The Family

The Family (2013)
Directed by Luc Besson.

Luc Besson's films definitely have a style of their own, whether he is behind the camera, the pen, or both. While The Family fits in pretty well with the Transporter and Taken franchises, I found it much too unapologetically violent. And, to put it frankly, I didn't much care for the film.

There were some things I did like about it though. Robert De Niro did very well as the quirky ex-mobster turned writer, and his bromance with Tommy Lee Jones' perpetually exasperated Agent Stansfield was my favorite aspect of the film. Michelle Pfeiffer also performed well as the eccentric mob-wife, but beyond those three, I didn't find the other main actors (or perhaps their characters) very realistic.

The daughter, for instance, spends most of the movie kicking ass. But one glimpse of the spectacled teacher and she's so helplessly in love that she almost commits suicide when he doesn't give up his goals of being a teacher after knowing her for about a week. She says it's true love. I say it's unreasonable, poorly written, and undermines her strength as a character. And though she and her brother grew up with the mob, I find it hard to believe that they are as universally adept with firearms as the final showdown makes it seem.

But the film's biggest offense was that it failed to make me care about the characters.

What did you think about the Manzonis?

3 out of 5 stars.
Viewed September 17, 2013 at LOOK Cinemas Prestonwood Dallas, TX.