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Criminal: Kevin Costner Takes a Turn as a Bad Guy
By Mary J. Schirmer
Criminal, a sci-fi action thriller with seriously talented A-list star power, is the movie for people who like special effects — explosions, chases, gunplay, and suspense—and who don’t care if characters are underdeveloped or if a plot makes any sense at all. One could say the film’s a no-brainer, but that would go counter to the plot.
The “bad guy” death row inmate from the film’s title is Jericho Stewart (Kevin Costner, with a very unattractive haircut), and the “good guy” CIA agent is Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds). When Pope is killed in the line of duty, the CIA chief (Gary Oldman) makes a deal with Stewart to release him if he’ll allow Pope’s memories to be implanted into his brain by an innovative neurosurgeon (Tommy Lee Jones) and then if he’ll carry on with Pope’s mission to stop a hacker from launching missiles.
Stewart, who suffered a childhood injury that left him without feelings for others, doesn’t have much to lose. At first the information transfer appears unsuccessful, and the doctor decides the best course of action would be to kill Stewart. But the criminal escapes, tasting and enjoying freedom, careening through London, and then becoming aware of Pope’s memories. Along with hunting down the “Dutchman” hacker behind the missile threats, to keep the Dutchman from selling the secrets to a Spanish anarchist or the “Russians,” Stewart has glimpses of the satisfying family life and a hidden bag of money Pope left behind.
Director Ariel Vromen told FlickeringMyth.com that Reynolds wanted the experience of acting with Costner, saying, “I’m such a fan of Costner, and Field of Dreams is my favorite movie of all time, and I will do anything to be in a Costner movie!” Jones and Oldman both starred in JFK with Costner.
One of Costner’s acting strengths is reacting to such characters as Pope’s wife, Jill (Gal Gadot), and daughter, Emma (Lara DeCaro). As the criminal develops “feelings” for Pope’s family, exhibiting the sensibilities of their loved one but in a different physical package, the audience believes he might have reformed, just a little.
Criminal, a Summit Entertainment release, is rated R for strong violence and language throughout and runs 113 minutes. Although some may find the film farfetched to the point of stupidity, Criminal, which is in theaters now, is worth a look for Costner’s acting turn.
