I was having a chat with a friend earlier about how many of the Hollywood movies seem to be reboots, remakes, and sequels, though one of the main reasons for this is that movies tend to be high risk endeavours costing at times hundreds of millions of dollars that actually trying something new is simply not worth it. I guess this is why some of the really original films actually end up being at the low end of the market, and it appears that this film certainly falls into that category. While the film itself isn't strictly original, there are elements of it that certainly set it apart from a lot of the other films that we see around the place. Basically it is about this middle manager who got his job simply because he was friends with one of the bosses. However, he is a nice guy, and the reality of the business world is that nice guys end up getting shafted. Well, he ends up in Mexico sorting out some business with a plant down there, and upon discovering what is really going on decides that he might try extorting some money out of the company, and the fact that his wife had just left him, there really isn't all that much left for him back in the states. This is one of those films that introduces us to multiple disparate characters who all eventually come together - well not quite, but there is a connection there. One of them is a guy that has been persuaded to go to Mexico and bring back some pills for analysis. However, there is also a Mexican drug lord that has been profiting off of the company's underhanded dealings, and when he discovers that he has also been cut off, decides that he wants to take what he believes to be rightfully his. I guess in the end it is the characters that really make this film, and that can actually work well - create the characters and build the film around them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but then again if you have a well rounded character that will react in certain ways in certain situations then you are on the way to actually creating a half decent story. Okay, I won't necessarily say that this is one of the best films out there, but it certainly has its perks, and the characters really did stand out at times - particularly the protagonist Harold. Having a Nigerian accent also added to that authenticity. There is one thing about this film that stands out, and that is loyalty, or rather the lack of it. I noticed that out of all the characters in the film there were only two that could be considered honest and loyal - pretty much everybody else was completely untrustworthy. The question that is raised though really comes down to whether it is worth it. Well, it was a bit of a hit or miss in this film - not all of the dishonourable people got it, and not all of the decent people got away clean. Sure, a number of the nasty characters did get it in the neck, but a few of them managed to get away. I guess this is another other of this nice things about the film because while a number of these characters ended up meeting a rather sorry end, not all of them did.

I don't know how you could get more out of an action comedy. The story was GREAT. The acting was GREAT. If you like a fast-pasted Guy-Ritchie-type of film-dialing the action scenes back a notch and the acting and script up a notch-then watch. All I have to say, no spoilers needed.

Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) is going broke from his wife. His arrogant boss Richard Rusk (Joel Edgerton) assures him of his job despite the rumors. Rusk and Elaine Markinson (Charlize Theron) are co-Presidents of a drug company which has been selling to the Mexican drug lord, the Black Panther, under the table. With a merger coming, they need to stop the flow to correct the inventory count. They bring Harold along to Mexico to stop the sales. Later, they are back at the offices where they receive a call from Harold's kidnappers. Meanwhile, Miles (Harry Treadaway) agrees to be a drug mule for $20k and he brings along his girlfriend Sunny (Amanda Seyfried) to Mexico.

Joel Edgerton's brother Nash is the director. These actors are stepping into black comedy area. It's hit and miss and mostly miss. Oyelowo slowly wins me over with his flustered performance. Theron is too much. Miles and Sunny could be cut out. A lot of this is close but not close enough. The plot is overly messy. I would rather concentrate on Oyelowo and clean up some of the other threads. Maybe Nash does not have enough to make this work.