Movie Review: Terminal (2018)
Synopsis: Two hitmen working for a mysterious crime boss and a schoolteacher dying from cancer cross paths with a waitress/stripper, Annie, in a train terminal cafe. Only, Annie isn't quite as she seems.
Who's in it? The movie stars Margot Robbie, Simon Pegg, Dexter Fletcher, Mike Myers and Max Irons.
Synopsis: My wife and I ended up watching Terminal last night because we found it just as it was coming on and figured the bird in hand would be better than spending an hour trying to find another film we both wanted to see. I didn't know much about the movie, other than recognizing the people who starred in it. After watching it, I think the best way to describe my feelings would be to say I was a bit overwhelmed.
I'll start out by saying Margot Robbie was an excellent choice as Annie. It was an intriguing role that essentially had her playing multiple characters - the understanding waitress, the sensual stripper, the cold-hearted assassin and even a surprise character at the end. Not many actresses could pull that off.
I also thought the supporting cast worked well. Simon Pegg was very believable as the cancer-stricken schoolteacher. Mike Myers, meanwhile, was surprisingly good in a non-comedic role as the train station manager with a secret. I think that might be the first time I've seen him play a dramatic character and almost found it hard to believe it was him. The duo of hitmen Vince (Fletcher) and Alf (Irons) rounded it out nicely because their relationship became a bit of a wildcard when Alf and Annie started dating.
As far as the movie's plot goes, I think the best way to describe it would be "complicated." There is a lot to take in as multiple, seemingly unrelated stories, are told and the movie bounces back and forth between present day and flashbacks. There were times when I felt like I needed a scorecard because I did find myself wondering if Robbie was playing the same character in different outfits or if the waitress, stripper and assassin were supposed to be three separate characters and we were expected to pretend it wasn't the same actress.
In fact, I wasn't even remotely sure what was going on until the very end, when the movie nicely wrapped up the plot with a story that explained everything. I'm not saying I wasn't still left with a few questions though. It's definitely a film you need to be paying attention to when watching it or you might miss a key detail.
Final Opinion: The plot was a bit more complicated (or at least complicated to follow) than I would prefer in a movie. However, I thought the acting, especially from Robbie, was solid and once the events were recapped in an easy-to-understand way, I didn't hate the film.
My Grade: B-
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Here are some reviews of other movies starring Margot Robbie:
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