March 28, 2024

Kevin Costner in CRIMINAL. Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Kevin Costner in CRIMINAL. Courtesy of Lionsgate.
Kevin Costner in CRIMINAL. Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

It’s not in every film that we see a leading man, in the same caliber as Kevin Costner, who allows himself to get his hands dirty. Unseasoned (read: not ballsy) screenwriters also are afraid of making their protagonist appear the least bit morally ambiguous. But in CRIMINAL, the A-list star is able to spotlight his character’s complexties in the milieu of a bad-ass action movie. Redemption, revenge, and a conflicted main character at the heart of the narrative are all things that make for explosive drama.

The story of the right man in the wrong body. In a last-ditch effort to stop a diabolical plot, a dead CIA operative’s memories, secrets, and skills are implanted into an unpredictable and dangerous death-row inmate in hopes the he will complete the operative’s mission.

The film also stars Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Gal Gadot. So yeah, it’s something to mark down on your calendars to see.

CRIMINAL opens on April 15.

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