Child 44

[Hurm...]

I'm watching this, because I'm a huge fan of the books and Hardy. The book is pretty dense, so I can see where this could go wrong as an adaptation. I'll reserve judgment until I see it though.

 

[Schlosser85]

Doesn't sound like I'm even going to get the chance to see this.

 

[Schlosser85]

Also, it's been banned in Russia. lol.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Just saw it. Kinda sloppy. Felt like it tried to cover so much material that it failed to cover any at all. 4/10

 

[Greens]

Sadly, this movie is getting panned...

 

[StarLord]

 

[Octoberist]

This kinda cements the director as a one hit wonder, with Snabba Cash/Easy Money

 

[Anita18]

Just got out of the AMPAS screening of Child 44. (Programmer husband made an app for a producer who's an Academy member, who invited us.)

Huzzah for Tom Hardy and his sexy Russian accent. Everything else.....bwuh???? The story was all over the place! A bunch of people at the screening couldn't follow the story...I followed the plot until the end, when everything magically resolved itself and we were sitting there like

There was no real thematic thrust and the detective thriller part was non-existent. They tried to do like, 4 stories at once and none of them really worked.

And worst, Gary Oldman was woefully underused! In general, it was a waste of great acting talent. The story really let them down.

 

[Matt Mortem]

I wrote a full review of it here:

http://thefilmbox.org/reviews/child-44/

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The main criticism of this movie is that the story goes all over the place and follows many different strands, but the book was exactly like that so I wonder has the movie been a little too faithful as I have yet to see it.

 

[Anita18]

The main criticism of this movie is that the story goes all over the place and follows many different strands, but the book was exactly like that so I wonder has the movie been a little too faithful as I have yet to see it.

I read a book summary that made it clear the movie left out an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT plot point, so I'm guessing the movie isn't too faithful.

I mean, it's fine if the movie has many different strands, but it wasn't clear at all which of the strands was supposed to drive the story. Things just seemed to...happen. Characters acted in extremely predictable, formulaic ways. Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace hit all the right emotional points but...I didn't get a strong sense of what was driving Hardy's character in particular to do these things. Gary Oldman wasn't on screen long enough for us to get a good sense about him, aside from the aforementioned formulaic behavior.

And then the film doesn't even give us a satisfying wrap-up of the journey that led Hardy's character to be in such deep s*** (the movie randomly [blackout]has the murdered boy's father killed to display the paranoid "open season" on everyone[/blackout].)

What I took from the film was, things just happen and there's ultimately no point.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I read a book summary that made it clear the movie left out an EXTREMELY IMPORTANT plot point, so I'm guessing the movie isn't too faithful.

I mean, it's fine if the movie has many different strands, but it wasn't clear at all which of the strands was supposed to drive the story. Things just seemed to...happen. Characters acted in extremely predictable, formulaic ways. Tom Hardy and Noomi Rapace hit all the right emotional points but...I didn't get a strong sense of what was driving Hardy's character in particular to do these things. Gary Oldman wasn't on screen long enough for us to get a good sense about him, aside from the aforementioned formulaic behavior.

And then the film doesn't even give us a satisfying wrap-up of the journey that led Hardy's character to be in such deep s*** (the movie randomly [blackout]has the murdered boy's father killed to display the paranoid "open season" on everyone[/blackout].)

What I took from the film was, things just happen and there's ultimately no point.

Ah right, will have to see it for myself then to judge really, its a real as the book was superb, but that also had a lot of different plot points to cover but wrapped them up in a very satisfying way, especially The ending when we found out who the killer was and what was driving him.

 

[Anita18]

Ah right, will have to see it for myself then to judge really, its a real as the book was superb, but that also had a lot of different plot points to cover but wrapped them up in a very satisfying way, especially The ending when we found out who the killer was and what was driving him.

Have low expectations for that.

Spoiler

That's the part the movie completely misses. The killer is a nobody. Literally has nothing to do with anyone and I felt was actually used as a red herring.

 

[Matt Mortem]

Have low expectations for that.

Spoiler

That's the part the movie completely misses. The killer is a nobody. Literally has nothing to do with anyone and I felt was actually used as a red herring.

Spoiler

Worst of all was the killer was talking like he knew Hardy's character, then BAM he's dead. My girlfriend read the book and he says the killer is super connected to Hardy's character, but the movie didn't feel like doing anything with it.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Have low expectations for that.

