Moroni's Review of "The Cold Light of Day"

I have always loved spy movies.  As a child, I used to watch James Bond movies on ABC on Sunday evenings.  As a teen, I actually read the original Ian Fleming novels.  So when I saw the trailer for "The Cold Light of Day", I knew that I would use my two movie passes to see that film.  Martha and I headed into town for date night.

The movie starts out very intriguing.  Will Shaw - played by Henry Cavill, whom I recognized from "The Tudors" and as the new Superman from the upcoming "Man of Steel" - shows up in Spain for a family vacation.  His father, played by Brice Willis, was a diplomat, so the family was used to traveling around the world.  So this trip to Spain is kind of a regular thing for the family.  Will can scarcely stand being around his family - his dad, his mom (Caroline Goodall), his brother (Rafi Gavron), and his brother's girlfriend (Emma Hamilton).  They take a yacht out into the Mediterranean, but Will is on his phone constantly, talking business, and his father eventually chucks his phone overboard.  Upset, Will swims to shore to get on the phone and get some supplies.

When he gets back, he finds the boat trashed and his family missing.  He goes to shore again to try to get help, but the cops try to kill him.  He is rescued by his father, who turns out to be some sort of spy.  Will never knew this about his father, but, come on, if your dad is Bruce Willis, he is not going to be wasted as a desk clerk.  It turns out that Will's family is being held hostage in exchange for a mysterious briefcase that was in his father's possession.  Before Brice Willis can answer any other questions, he is assassinated by a sniper.  No more Bruce Willis.

Okay, stop the film right here.  Up to this point, the whole mystery on the Mediterranean was very intriguing.  It sucked me in.  It was different.  It was original.  Everything that happens after this point became very predictable, very Jason Bourne-ish, very used and tired, very... boring.

I can usually gauge movies on this - I either don't want them to end, or I can't wait for them to be over.  I couldn't wait for this film to be over.

The kidnappers don't care that Will doesn't know anything about the briefcase, and he must obtain it by a certain time, or his family dies.  He sets out to find the briefcase and comes across his dad's former boss, played by Sigourney Weaver.  She turns out to be a bad guy.  No surprise there.  As he goes along, he discovers that he never really knew his dad.  He gets some unexpected help from a young Spanish girl (played by the beautiful Veronica Echegui) who turns out to be his sister from an affair his dad had in his days as a spy.

Seriously, do I need to go on?  Wait until this movie comes out on video - which should be soon.  Better yet, go see a James Bond movie.  "Skyfall" should be coming out soon.