Getting in on the Liam Neeson action is Pierce Brosnan. Similar to Neeson, Brosnan is an accomplished actor who struggles with accents but has a great sense of humor. He is currently reviving his career in inexpensive and upbeat action movies. It feels like we have firmly entered Brosnan’s Very-Particular-Set-Of-Skills age with this and his other generation entries like The Misfits, even though Fast Charlie, his most recent odd little B-movie, isn’t quite straight action in the Taken mold.
The movie, which was helmed by 90s icon Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger, Patriot Games), has a very nostalgic vibe to it. It begins with soaring helicopter views of Mississippi and some oddly antiquated music by composer Fil Eisler. Everything about it is reminiscent of Martin Brest’s work from the Midnight Run era, suggesting, if not quite replicating, a strong, character-driven thriller with a cunning sense of humor.
The tone is actually all over the place. Screenwriter Alan Wenk (The Equalizer) adapted Gun Monkeys from Victor Gischler’s book. It is a crazy sort of comedy with absurd supporting roles, such as a rookie hitman who kills people with exploding doughnuts and a salty-tongued matriarch who proudly flaunts her new boob job, saying things like, “That ain’t your property, you testicle-sucker!” All of this is happening while Brosnan fights off opponents named Beggar and The Freak.”
Here are hints of something bigger and better.
Among the flavors of pinballing is Brosnan’s character, Charlie Swift, a no-nonsense person. The brightest light in this situation is Brosnan, who exudes a movie star gravity and lends a useful firearm and credible assassination skills even with a few years on his face. Even two decades after losing his 00 status, he still has good smoulder. Brosnan looks the part, even as he approaches his sixties.
That there aren’t many things around him that are on par with him is unfortunate. The movie has a glossy soap opera-style lighting. There are numerous, glaringly evident greenscreens. Charlie and taxidermist Marcie (played by Morena Baccarin), who also happens to be the ex-wife of someone Charlie killed, have an awkward quasi-romance. The conversation feels a lot like an early draft. (In one scene, Charlie goes into great detail about how he visited Italy once, which is why he adores Italian food.)
There are hints of something more effective here: Brosnan and Caan seem to enjoy each other’s company, and James Caan’s minor role as an aging mobster, his final film appearance, provides some weight. However, in the end, it feels a bit disjointed and aimless—going nowhere quickly.