Meeting Evil

Meeting Evil (2012) *** (out of 4) John (Luke Wilson) has his life ripped from him when he loses his job, falls behind on all his bills and sees no real reason to live but then he meets a mysterious Richie (Samuel L. Jackson) who asks him for help. Richie soon forces John into a wild and violent killing spree but for reasons that the troubled man can't figure out. MEETING EVIL isn't nearly as smart as it tries to be and in the end it's not a completely successful film but I must admit that I've never quite seen anything like it. The entire film is a very strange one as it contains a story that constantly keeps you off guard, some fine performances and a bizarre atmosphere that just hangs over the entire thing. Writer-director Chris Fisher deserves quite a bit of credit by taking a familiar set-up (good man kidnapped by evil) and doing something rather fresh and original with it. I'm going to avoid any major spoilers but I do think the film comes up somewhat short in whatever message it's trying to get across but there's still enough good stuff here to make it worth viewing. One thing are the two lead performances with both Wilson and Jackson turning in fine work. Wilson does a very believable job playing this loser who constantly lets people push him around. I thought the actor made you care for this character while at the same time hating him for not being more of a man. Jackson often falls into playing himself but that's not the case here as he completely loses himself in this character. Jackson plays the part with a certain edge that actually helps the film and especially in some of the darker comic moments, which there are a few of and he makes them very funny. As you'd expect, there's a twist at the end and in a rare case I think it actually works. What I enjoyed most about MEETING EVIL is that I never really knew where it was going to go next. The entire set-up is a pretty crazy one and it doesn't make sense all of the time but it did keep me interested in what was going on and I was constantly wondering what was going to happen next. The film isn't a complete success but I think it's good entertainment.

I must admit that S. Jackson tried very hard on acting to pull this movie out of a junk status. Weird scenario, weird acting line of some of the cast, strange and anointing soundtrack. I felt that I'm in a Cinderella movie, the walking dead serial or some stupid drama. Samuel please don't take these crappy acting proposals, cause you will end like Nicolas Cage. I didn't read the book, but i surely think it's quite more fascinating than this crappy movie. The directing looked like Uwe's Bools movies. I just wanted to see Jackson he's a good actor, but he should really worry about his reputation after this movie. I'm sorry that i made you angry people about this comment but I'm right.

The real estate agent John (Luke Wilson) is down on his luck: he has been just fired from his job; his home has been sent into foreclosure; and his marriage is going downhill. On his birthday, his wife Joanie (Leslie Bibb) has an argument with him and she takes their children for walking. Out of the blue, the stranger Richie (Samule L. Jackson) knocks on his front door and asks for help, since his car is not starting. John helps to push the car but hurts his leg, and Richie offers to take him to the hospital. Richie is inconvenient and along their journey, John realizes that the man is a psychopath killer that commits a spree killing everywhere they go. Then, Richie releases John on the road and tells him that he will pay a visit to Joanie and his children. Meanwhile, the police detectives Frank (Muse Watson) and his partner Latisha Rogers (Tracie Thoms) suspect that John is the serial-killer and they pressure Joanie to tell where John might be. Further, they discover that John and Joanie are cheating each other with a colleague and with a worker respectively. "Meeting Evil" is a weird and inconclusive movie with non-likable and non-charismatic characters. When Richie appears, there is a scene where he is ready to shot John and sees a blonde girl; then he gives up of his intention. In this moment, I thought that he could be evil and the girl an angel, but I was completely wrong. The two police detectives are stupid morons with their aggressive attitude and ridiculous conclusion. John is a looser and cheats his wife; Joanie also cheats him with the pool guy. The open conclusion, when the viewer does not know whether Joanie has hired Richie or not, is also stupid since there is no clue along the movie for a deduction. And the film is a typical Hollywoodian production with the usual stereotypical. My vote is four. Title (Brazil): "Encontro Maligno" ("Malign Encounter")

Luke Wilson's character is really down on his luck. Bills past due fill the mailbox; he's lost his job. Then a mysterious stranger shows up at his door who "wants to help". The two at first form a tenuous friendship which turns into a delirious journey through murder and mayhem. Sound good? Actually, I would have given this film a 1 star rating had it not been for Samuel Jackson's performance as a menacing, maniacal character; a sort of stock character for Jackson, but still done well. Otherwise, the movie is a silly, nonsensical trip through misogyny and psychopathy, that seems as aimless as the lead duo's murder-infested road trip. The film hints that it's heading in several different directions, tries to add sub-plots to this no-plot movie, as the viewer tries to guess: Is Jackson the devil? A serial Killer? Freddie Kruger? Nothing pans out and the viewer, if he or she tried to make sense of it, is left befuddled and annoyed at its vacuous ending. Again, what was Samuel Jackson thinking when he made this movie? Probably just thinking about his bank account.