The Expatriate

I'm not quite sure why this movie has such low rating (6 at the time of my writing). It's true, this is a Bourne knock-off with some clichéd characters but I found the movie quite entertaining. It's not as good as the Bourne movies (the original 3) but it's still pretty decent - the acting is good, the story feels thought out and mostly believable. I couldn't immediately find any plot holes (there may be several, but at least they're not so obvious as they are with some very high-rated movies). The soundtrack went well with the movie, keeping up the tense feeling through the story. The visual effects are nice and toned down (no constant explosions, no kung-fu fighting flying through the air, etc.) - this was a welcome change after absurd and over-done visual effects in most current (action) movies. While this is not a masterpiece, I enjoyed watching it and I'd certainly recommend it, especially to fans of the Bourne series. 8 out of 10.

A quite good thriller with Aaron Eckhart playing a retired CIA operative looking after his daughter in Brussels when all hell breaks loose. The acting is pretty good all round and it has a decent plot. My one main negative is the characterisation of the daughter, a nasty little brat that I would quite happily have seen shot. A decent flick to pass the time.

There is nothing special about this movie. There is an exciting mystery which doesn't really meet its full potential. The actors playing Ben and Amy do a pretty good job and having her around makes the movie more enjoyable. Amy shows some intelligence in helping her father solve the big mystery, but she isn't used as much as she could be. Ben is quite intelligent and adds a lot. There just isn't anything special here beyond him and his daughter. The only other actor showing real talent is Garrick Hagon as the CEO of Halgate. He happens to be in Belgium because of a ship accident that killed a number of people. I won't say this movie is excessively violent, but in a few scenes a lot of people get killed, including the first scene. Many more are killed behind the scenes and we only hear about it. You start to wonder if anyone we know will be left alive. It's an okay mystery.

OK, the story line is good but not great, good actors involved but here is the good part. It was the worst written screen play, dialogue was terrible, some of the acting was just as bad but I blame that on the Director who should do us viewers a big favor and never direct another film again and do something he may be good at, maybe collecting garbage. Too bad the movie was so poorly done and edited. Fugazzi

In the Bourne Identity mould plus a bit from the theme of Taken. Good acting. Very violent in parts. One criticism. Too many innocent members of the public get bumped off for my taste.

Erased was a halfway decent movie but it failed to deliver on many accounts. For one, the plot was incredibly weak, and this was a surprise because the premise had so much potential. The concept of an ex-CIA agent turned blue-collar guy trying to make a living but getting duped by a shell company and having to fight for the survival of he and his daughter seemed very interesting. However, the failed execution due to poor writing where the only way the plot either progresses or reaches conflict is through character stupidity is a let down. The acting was solid by the entire cast, though I think Olga Kurylenko was underutilized. The action sequences were pretty legit as well. All in all, it's worth a free watch but if I would've paid money to see it, I would've been pretty disappointed.

I would've rated this movie higher if they had done their research. As a Belgian born in Antwerp and living in Brussels the mistakes were cringe worthy! I was so annoyed with all the mistakes that the acting couldn't save the movie... This is why research is so important!

It's a mediocre film at best. It's typical for the genre but the daughter is so damn annoying it's nearly unwatchable. However if you're desperate, then you could do worse.