Very well executed

What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This is a weird one. Timing is weird. Characters are weird. Lines are quotable. "What chair?"*thumbs up*

This film is the gastronomic equivalent of mint chocolate chip ice cream with peanut butter cookies atop it. Hate it or love it, like the man said.

Back in 2014, U.K based director John Michael McDonagh gave us Calvary.A follow-up to his well-regarded, if little seen dark comedy The Guard, Calvary saw McDonagh reteaming with his leading man Brendan Gleeson to deliver a refreshingly unique and utterly captivating experience that had many justifiably excited for what the promising director would dish up next.Taking his time before treating us to his next feature length experience, it's with great disappointment that McDonagh's Calvary follow-up is War on Everyone, a film that wants you to desperately like its politically incorrect and unashamedly seedy "comedic" look at Michael Pena's and Alexander Skarsgard's loose unit police officers Bob Balano and Terry Monroe as they traverse a barely their story of criminals and corrupt cops, filled with Glen Campbell classics, sprinklings of hard-core violence and a script that wishes it was written by Quintin Tarantino.Both The Guard and Calvary found a great balance between dramatic ticks, storyline and comedic moments (most darkly morbid and totally politically incorrect) but War on Everyone never once nails it's convoluted components and it really feels as though McDonagh is clutching at straws in his first Hollywood picture, rather than walking his own beat like he did with his impressive one-two debut films.There are moments within the film where characters ramble about the importance of scripts in films and how they're the making or breaking of what makes a great film so it's clear McDonagh knows the importance of a good script (although he is responsible for writing the 2003 misfire Ned Kelly) and it's something we know his capable of but the failings of War on Everyone are never more evident in how experienced and well regarded actors like Pena and Skarsgard deliver their lines without energy or life as they meander about McDonagh's shady story.Both these characters are neither likable, nor are they interesting enough to make us dislike them, they're just not appealing in general. Perhaps had the film included a story with any form of mystery or villains that steal the show we might've cared more but trying to enliven the film with misguided romantic sub-plots or bizarrely towards the end of proceedings a child exploitation plot device, McDonagh doesn't seem comfortable in his world, a facet that was certainly not the case in his early works.Final Say – If you've ever thought that the idea of two deadbeat cops running down a mime in their patrol car, taking drugs with informants or talking about cinematic auteur Steven Soderbergh is the stuff of movie magic then the War on Everyone might just be your new favourite comedy but for the rest of us, McDonagh's extremely disappointing and criminally unfunny film is cause for concern for a filmmaker that has the talent to be anything, both great or bad.1 Icelandic getaway out of 5

It seems that everyone who's ever seen a movie made by Quentin Tarantino has wanted to make their own crime film filled with quirky characters and strange situations. Most of them don't work. Love him or hate him Tarantino has a certain way of making a movie that makes those things work. But on rare occasion a movie comes along that sort of feels like something he did, not quite but close, and works in spite of itself. WAR ON EVERYONE is one of those kind of movies.Bob Bolano (Michael Pena) and Terry Monroe (Alexander Skarsgard) are two definitely quirky cops. Corrupt but with an inclination to go after criminals the pair are just back on duty and warned on day one not to use excessive force or take bribes. Of course they agree and then rush out to do just that.Before heading into the office that morning they had gotten a lead they followed that had them surveilling two low level thugs known for armed robbery. Following yet another lead they discover that another known criminal has been hired to be a driver for a heist soon to go down. When they follow up with him they find his wife has stabbed him and his son has run off.It seems that each lead provides them with more information as well as giving them the opportunity to encounter a number of people. There is the strip club owner who works for the brains behind the heist, a stripper who once dated one of the men in the group, an Irishman who continuously mouths off to them and the brains himself eventually. Along the way Terry continues to drink and Bob continues to tout off facts no matter what the discussion is about.Eventually the ex-stripper moves in with Terry as does the young runaway boy. It seems that while he might spend most of his time drunk Terry does indeed have a heart of gold. So does Bob in his own way, married to a woman who understands his ways and loves him deeply and passing on his love begrudgingly to his two sons. And while they may be corrupt they're not killers. All that may change.As the case leads them closer to Lord James Mangan (Theo James), the brains behind the heist, things begin to get rough. Cars are blown up, Terry is beaten to within an inch of his life and threats are made. Retaliations lead to the pair losing the jobs as police detectives and with nothing to lose a final showdown is in the making.What for all intents and purposes could have been a terrible movie I found this one possessing enough fun to offset the rest of the shortcomings the movie has. Off kilter humor is the biggest plus this film has going for it. I mean when a movie opens up with the two cops driving down an alley towards a mime carrying two bags of drugs and one says to the other "I always wondered if you hit a mime if he would make a sound?" and they then find out? My twisted sense of humor kicks in and immediately I find myself rooting for the good/bad guys.None of this would matter if you had two incapable stars in the lead roles. The fact that these two seem to work well together and are filled with their characters makes them something to see. Pena in particular shines as Bob. His responsive quips and swipes at historical facts and tidbits of knowledge at the most random of times are timed to perfection and comedy is all about timing. Skarsgard's Terry is a troubled soul who loves his partner and finds more than he bargained for with the people he brings into his life, all in a good way.The production values here are top notch from lighting to cinematography to directing. The writing may not be quite up to Tarantino standards but it comes close. Even scenes that take place in Iceland (yes I said Iceland, don't ask why or how they got there) are well done and interesting.When I first started watching this I wasn't sure I'd like it. Something about it said it wasn't going to live up to my expectations. Perhaps because I set the bar low they far exceeded those. My guess is if you watch with no expectations at all except to know that the movie is a bit off the wall you'll be pleasantly surprised. I know I was and may even end up watching this a second time.