Review of Reprisal (2018) by John Y — 30 Aug 2018

Reprisal could have been a much better motion picture, but sadly Bruce Willis's role was basically a glorified cameo. Many movie viewers, from average citizen to so-called professional critics--a spectacularly obtuse anomaly of modern times--make the same mistake with Mr. Willis that they did with John Wayne, wholly unable to discern the effectiveness of subtle, minimalist acting, i.e., the less the better. Few actors or actresses--yeah, females are actresses. NOT actors, and the fact that most women who call themselves 'actors' would tell you that they're feminists only highlights the absurdity--are in fact capable of it--they're too enamoured with themselves to permit it. If Willis's character had been given a greater role in the story, actually driving the plot, there would have been much more 'meat' to the whole flick. Generally speaking, when given greater exposure, a higher presence, he adds humour, depth to whatever tragedy is involved, and overall ethos to the whole.

I hope this is not a foretaste of things to come, that Willis is being relegated to 'with' status, as has NOT happened in quite some time. Renowned stars such as Michael Caine retain a strength of character in the roles and movies in which they appear, even when the role itself if a supporting one. Not so with Willis's part in Reprisal. It's pretty much as if he were written OUT of the story line after filming had been completed, with footage simply cut and left on the editor's floor.

The upshot is that Reprisal is barely half of what it could have been, but nothing like what the 'Top Critics' found on this site and elsewhere spew out in all their professorial hubris. It's much like the failed author who 'teaches' others to write creatively in lamestream academia.