Flight Risk

2025 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 31min

Action ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Thriller

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace.

Y’all Need A Pilot?

Flight Risk is a tense action thriller set against the stunning but treacherous backdrop of the Alaskan wilderness. The film centers on Deputy U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery), who is tasked with transporting Winston (Topher Grace), an accountant turned informant on the run from the Moretti crime family. As they board a small plane piloted by the seemingly affable Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg), their journey quickly becomes a fight for survival when it’s revealed that the pilot is actually a hitman sent by Moretti to ensure Winston never testifies.

Stranded and isolated, Madolyn must confront her own traumatic past as she improvises to protect Winston and herself. The situation escalates when they learn there’s a leak within the U.S. Marshals connected to the crime family, making them targets not just from the skies but also from within law enforcement. As Madolyn wrestles to keep control of the plane and maintain hope for rescue, the tension on board builds relentlessly, with shifting alliances and personal demons coming to the fore.

The film’s climax is a nonstop barrage of confrontations; Madolyn fends off both the lethal hitman and manipulations from her superiors. As the plane careens toward a perilous landing amid running low on fuel, Madolyn’s resourcefulness and courage are put to the ultimate test. In the final moments, she not only manages to land the plane but thwarts another assassination attempt on Winston, who is rushed to safety. “Flight Risk” delivers high-altitude suspense with psychological drama, underscored by revelations of betrayal and redemption.

It is Mark Wahlberg as you’ve never seen him before. At first it was almost hilarious watching Daryl and his quirky banter with his two passengers, but the tone quickly turned dark as Daryl reveals his true identity and evil intent. It was unnerving to say the least watching Mark Wahlberg portraying a very dark evil side. Stepping well outside his usual heroic or wholesome roles, Wahlberg embraces the character’s duplicitous nature, portraying Daryl as both a seemingly folksy, affable pilot and a ruthless, unhinged hitman. Wahlberg made a visible physical transformation by shaving his head for the role, adding a raw and unsettling authenticity that heightened the menace of his character. As the film progresses and his character’s evil intentions come to light, Wahlberg shifts gears into an overtly psychopathic demeanor—snorting, snarling, and radiating danger.

I liked it, it was fascinating to watch Mark Wahlberg in this role. It is a good little ride, grab some popcorn and give it a go….

Michelle Dockery as Madolyn and Mark Wahlberg as Daryl in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Michelle Dockery as Madolyn in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Topher Grace as Winston in Flight Risk. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Flight Risk Movie Poster
Courtesy of Lionsgate

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

2025 Netflix

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 24min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller ~ Whodunnit

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.

Benoit Blanc Is Back!

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery pulls Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) into his darkest case yet, summoned to a tight-knit rural community gripped by scandal after the shocking death of the fiery, domineering leader of the local Church Priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

The prime suspects are:

Rev. Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a troubled young priest and former boxer
Martha Delacroix ( Glenn Close), the devout widow and church pillar
Chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), the local police head
Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), a divorced physician
Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), a slick lawyer
Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), a reclusive author
Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny), a pained former cellist
Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), an ambitious politico
Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), the groundskeeper

They all weave a tense net of alibis, grudges, and histories amid Sunday services and midnight reckonings that expose abuses and shattered vows. What starts as a tidy whodunit spirals through labyrinthine twists, feints within feints, alibis that devour each other, revelations that flip loyalties upside down, and a mid-film bombshell that redefines every suspect’s soul, culminating in a finale as merciless and mind-melting as Blanc’s previous cases, all without a single predictable step. The mystery tightens around these players, pushing Blanc into moral gray zones the prior films merely grazed.

Where Knives Out skewered privilege and Glass Onion mocked tech excess, Wake Up Dead Man excavates power, belief, and institutional weapons. It plays like a gothic church whodunnit, playful and twisty, but heavier emotionally with brutal fallout when truths erupt. Classic puzzle joys (alibis, herrings, reveals) persist, yet it probes who earns forgiveness or escapes when the “godly” circle wagons.

