classicsoncall It amazes me how reviewers here on IMDb can watch the same movie and come to wildly differing opinions. I get it that someone may or may not like a particular film, that's fine. But when you have those who enjoy a film for it's story telling and others who state they couldn't follow it, I just have to wonder if paying attention might have solved that problem.So I guess that's what is at issue for this finely constructed tale. It's about a couple of law enforcement officers attempting to curb the trade in ammunition to a violent Mexican cartel that won't stop at anything to insure receipt of their bullets, or exact revenge on those who stand in their way.Right out of the gate, any film with Ian McShane is going to hold my interest. After seeing him for the first time as the violent saloon owner Al Swearingen in the HBO series "Deadwood", I've been a loyal fan. His character, aging sheriff Leland Kilbaught calls to mind the role of Tommy Lee Jones in "No Country for Old Men", the difference being that Kilbaught hasn't become the wistful lawman regretting the way times have changed and passed him by. He's still whaling away in the thick of things, even after a new sheriff is assigned to replace him when he takes out a drug mule working for Shep Diaz (Jim Belushi) and Ken Mercey (David H. Stevens).We never actually see the Mexican cartel gun lords calling the shots in the small, unnamed Arizona town where the story takes place. The tension is provided, again, in similar fashion to 'No Country's' relentless hit-man Javier Bardem, by the similarly motivated assassin called Atticus, forcefully portrayed by John Leguizamo. What was a bit convoluted though, was the idea that he was seeing a local woman named Lilly (Karli Hall), thus making him a known commodity in Los Reyes County. One would expect a villain like Atticus to be dispatched by his employers as someone who would remain largely anonymous.That the movie offers it's fair share of gory violence shouldn't come as a surprise, it's something one would expect with the attendant story line. The machete business on the part of Atticus is particularly nasty as new sheriff Wallace would remorsefully attest. The one painful scene that tickled me was when Marla (Lynn Collins) took the sledge hammer to Shep's foot. Before it happened, I was thinking to myself that she should go with it, and if I saw it coming, Shep should have too. I bet that hurt like hell.The thought I had to ponder when Wallace eventually put down Atticus had to do with Leland begging him to hand the gun over and not reduce himself to the level of the bad guys. My version of the story would have that happen so Leland could do the honors, thereby allowing Wallace to make a getaway without the killing on his conscience. Leland seemed to be the kind of guy who wouldn't have cared one way or the other. At least Leland got some measure of revenge with the final scene, but for that you'll have to catch the movie.You know, as a big Johnny Cash fan, I was surprised that the song played over the closing credits was one I never heard before - 'God's Gonna Cut You Down'. It fit well enough, probably even better than the one I would have picked - 'When The Man Comes Around'.

NateWatchesCoolMovies The Hollow Point has taken the action/crime genre by storm in the first few months of the year, and it's a shame it wasn't released with a little more fanfare or marketing, as I only happened to stumble upon it while browsing shaw on demand. It's bleak, vicious and frequently quite funny, and while doesn't quite possess the near mythic, philosophical properties of something along the lines of No Country For Old Men, which it is clearly influenced by, it makes up for that in pure bloody spectacle, showing in demented detail just how far the cartels will go to ensure their business thrives, and just how determined the grizzled American lawmen are to protect what's theirs, and weed out corruption bullet by bullet. Bullets are the case in point here, and we see how the manufacturing and smuggling of cheap ammunition across the border to Mexico has taken its toll on the now ravaged, bankrupt southern US towns. Two sheriffs preside over one such town, each with a different set of morals that get wonderfully upturned in honest to god character arcs. Violent, jaded Leland (Ian McShane) deals out justice excessively with a bitter hand and no qualms about bending the rules. Upright, idealistic Wallace (Patrick Wilson) believes in the rule of law, until things get so out of hand that he's force to realize that no such thing actually exists, at least anymore. Following a deal gone wrong, the cartels dispatch a terrifying assassin (John Leguizamo in terminator mode) to work his way through a list of targets. Wallace and Leland are forced to contend with this beast and smoke out the local liaison to the cartels, in the form of sleazy used car salesman Shep (Jim Belushi has never been this good). Shootouts, heated arguments, severed limbs, betrayals and conflicting morals ensue, and it's one nicely balanced display of a classic ethical drama and a gory shoot em up that work hand in hand. Each character is hurting in some way, even Leguizamo, who's ice cold, thinly written ultimate badass gets surprisingly fleshed out in a third act that slows down just enough for us to care about these people. Wilson is the epitome of cool without even trying to be, always exuding vulnerability and grit at the same time, no easy task but one he has consistently been doing for years now, making any work he does instantly memorable. McShane is simply one of the best living actors out there, no argument. He's curiously underused in Hollywood, or perhaps prefers to keep a low profile, but it's always great to see him do work worth his talent, and he's the heart of this film, using salty comic relief and world bitterness to turn Leland from a callous, hard bitten piece of work into a believable and relatable human being, all the while kicking ass with a gigantic desert eagle cannon that is probably way over state regulations. As nasty and violent as it is, there's heart, in smaller doses, and the filmmakers use beautiful cinematography, terrific editing and a lived in, business-like yet ponderous script to convey the futility and tragedy of the illegal arms race that poisons these areas, while always keeping up the action and intensity of a genre piece. One of the best I've seen so far this year.

Wizard-8 While "The Hollow Point" never got to the point of really annoying or boring me - there always remains a kernel of interest at any point - all the same I can't recommend it. The cast isn't to blame for the movie's failure; they all give professional performances. And director Gonzalo Lopez-Gelego does put in some effective violence and brutality here and there. The blame mainly lies with the script. While I will give the script some kudos for putting in a few unexpected developments here and there, the story gets more confusing as it goes along. For example, one character ends up handcuffed by the local law enforcers to his hospital bed. A short time later, he is seen out of the hospital. How did he get free? It's never answered. That's just one of a number of confusing touches the movie has. By the end, I was not really confident about what had happened and why it happened. The movie could have been a lot worse, I admit. But unless you get some masochistic pleasure about being bewildered, you'd be best off skipping this.

jadavix "The Hollow Point" is a movie that feels lazily and cynically assembled by a committee. It looks good, has some really violent moments, and some dependable stars. Who cares if it doesn't make sense, or you don't care about any of the characters?It becomes clear early on that you don't need to make any investment into the characters not only because the movie doesn't adequately explain who they are or what they want, but also because you know they are going to get maimed and mutilated in some pretty gruesome and graphic ways, that only the special effects people seem to understand the repercussions of.Case in point: early on, our hero, if that's who he is, is attacked by a madman wielding a machete, who hacks off one of his limbs. This is depicted every bit as violently as you might expect. Does he go into shock, pass out from blood loss, and die? Does he manage to get help, go to hospital, recover, learn to live without the limb, quit the police force, because I'm pretty sure a one-armed-man would be ineligible for service, and live out his days on disability?No.He apparently drags himself to the house of his partner - if that's who he is - bleeds on the guy's walls, and waits politely until sun up. When he finally goes to hospital, he asks wryly about the chance of the limb being found and reattached, to which the doctor or nurse makes an almost cruelly flippant response.It's a grim-dark, bleak, nihilistic thriller, see?See?