Spoiler

That's the part the movie completely misses. The killer is a nobody. Literally has nothing to do with anyone and I felt was actually used as a red herring.

Wow, yeah in the book it's a big deal and brings the whole story together, including Leo's and who he is, if they have missed that out of the movie they have messed up big time.

 

[Hurm...]

There isn't a damn place in my country playing this lmao. DAMMIT. I just want to see what the movie I've spent months anticipating looks like.

 

[Schlosser85]

It's not playing within an hour's driving distance of me.

 

[Anita18]

Worst of all was the killer was talking

Spoiler

like he knew Hardy's character, then BAM he's dead. My girlfriend read the book and he says the killer is super connected to Hardy's character, but the movie didn't feel like doing anything with it.

That's why I thought he was used as a red herring. We get NO emotional conclusion to that part of the story, since [blackout]the murdered boy's father is dead and he never gets to see the killer brought to justice[/blackout].

Instead it's used as a springboard into the story involving [blackout]the crazy jealous dude who wants his superior officer's wife AND the political paranoia[/blackout] that finally comes to a head. And even then, how that ended was so I left the theater feeling rather empty at how everything transpired.

 

[Schlosser85]

That's why I thought he was used as a red herring. We get NO emotional conclusion to that part of the story, since [blackout]the murdered boy's father is dead and he never gets to see the killer brought to justice[/blackout].

Instead it's used as a springboard into the story involving [blackout]the crazy jealous dude who wants his superior officer's wife AND the political paranoia[/blackout] that finally comes to a head. And even then, how that ended was so I left the theater feeling rather empty at how everything transpired.

Weird. Here's how the climax goes in the book, as far as I remember:

[BLACKOUT]The killer is Leo's brother Vlad, and the killing spree is a sick, twisted attempt at getting Leo's attention. Leo and Raisa enter Vlad's house, but Leo sits down with Vlad at the table. Meanwhile outside, the soldiers hunting Leo surround the house, but Vassili slips inside ahead of them, because he plans to kill Leo and then blame it on Vlad, with no witnesses to question his version of events. This gets Vassili killed by Vlad. Vlad wants Leo to kill him, but Leo can't/won't. Raisa ends up clasping her hand around Leo's hand which is holding the gun, and Leo and Raisa basically pull the trigger together.

In the end, Leo and Raisa adopt the kids orphaned by Vassili when he killed their parents.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Matt Mortem]

Weird. Here's how the climax goes in the book, as far as I remember:

[BLACKOUT]The killer is Leo's brother Vlad, and the killing spree is a sick, twisted attempt at getting Leo's attention. Leo and Raisa enter Vlad's house, but Leo sits down with Vlad at the table. Meanwhile outside, the soldiers hunting Leo surround the house, but Vassili slips inside ahead of them, because he plans to kill Leo and then blame it on Vlad, with no witnesses to question his version of events. This gets Vassili killed by Vlad. Vlad wants Leo to kill him, but Leo can't/won't. Raisa ends up clasping her hand around Leo's hand which is holding the gun, and Leo and Raisa basically pull the trigger together.

In the end, Leo and Raisa adopt the kids orphaned by Vassili when he killed their parents.[/BLACKOUT]

Hahaha, yeah that none of that made it in the movie, save for the [BLACKOUT]adoption part[/BLACKOUT].

 

[Fallen Angel]

Shame the movie doesn't look like it's half as good as the books.

 

[Schlosser85]

This completely fizzled.

 

[Hurm...]

This completely fizzled.

Mainly because it's not showing anywhere lmao.

 

[Sawyer]

I was about to say. Deadline put up an article saying "Tom Hardy's Child 44... WHAT HAPPENED?!" I never saw a damn commercial for it, so I imagine that's what happened.

 

[MrCandy]

I was about to say. Deadline put up an article saying "Tom Hardy's Child 44... WHAT HAPPENED?!" I never saw a damn commercial for it, so I imagine that's what happened.

http://deadline.com/2015/05/child-44-box-office-bomb-tom-hardy-soviet-noomi-rapace-1201419112/
Here is if anyone wants to read it.

I think the problem was/is pretty obvious. Lionsgate knew they had a misfire on their hands and they completely abandoned it. There was no advertising for it at all and none of actors did any promotion for the film.

This movie was simply in the wrong hands if you ask me, it should've been handed to somebody like David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, or Denis Villeneuve, not some popcorn action director like Daniel Espinosa.