Greetings again from the darkness. Well, it’s not exactly a ‘good cop/bad cop’ scenario, since only one of them is a cop – and he’s suspended and out of his territory. It’s also not a traditional ‘Buddy comedy’ since these aren’t buddies, but rather estranged, grudge-holding half-brothers. Still, the premise is admirable, and the casting choice of pairing Dave Bautista with Jason Mamoa is marketing brilliance. Jonathan Tropper (creator and writer of “Banshee”) wrote the screenplay and Angel Manuel Soto (BLUE BEETLE, 2023) directed.
An apparent hit and run takes the life of Walter, the father of brothers by different mothers, James (Dave Bautista) and Jonny (Jason Mamoa). James is a composed Navy SEAL officer who is married with two kids. Jonny is a party animal cop on a reservation in Oklahoma, whose girlfriend Valentina (Morena Baccarin) dumps him moments after he’s suspended from his job and learns his father has died. Of course, Jonny had no relationship with his dad and has been estranged from brother James for a decade. When he’s attacked and his house is trashed by Yakuza gang members, Jonny figures there more to his dad’s story and heads to Hawaii (where James lives) to investigate.
The film serves its purpose when James and Jonny are going at each other with verbal digs or physical punches. The personality differences of Bautista and Mamoa makes these exchanges kinda fun … and sometimes funny. It’s actually a let down that their exchanges aren’t a bit more clever – say, in the mold of 48 HOURS (with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy). Perhaps I’m asking too much. The most frustrating aspect here is the villain. Claes Bang plays Robichaux, the leader of Yakuza, and he is severely underutilized here … other than a crack about him as the Vampire Lestat (Bang was terrific in the TV series “Dracula” ).
Morena Baccarin plays Valentina as a bank manager with extraordinary driving skills. Other supporting work comes from Jacob Batalon as Pica, more comedy relief as Walter’s assistant and referred to as ‘fat Jackie Chan’; Stephen Root as a frustrated Police Captain; and Temuera Morrison as the Governor. There are some stunning shots of Hawaii, and more of the impressive tattooed physiques of Bautista and Mamoa as they constantly fight – either each other or bad guys. They even get to look cool riding motorcycles. I feel obligated to make note of one particular action sequence that bothered me. It’s the biggest action set piece in the film … an incredible air and road chase scene featuring an incredible amount of gunfire and vehicle carnage. What bothered me was a stunning number of innocents who were harmed and probably killed … all with no care or attention from our heroes – James and Jonny (the former more concerned about his own wrecked vehicle). For me, this put a damper on what otherwise was played as a comical, over-the-top action film.
Streaming on Amazon Prime as of January 28, 2026
Posted by David Ferguson 
Greetings again from the darkness. The concept is interesting and relatable. A woman undertakes the solving of a mystery, and in the process, learns a great deal about herself. Writer-director Rebecca Zlotowski w-d (OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN, 2022) and co-writers Anne Berest and Gaelle Mace have delivered a film that works on a couple of levels: as a whodunit and self-discovery.
Greetings again from the darkness. If not for a few bizarre (and interesting) visual metaphors tossed in, one might mistake this film from Icelandic filmmaker Hlynur Palmason (GODLAND, 2022) as a documentary. After all, we are mostly watching one family’s life over the course of a year. There are no car chases or criminal masterminds – just a few people living their lives.
Greetings again from the darkness. ‘Arco, phone home’. OK, that’s not actually a line of dialogue in this Oscar nominated animated feature film from w-d Ugo Bienvenu, co-director Gilles Cazaux, and co-writer and Felix de Givry … but the line sure fits. Taking place in the future, the film’s strong themes are family, friends, and coming-of-age.
Greetings again from the darkness. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, and heroic acts may be big or small. What’s consistent is the need for courage to do the right thing, regardless of the circumstances or personal risk. The actions of Pavel “Pasha” Talankin clearly fall under this definition, and with the help of his co-director David Borenstein, the finished film not only provides us with rare insight into Russian life, it has also been nominated for Best Documentary Feature at this year’s Academy Awards.
As we experience this age of cinematic sequels, spinoffs, remakes, and reboots, author and historian Robert Hofler reminds us how a good story lends itself to being reimagined for different eras. He does this by taking us through the incredible history of the various film projects for A STAR IS BORN – on the 50th anniversary of the 1976 version. The book is subtitled: “The Most Filmed Hollywood Story of Love Found and Lost”.
Greetings again from the darkness. Artificial Intelligence ranks with politics as one of the hottest topics of conversation these days. Of course, we don’t yet know what role AI will play in society; however, we are pretty certain all aspects of our world will be touched in some form. This story from writer Marco van Belle and director Timur Berkmambetov (WANTED, 2008) is set only three years in the future, and the premise is that AI judges now decide criminal cases. As with most stories steeped in science fiction, your enjoyment of the film will depend on your willingness to buy into a concept that seems a bit far-fetched. But that buy-in will likely leave you entertained, rather than rolling your eyes (ok, maybe both), by what’s on screen.
Greetings again from the darkness. One might believe that celibate communal living and worship would have been an easier sell in the 1780’s than today, yet this film from writer-director Mona Fastvold (THE WORLD TO COME, 2020) and co-writer Brady Corbet (THE BRUTALIST, 2024) proves otherwise. It turns out the second coming and extreme shaking while worshipping requires a bit more faith than many possess. The film is based on the true story of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers who, along with a small contingency, emigrated to the U.S. from England to spread their beliefs.
Greetings again from the darkness. Some losses hit hard. When Helen’s dad dies suddenly and unexpectedly, her downward spiral begins. Writer-director Philippa Lowthorpe and co-writer Emma Donaghue have adapted Helen MacDonald’s 2014 book/memoir for a screen version that moves about as slowly as any movie I’ve ever seen. That’s allowed when depression is taking hold (of Helen, not me).
Greetings again from the darkness. The Sundance Film Festival does a terrific job each year of selecting captivating short films. One of the films in the lineup of this year’s shorts program on January 24, 2026 is from Swedish filmmaker Lovisa Siren, and it’s a gem.
Movie Reviews from the Dark 