This film is based on the novel written by Elmore Leonard, whom also was the author of 3:10 to Yuma. Director John Madden (not the NFL sportscaster) is at the helm of a brilliant story full of suspense and intrigue. Mickey Rourke stars alongside Diane Lane and Rosario Dawson in this heart pumping story of a hit man.
A hit man, Armand “Blackbird” Degas (Rourke), and his two brothers work for the mafia in Toronto. During a hit gone wrong, Degas loses his kid brother and his other brother is put in prison for life. After doing one last job for his boss, Degas has a chance meeting with a young deviant whom is a bit of a psychopath, and takes him under his wing to fill the void of his lost brother. The young man, Richie Nix, plans to extort money from a local real estate agent and Degas goes along with the plan. Things go wrong when a mistaken identity turns the plan on its side, and leaves two witnesses, Carmen and Wayne Colson. The estranged couple was having problems before this incident took place, and is forced into FBI protective custody. Let the cat and mouse game begin as the hit man and his young sidekick set out to rid themselves of the problem couple.
I was very impressed with the quality of the film and story alike. I’m not sure why this was a straight to video release, but it is well worth the watch. The characters were very easy to identify with and the story flowed nicely without any unanswered questions. The cast were an awesome mesh of greats and up and comers. This movie is a great addition to the resume of Mr. Rourke and is a tribute to his come back over the past films. I may be wrong, but I was more interested in Rourke’s character and intrigued with his story than the rest of the film.
Reviewed by Michael Albaugh
