The Courier

The Courier is similar to "Transporter" with maybe a touch of "The Usual Suspects." The Courier(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) lives and works in New Orleans and appears to live well below his means. He does have a magic Hollywood watch that makes countdown noises only when a camera is on it.

The Courier is made an offer he can't refuse. He has 60 hours to deliver a case to Evil Sivle a notorious hit man people said had died and was brought back to life by voodoo so he can take back what was once his. His whereabouts is unknown. The Courier is aided by street smart Anna (Josie Ho) who is not his usual partner.

Mickey Rourke plays Maxwell a man connected to Evil Sivle, whose face is obscured for most of the film. Morgan comes across as scruffy Morton Downey jr.

As the plots develops and the body count increases, the Courier discovers this is not an easy task as Evil Sivle is "the last face that men see". Evil is just a state of mind we are told.

The ending is supposed to tie the mystery together. It does, but leaves you scratching your head like just watched the ending of "Smokin' Aces." The film had all the parts of a crime/action/mystery/thriller, but fails to bring it all together.

F-bombs, no sex, no nudity. Torture. 3 1/2 stars

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (`Comedian' of "Watchmen") is the Courier, a man with no name, who will deliver anything, anywhere, with no questions asked. One day a man in black suit (Til Schweiger) arrives and forces him to accept an impossible job: delivering within 60 hours a package to Evil Sivle, a mysterious man feared in the underworld. No one knows where he is, not even his face.

The Courier starts his investigation with Anna (Josie Ho), an adapted daughter of Stitch (Mark Margolis), a New Orleans boxing gym owner and friend of the Courier. But someone is not happy about this, sending out a professional assassin team, sadistic Mr. and Mrs. Capo (Miguel Ferrer and Lili Taylor). Mickey Rourke also briefly appears.

"The Courier" is a throwback to the 1970s-style action movies, with a lonely and vulnerable protagonist. You don't have a modern, upbeat, action-packed storyline here. "The Courier" literally means a transporter, but you don't see car chases or martial arts combats of Jason Statham movies. Jeffrey Dean Morgan's hero is more like a less charismatic version of Gene Hackman.

The moody photography by Antonio Calvache ("In the Bedroom" "Little Children") perfectly captures the atmosphere of New Orleans (where most of the story takes place). Also, acting is decent, but "The Courier" loses steam fast, heavily reliant on clichéd situations (hacking FBI database, etc.). Most supporting players are wasted, especially Miguel Ferrer and Lili Taylor, whose characters do not make much sense.

Finally, "The Courier" is directed by Hany Abu-Assad best known for Oscar-nominated "Paradise Now" (2005). Sometimes directors of critically acclaimed foreign language films are hired to direct English-speaking films, and the results are often far from satisfactory (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, for instance). This is exactly what happened to "The Courier," a bland and insipid action that wants to be a character-driven thriller, which it fails to be.

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We got to see this excellent film at the local art house cinema not too long ago. I found it enjoyable and action-packed from the very beginning until the end! Not for the kids, because of language and violence, but recommended for adult audiences that enjoy a great film with plenty of character!

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I adore the actor...a bit violent for my taste but I'd watch any movie with him or not, even though violent movies don't appeal to me, he sure does ....

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Interesting movie certainly worth purchasing. Excellent acting by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The plot is an interesting one and also an interesting conclusion.

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