But this did have Tom Hardy in the leading role, who I am huge fan of. It also has Josh Trank as director, who I feel is becoming one of the unluckiest directors at the moment. The way studio executives treated his vision of Fantastic Four never gave us his vision of the beloved superhero group.
So despite hearing very little positive vibes, I felt I needed to give this a chance and see if I could be in the minority.
The story is definitely not one that most people would want or expect. But it managed to grow on me rather well and I felt engaged with the central character. Trank and his team managed to show at an interesting point in his life that you would never see in any other gangster films.
It's style and tone was winning me over, and it even made me not see the problems in a way that would detract my overall enjoyment.
Tom Hardy I felt was up and down in his performances. I felt some bits worked well with the tone. But other parts felt a bit over-the-top when it didn't need to be. He's really going for it. But sometimes, a bit of subtlety would have gone a long way in certain scenes.
Linda Cardellini and Matt Dillon has some nice supporting moments with Hardy on screen.
Its biggest positives are certainly its general production and look of the film. It's good to look at, the colour palette is pleasing and the style for the most part worked for me.
Sadly, it does have its negatives and there's enough for me to understand the sniffy reviews. There were scenes that felt out of place with the tone, some of the pacing felt inconsistent and as mentioned before, the choice of story is not much of a crowd-pleaser.
But while it has it's problems, this is most definitely an unconventional take on the gangster genre that I found to be engaging enough for me to be a passable and solid watch.
It gives Al Capone some humanity in this film. Its sees him at his most vulnerable and it is at a point of his life where you would naturally reflect on your past achievements.
Some set-pieces were solid in its execution. But others didn't quite work for me, including one interrogation scene that some may see to be the most unintentionally funniest moment in film this year. I can see many people not enjoying this, purely on the viewer expecting to see Capone in his prime. If you want to see that type of film, I would recommend the 1932 version of Scarface, Al Capone from 1959, The St. Valentine's Day Massacre or The Untouchables.
Like with all of his films, I always admire Trank's approach and vision to his projects. The finished project wasn't quite all there for me. But there are redeeming qualities that for me just about made it a worthwhile watch. Did I make to the minority? Not quite. But I'm certainly trying to open the door.
Rating: 7/10
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