Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Good Flix: Puncture (2011)

Would you hire this man to be your Lawyer?  Today's film is Puncture, a 2011 Drama Starring Chris Evans.  Why?  Well, Evans also plays a dramatic role in Snowpiercer and I can't see that film yet.  On top of that, my Parents bought it from a Blockbuster that was closing.  To make a long story short, if they had held onto it, it would have been given for store credit to a Moviestop (since one of them really didn't like it) and now I have it.  One man's 'bad movie' is my review.  As it turns out, I like the movie.  The film tells the real story of two Lawyers who take on a case bigger than they normally would.  One of them is straight-laced and the other does drugs- it is like a really dark version of Franklin & Bash.  Humor aside, the film handles the drama quite well and I really took to it.  Evans plays the drug-addicted, but alpha-personality Mike Weiss, while one of the two Directors plays his straight-laced partner Paul Danzinger.  Why is giving people a simple and safe solution so hard?  To find out, read on...
In 1995, this woman is accidentally poked by a needle while trying to sedate an E.R. Patient.  She ends getting a serious disease from this, setting the plot in motion.
Evans' Weiss is a real go-getter, but also does lots of drugs.  Do his Cons outweigh his Pros?
His life is full of drama as well, punctuated by his wife's demand for a divorce at gun point.

As a fun side note, Evans is once referred to as 'Law & Order' and the film actually features Jesse L. Martin!
Anyhow, the case they take on involves a man who has made a safety needle (with a retracting point) that will stop the spread of disease through accidental pricking.  The problem: no Hospital will buy it.

It all comes down to one thing: money.  Big shock.
Evans really takes to the case, possibly inspired by the fact he himself shoots up Heroin.
Unfortunately, he does this at the expense of the work that the pair must do to stay in business.

Plus, he does still do alot of drugs and is not good with doing things on time.
Can he overcome his issues and win the case of his life?
With lots of money and power against them, the pair can't possibly win...can they?
Will a last minute bit of evidence help them?  I'm not going to say, that's for sure.

To find out, watch the movie.
I don't have much negative to really say here.  The film hinges upon whether you connect with the two Lawyers and feel for their case.  For me, it worked.  Some people I know couldn't get past how Evans' character is flawed.  That's perfectly fine.  As for me, I can accept films like Flight that have a less-than-perfect who may or may not learn from their mistakes.  The film works for me because you can see how good he can truly be, drugs or no drugs.  He really takes to the case and wants to do right.  His partner is more practical, but is still not opposed to doing the right thing.  Opinions may differ on the film, but I really liked it.  It had the right amount of humanity that these kind of Legal Thrillers need.  If this is the kind of thing that Evans can do in a more serious role, it makes me really want to see him in Snowpiercer.  Okay, that film and The Iceman, which is surprisingly not a Marvel film.  Since nothing all that goofy happens here, I will leave you with what appears to be a cameo of Bloodsucking Freaks on the TV...
Next up, I take a nice look back at one of my favorite films ever.  Before he pierced snow, he unleashed tadpoles on South Korea!  Stay tuned...

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