20140319: Action Review--Violet & Daisy

Violet & Daisy

1. Fundamentals, reception.
1. American live action feature length film, 2011, rated R, 88 minutes, action, comedy.
2. IMDB: 6.2/10.0 from 4,396 audience ratings.
3. Rotten Tomatoes: 23% on the meter; 39% liked it from 2,415 audience ratings.
4. Netflix: 3.2/5.0 from 50,668 audience ratings.
5. Written and directed by: Geoffrey Fletcher.
6. Starring: Saoirse Ronan as Daisy, Alexis Bledel as Violet, Danny Trejo as Russ, James Gandalfini as Michael, Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Iris, Tatiana Maslany as April.


2. Setup and Plot
1. Violet and Daisy are contract killers.  In the opening sequence they murder 6 people while dressed as nuns.  Soon thereafter, Daisy turns 18, so she can get charged as an adult.  Violet is a bit older, but probably not by much.  They turn down a new job.  Then they see some dresses that they want to buy.    They take the job to get money to buy dresses.


2. The second job is to kill one guy who stole some money from someone higher in their organisation.  Their target shows up late, after they take a nap. They try shooting him with their eyes closed.  He's in the kitchen making oatmeal cookies for them.  Oh, my.  He is dying anyway, and hopes they go ahead with their job.


3. There is a lot of talk among Violet, Daisy, and their target.  This is coupled with a number of odd incidents (like the shootout at the hardware store) that are interspersed with the ongoing conversation.


4. Iris drops by to nudge the girls forward.


5. Will the girls finally finish the job, stay out of jail, and go on with their shallow lives?


3. Conclusions
1. One line summary: Surreal art film about teen female contract killers.
2. Three stars of five.


4. Scores
1. Cinematography: 10/10 Beautifully shot!


2. Sound: 10/10 Amazingly good.


3. Acting: 7/10 Alexis Bledel was 30 when this film came out.  She's best friends with a girl who just turned 18?  Oi.  I like Gandalfini, Trejo, Bledel, and Jean-Baptiste even more than I did before seeing this film.  I'm sure they did what the auteur asked of them, and they certainly did it well. Ronan, on the other hand, is an actor I can count on to deliver a disappointing performance.


4. Screenplay: 5/10 Patty-cake?  Really? Absurd and surreal set the stage.  There was not enough story to fill the 88 minutes.  The theoretical side of me saw that many of the lines were meant to be humorous, but I did not find myself laughing or even smiling.