Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Benas Mcloughlin Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

maxmiller4 This is an example of a movie with great acting and a director with a great understanding of his actors. The dialogue is on point, the couple gets the theme of the movie perfectly, and the director shoots them to make the most out of each scene.This movie's undertow is the plot. Far from gripping, it serves no purpose other than to propel the dialogue further, and often take the characters into silly places. Silly places are fine as long as they don't strike you as silly.However, that said, it is fun, and something you can relax into. It will never steer you wrong where it counts.

dglink A man intent on revenge for the murder of his family; a vengeance-seeking woman scarred both physically and emotionally; a ruthless crime lord; a gang of hired Albanian killers who discover a dangling thread from a two-year-old hit job. From seemingly unrelated scenes that open the film, these and other characters interact and react over the course of director Niels Arden Opley's "Dead Man Down." Each character's mysterious background unfolds slowly, which may try impatient viewers seeking an all-action movie. Although bursts of violence erupt occasionally, J. H. Wyman's script moves at a leisurely, some times snail-like pace. The shifting relationship that develops between the facially disfigured woman, sensitively portrayed by Noomi Rapace, and Colin Farrell, whose scars are hidden within, moves slowly, but convincingly, although their meeting is an "only in the movies" coincidence.Farrell and Rapace head a solid cast of pros that includes Terrence Howard, Dominic Cooper, and strong cameos by F. Murray Abraham, Armand Assante, and Isabelle Hupert. Although Howard comes across as too cultured and educated to be a crime lord, Farrell is particularly fine in an understated internalized performance that restrains the anger and pain just beneath the surface. However, the leisurely pace of J. H. Wyman's script confuses at times and only throws in occasional bursts of violence to keep viewers awake. Paul Cameron's gritty cinematography captures the dark grimy side of Philadelphia, and classic ocean liner buffs will be excited by a brief glimpse of the derelict SS United States, slowly decaying at a lonely pier.Although the catchy title is good and the movie marketed as an action-crime thriller, the thrills are fairly thin, and the plot rather routine and predictable. Buoyed by a talented cast, "Dead Man Down" is a notch above a good made-for-TV movie or prime-time crime-series episode. Patient viewers will be satisfied, action seekers disappointed, but fans of Colin Farrell will consider the film's two hours time well spent.

g-bodyl Dead Man Down is actually not a good thriller, but it is a great thriller. Some things may not be entirely believable, but then again we are often told to suspend our disbelief in these kind of movies, which I did. This thriller is a slow-burn thriller that focuses less on the action, but more on the characters and the retribution.Oplev's film has a distinctive European feel to it and that is how I like my thrillers. But this film is about a man named Victor who is the right-hand man of a crime lord named Alphonse and has a very mysterious past. But he is seduced by a car crash victim named Beatrice, who is a mysterious woman herself. But together, they plot to bring Alphonse to justice.For a film such as this, it has a pretty talented cast. Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace share such intimate chemistry with each other. It's a shame Farrell is not a high box-office draw these days because he got so much talent. Terrence Howard does a very good job, and it's nice to see him shine in a villainous role for once. There is a nice cameo by F. Murray Abraham as well and I like it because we definitely don't see much of him anymore.Overall, Dead Man Down is much better than what people are making it out to be. It's a slow-burn thriller, not an action shoot-em-up as apparently people were expecting. There are going to be logic issues, but I'm very good at suspending my disbelief, because I'm watching a fictional movie. But this is a well-acted thriller and one of the better films of 2013. I rate this film 9/10.

Derek Childs (totalovrdose) Out of all the films I had the privilege of viewing in 2013, Dead Man Down would have to be my all time favorite. Every sentence is perfectly crafted and fits in beautifully with the movie; the acting is so realistic, you can almost reach out and literally touch the characters; and the storyline is so convincingly outstanding you cannot help but stare transfixed for the entirety of this masterpiece.What is quite fascinating with the feature is the premise; the film begins several months into the story, and over the course of the first twenty five minutes, we, the audience, play catch-up, a technique which fabulously works.The beginning lines by Dominic Cooper help pave the way for this tale of retribution, revenge and romance. Victor (Colin Farrell) is a man who works for renown crime boss Alphonse (Terrence Howard), however, at the same time, he has his own agenda, which is quickly revealed. His life takes an unforeseen turn when he is introduced to Beatrice (Noomi Rapace), a young woman, with half her face corrupted by scars. Despite this, Ms. Rapace looks as gorgeous as ever, and the accent she uses, alongside her use of facial expression, is terrifically performed.Forcing Victor into a corner, she intends to use him as a tool for vengeance, in order to punish the man whose car tore apart her life. During the film, Gregor (F. Murray Abraham), with a fantastic accent, and Beatrice's mother (Isabelle Huppert) help the two leading characters reconcile the lives they have in order to efficaciously move on. At the same time however, Alphonse is on the prowl, and like a box of matches, the fiery performance by Mr. Howard is extraordinary in the scenes he shares with Mr. Farrell.The use of emotion, achieved through the exploration of characters and their backgrounds, make these individuals so exceptionally likable, and even the villains, you will simply love to hate. Focusing more on the building of tension rather than continued action sequences, a technique established through not just the atmosphere, but the environment itself, Dead Man Down moves at an intelligently steady gait until the final triumphant sequence, not one part of the film feeling as though it were unnecessarily rushed. Luis Da Silva Jr. as Terry and Stu Bennet as Kilroy also deserve a mention, and despite their small roles, they add an additional flavor to an already superb mix of characters.I could not help but watch this film every night after first purchasing the title, and now, without further ado, by all means, go out and have yourself a blast; Dead Man Down is sure to not disappoint.