3 Short Paragraphs: Last Seen Alive

2022, Brian Goodman (What Doesn't Kill You) -- download

Going through another bout of "why am I doing this?" as I re-read a bunch of the drafts for recently watched movies and struggle to see myself actually saying anything. Not of value, as with only a few readers, the value is already negligible, but sometimes I feel like the only thing coming out of my head is "movie good" or "movie bad" and all the other words might as well be "lorem ipsum". But I will persevere through this mood, as I always do, hoping to not end up in another hiatus, and eventually write one post that satisfies my inner critic and maybe even spawn a reply or two.

I parallel this mood with this movie, an incredibly pedestrian thriller starring Gerard Butler (Gods of Egypt), Russel Hornsby (Lost in Space) and Jamie Alexander (Blind Spot). It makes me wonder if Goodman was sitting back watching the dailies for his movie and wondering why he is even making movies. I mean, he's been having a serviceable career playing "generic cop 32" or "generic bad guy 93" in a LOT of movies, and its admirable that he spins his experience into story telling. Buuuut... yeah, that's me letting judgement fly in the face of my barely ever serviceable writing. 

So, Butler and Alexander are a couple in trouble; he is driving her to her parents place for some Time Off, and while pulled over in a gas station, she goes missing. All the expected Blame the Husband focus happens, frustrating grumpy Gerard to no end, and he begins investigating himself. With no real mess or fuss, he is led to the backwoods encampment of meth dealers, where his wife got dragged into the criminal mixings of one of her childhood friends. Butler goes all vigilante on them. If Goodman does anything in this movie, it is that despite Butler's basic image as a Big Tough Guy, his character is definitely out of his depth, and blunders from one clue to the next with no plan other than a desperate desire to rescue his wife. The movie ends with wife rescued (not really a spoiler, is it?), marriage possibly repaired and paychecks made for a lot of post-COVID actors and film makers.

p.s. what IS that face he is making in the poster?!?!?