Movie Review: ‘BRICK MANSIONS’

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Luc Besson is the epitome of consistently inconsistent.  As a director he’s hit delirious highs (Leon: The Professional), mixed bags (The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc), and sad lows (last year’s The Family).  His career as a writer and producer fare just as off the wall with massive, fun hits like Taken and The Transporter series lodged within countless forgettable and/or unwatchable flicks.  His stamp of approval or his fingerprint is almost always a guarantee though: there will be action, silly humor, and a heavy connection to European locales and/or cultures.  What isn’t guaranteed, as stated before, is a quality control…and thus, all of these form Brick Mansions.

In Besson’s English language remake of his own 2004 production District B13, undercover cop Damien (Paul Walker, in his 2^nd to last film) must unite with an ex-con Lino (recreating his role, David Belle) in order to take down crime lord Tremaine (RZA) and stop a missile from being launched into the city.  But the crime lord is king of the titular Brick Mansions, a crime haven that the law and government have abandoned.  No cop should step foot in here, and he’s sent on a suicide mission to the worst possible area.  Oh, and it’s in DETROIT… which will never have a positive light on film.  Robocop would clean this shit up fast, trust.  What sounds like a silly idea on a paper thin plotline is exactly that, exactly as it was the first time around…but what B13 managed to turn into a wild, fun film is what

District B13 is well known as one of the first films to truly introduce the world to what the art of parkour is, packed with jaw dropping stunts performed by the lead actors.  Then Casino Royale took it mainstream.  In 2009 District 13: Ultimatum made a meaner, more brutal sequel to keep up with the times.  But today you can go to YouTube and search for parkour and see free running at its best and worst with just a click or two, and checking out any of Tony Jaa’s films (even at their worst, like Protector 2) can get you wincing in pain.  Brick Mansions doesn’t try to bring anything new to the table; they just redo what was novel 10 years ago.  Everything about the movie feels dated…and it’s supposed to take place in 2018!

Belle is, I believe, about 90% overdubbed or ADR, which immediately kills any cool his character should have had.  He’s a nimble badass, and having seen what he can do in two vastly superior films it’s hard not to shake your head at what could have been.  Worse is that Walker SHOULD have been playing a brute counterpart to Belle’s finesse and flow, and for the most part he is.  However, every once in a while Walker’s character is able to perform incredible gymnastic feats just to get the characters out of a bind.  This was set up properly in B13, but is given no pretense here, and it comes off as lazy acts of convenience to get our characters out of a bind.  This is one of many problems.

The rest of the cast is useless, aside from RZA.  Yes, RZA is a poor actor, but I like watching the guy try so hard that he almost becomes a good actor at being a bad actor…does that make sense?  Outside of the barely written screenplay, the worst this film has to offer is terrible editing that ruins momentum and a thrilling feeling.  The opening sequence, almost identical and so incredible in B13, is such a non-starter.  It felt so raw and fast the first time around, but here it’s forgettable.  Did the PG-13 rating play a factor?  Perhaps, as this is the case for most of the action sequences and it doesn’t feel like a direction issue – one of Besson’s many protégé Camille Delamarre, in this case — it’s just the way it’s cut together.  I also noticed on many occasions that sound effects were too soft or just flat out missing, as if this was a temporary or unmastered audio track.  Seeing as I saw the film three days before release, I’m going with a no on that one.

Paul Walker has never been much appreciated as an actor, and this performance (or film itself) sure won’t be remembered fondly, but I’ve liked his presence in things like Joy Ride and Running Scared.  Last year he had the finest performance of his career and a glimpse at true talent in Hours, a nail biter about a man forced to tend to his premature daughter on life support, alone, when Hurricane Katrina hits, everyone evacuates, and without power it leaves the machine on a manual charged support.  Acting mostly alone, his desperation, humor, and exasperation are pitch perfect, and he’s such a believable and lovable guy.  Highly recommend giving that one a shot instead of Brick Mansions.  It’s such a shame that he had to leave us right when he was tapping into his potential.  Even worse, it’s with a whimper.  Here’s hoping Universal and the Fast and Furious team give him one hell of a final film next summer.