Jessie to the bedposts and encourages her to scream for help, with no neighbours anywhere within earshot. She quickly expresses her disapproval of the whole scenario and demands to be freed, but Gerald suffers a fatal heart attack and slumps to the floor. Jessie is unable to free herself, and the dog, smelling Gerald's body, joins her in the bedroom and starts munching on the corpse.

An adaptation of Stephen King's 1992 novel, Gerald's Game creates an irresistible premise, mixing the mounting horror of expiration by shackled abandonment with the gradual release of repressed childhood memories. Director and writer Mike Flanagan efficiently works through the introduction to get Jessie onto the bed, her hands in handcuffs, her husband dead on the floor, and a mean dog smelling fresh meat. And then the fun starts.

The bedroom becomes an active zone where Jessie's strained mind unleashes companions in the form of a cynical post-death Gerald exposing the frailties of their union and cheering on her hopelessness, countered by a strong unbound Jessie advocating ingenuity in the name of survival. Intermittently her memories take her back to a key family vacation when she was twelve. The young Jessie ended up sitting on an outdoor swing next to her father to watch a solar eclipse, and what happened next shaped the rest of her life in ways she can only now start to understand.

Back in the bedroom the shadow of death by dehydration starts to creep over Jessie, and literally in the case of a shadowy nighttime monster in the corner. Narrative weaknesses in King's source material are unfortunately transposed to the screen. As Jessie's ordeal reaches a gory climax, a late but unwanted and exceptionally poorly defined character is tossed into the narrative, weakening an otherwise potent psychological vector.

Regardless of the disappointing denouement, Carla Gugino enjoys a career highlight and delivers a stellar performance as both the real Jessie and her resolute alter ego. In a role that could have easily descended into hysterics, Gugino maintains impressive control and a strong hold on her character's warped reality.

Gerald's Game quickly turns into Jessie's nightmare, a single bedroom where all of her life's horrors are waiting to pounce.




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The Movies Of Carla Gugino

All movies starring Carla Gugino and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Sin City (2005)

Even Money (2006)

American Gangster (2007)

Righteous Kill (2008)

Faster (2010)

New Year's Eve (2011)

San Andreas (2015)

Gerald's Game (2017)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

The Life Of Chuck (2024, voice only)

Heads Of State (2025)

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The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: Righteous Kill (2008)

A police drama featuring two veteran acting heavyweights, Righteous Kill wastes its cast on a tired and lacklustre premise and a dreadful twist.

A grainy tape appears to show police detective Turk (Robert De Niro) confessing to a series of extrajudicial murders, violently disposing of criminals who escape the law. In flashback, it is revealed that Turk (Robert De Niro) and fellow veteran detective Rooster (Al Pacino) have been partners for a long time, with Turk frequently combustible and Rooster more laidback. Turk blows steam through a sex-only relationship with detective Karen Corelli (Carla Gugino), who likes her intercourse sessions on the rough side.

A while back Turk resorted to planting evidence to apprehend a rapist and killer who had cheated the justice system. Soon thereafter, the murders of other criminals start. A short poem is left at the scene of each crime, earning the serial killer the moniker "Poetry Boy". With Lieutenant Hingis (Brian Dennehy) demanding answers, Turk and Rooster alternately cooperate and clash with younger detectives Perez (John Leguizamo) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg). Suspicion begins to swirl around Turk, but the murder rate only accelerates.

De Niro and Pacino co-starred in the stellar Heat, but here they share many more scenes and are often on the screen together. 30 years prior they were two of the most celebrated and intense actors on the planet, and it's testament to their talent and endurance that Righteous Kill only matters because they are in it.

But that's where any notions that this is a good film come to a grinding and comprehensive stop. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Russell Gewirtz, Righteous Kill is devoid of tension, suspense, action or any semblance of artistry. The murders are mechanical, soulless and mostly presented in a context vacuum, and the premise of cops turning into killers to clean up the mistakes of the justice system was old back in the 1970s.

The rest of the movie consists of anywhere between two and five cops on the screen talking, bickering and regurgitating the same arguments. They insult each other and get in each other's faces before sullenly going off to the next murder scene. Rinse and repeat. The robotic scenes are only interrupted by Turk's narrated confession on a grainy recording, a set-up for a cheap movie trick that would have been rejected in an introductory scriptwriting class. Rather than rescue the film, the twist ending buries it deeper in the dustbin.

Watching De Niro and Pacino is never less than worthwhile; it's such a pity that this collaboration arrived so late, and on such a righteously feeble project.

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