John Madden directs Diane Lane, Mickey Rourke and Thomas Jane in this Elmore Leonard crime thriller where a separated couple enter witness protection together after they square off against a mafia hitman and his protege.

A pretty unspectacular but straight adaptation of a lesser Leonard thriller. Some of the characters who popped in the book are given short shrift (Rosario Dawson’s middle aged moll… middle aged?!?) and the dour tone probably muffles the potency of the source material’s dialogue. Still there are worse ways to spend a Friday night in such classy company and the low energy approach has its benefits too. If the plot were more streamlined and focused, this would become very predictable very quickly. Can’t help but think the second chance at romance under duress aspects between the handsome leads would have been the most fruitful aspect to target directly in on though. But then you’d have less Joseph Gordon- Levitt… and his itchy twitchy scumbag steals the show.

6

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