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| A
Man Apart
Directed By: F.
Gary Gray Plot
Summary - Review 1 - Review
2 - CURRENT REVIEWS
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| Sean Vetter and Demetrius Hicks are members of the DEA who are fighting an ongoing drug war on the California/Mexico border, they are most successful at it because of their edge of growing up on the street and being thugs converted to cops. The DEA busts one of the major players by the name of "Memo" Lucero and imprison him in the United States but then a major player named Diablo then takes over the business and now he is now the major player targeted by Vetter and his team. But when Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible and in the process has to seek help from the imprisoned Lucero in order to catch Diablo. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge...[TRAILER] There’s so much to keep track of in the train wreck that is “A Man Apart” that, by the end, I felt dizzy from the experience. There’s a complicated drug cartel story, a story about a lost wife and a vengeful widower, a buddy cop story, a story of power between a man of good and a man of evil and also a story about a superhero whose foes tremble at the very sight of him. This film is a well-handled disaster, doomed from a script that connects these stories awkwardly and illogically. Around the halfway point, I suddenly realized that I knew who I was rooting for, but I didn’t have the faintest clue why he was doing what he was doing or why he was where he was. That’s the first sign of a bad movie – when you can’t explain to the person sitting next to you what’s happening, or why. The beginning of the film is pretty straightforward. Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) is a narcotics officer, working in an elite unit, partnered with Demetrius Hicks (Larenz Tate), who is obviously Vetter’s buddy in crime. They are making the biggest bust of their careers, taking down a cartel leader after a seven-year hunt. But with that bust comes a curse. Once this leader is in jail, the Mexico drug trade is up for grabs and a mysterious dealer named Diablo (Santiago Verdu) begins to ruthlessly take over the nation’s drug market. And, in a savage attack on Vetter, masked men appear at his home, aiming for him, and mistakenly kill his wife instead. This is where the story should have headed. Follow Vetter’s grief, his eventual determination to get to his wife’s killer, and the puzzle he pieces together towards avenging her death. Instead, Vetter’s pain is rushed to keep things moving, and he begins to snap immediately. In seconds, he is the crazed dog, let loose, held back by nothing. But with so much to keep track of, “A Man Apart” loses focus of Vetter. It gets caught up in the power struggle between Mexico’s cartels, in testosterone-packed meetings between Vetter and random drug personalities who may have been involved in the attack on his home, and then director F. Gary Gray (“The Negotiator”) makes his biggest mistake of all, as Vetter becomes a cliché in himself. In several scenes, a tense, gruff Diesel, who for the most part walks the balance between grief and rage quite well, squints at his opponents, asking, “What did you just say?” The audience cheers because a whoopin’ is a comin’, but in a film that wants us to believe he is the remorseful aggressor, making him more like Arnold Schwarzenegger and less like a haunted widower is a very poor decision indeed. “A Man Apart” manages to find some traction when it slows down to allow the viewer to catch up. In one sequence, as Vetter tracks a series of phone calls to a Hollywood spa, the viewer has time to understand the bigger puzzle at hand. A pager leads to this salon, which leads to the salon’s owner, which leads to a big-league drug dealer. And, when business with this dealer provides Vetter with some answers about his wife’s killer, the resulting insanity is gripping. Vetter loses his edge, the deal goes bad, and for a moment this rather standard film is unpredictable and alive. But then, watch what happens right after this moment. Only a few scenes later, the men are back out, going on another mission, and I didn’t have the faintest clue why they were doing what they were doing. I found it hilarious to listen to those around me in the theater near the film’s end. As Vetter finally tracks down the ruthless Diablo, many didn’t even realize that Vetter had found his supposed arch enemy. “That’s Diablo?” I heard people asking. “Oh yeah, it is!” their companions would respond. Confused audiences – never a good sign. I think Vin Diesel is the next big star. He has the charisma, the looks and the acting ability to be better than those who filled his shoes previously. Bruce Willis. I think he is the next Bruce Willis. But he should start finding scripts that allow him to grow, rather than those that bottle him up inside fragmented and confusing stories. Before attending the screening, I was told that I should watch it from a female’s perspective. I suppose with the handsome Diesel at the helm, he can do no wrong. So I tried. Yes, Diesel’s cute. His happy moments with his wife are touching. His passion for vengeance is noble. The testosterone exhibited by him and his crew is intense. But even women were getting up before the movie was done, ready to move on to something else. It’s now official: story matters more than looks. That is, unless it’s Reese Witherspoon. As far as I’m concerned, she can save just about anything.  Check out Reviews, Commentary, and More at Zertinet.com |
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