Craig continues to have a blast as Benoit Blanc, but this time the charm and drawl hide a man genuinely shaken by what he uncovers. The case forces Blanc to confront not just who committed the crime, but what kind of world keeps letting the same patterns repeat, giving him some of his most haunted and introspective moments in the Knives Out trilogy. Yet even in the darkest scenes, Craig threads in just enough wry humor and observational wit to keep Blanc feeling like the same eccentric detective fans love, now pushed to his limits instead of simply amused by human folly.

True to the series, the ensemble is loaded with memorable suspects and side players, each with sharp, specific motives and grudges that gradually peel back as the investigation deepens. Performances bounce between fervent righteousness, brittle denial, and raw vulnerability, underscoring how faith, shame, and community pressure can twist people in different directions. The dynamic between the younger characters and the older “pillars” of the town is especially juicy, framing the mystery as a generational clash over who gets to define truth and morality. Josh O’Connor’s brooding Jud steals scenes as faith’s black sheep; Glenn Close’s Martha and Josh Brolin’s Wicks embody belief’s sharp edges.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is highly recommended for anyone who loved the first two films and is ready for a darker, more emotionally loaded spin on Blanc’s world. It keeps the clever structure, rug-pull twists, and character-driven revelations that made the other two movies a hit, while pushing deeper into messy questions about belief, justice, and who gets to walk away clean when the dust settles. You know what Bobby says:

Turn off the lights and devices,

Make some popcorn,

Grab a beverage,

and

Stream This Movie!

Knives Out

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

2022 Netflix

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 19min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller ~ Whodunnit

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista.

Bad people. Beautiful places. Brilliant detective.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery transports the action to a luxurious private island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton), where a group of his handpicked “disruptors” gathers for a murder-mystery game that turns deadly real. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back, invited under mysterious circumstances, poking at the egos and secrets of this elite crew amid opulent parties and elaborate puzzles. As Blanc unravels the threads, it becomes clear that Bron’s inner circle, each with axes to grind and alibis to fake, is hiding more than just bad ideas behind their success stories.

At the story’s core is Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), Bron’s ditzy fashionista girlfriend with a heart of fool’s gold, alongside the sharp-tongued scientist Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe), loyal assistant Peggy (Jessica Henwick), and others like the YouTuber Duke (Dave Bautista) and his suspicious girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). These characters orbit Bron like planets around a black hole of charisma, their loyalty tested when a key death upends the weekend getaway. Blanc’s quiet observations cut through the flash, turning the group’s self-congratulatory vibes into a powder keg of resentment and deception.

As the investigation heats up, Blanc navigates booby-trapped sets, hidden motives, and a script-flipping pace that keeps everyone guessing, all while the island’s isolation amps the stakes. Bron’s right-hand man Lionel (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the enigmatic Helen step into pivotal roles, forcing everyone to confront how far they’d go to protect their slice of the empire. The mystery builds through wild reveals and chases, with Blanc piecing together a puzzle that’s as much about ego as evidence.

Daniel Craig doubles down on Blanc’s charm, blending that drawling Southern wit with sharper impatience for nonsense this time around, gone is some of the goofiness, replaced by a steely focus that makes him feel even more like the genre’s new king. His physical ticks, like the fidgety hands and piercing stares, evolve into a more commanding presence, shedding any lingering Bond shadow while owning the detective’s theatrical flair amid absurdly rich suspects.

Janelle Monáe commands as Cassandra/Helen, channeling raw grief and intellect into a role that flips from overlooked genius to force of nature, her every glance loaded with unspoken fury. She nails the duality, vulnerable yet unbreakable, making her the emotional anchor in a sea of caricatures, with chemistry opposite Blanc that sparks like flint on steel.

Glass Onion amps the satire, swapping family dysfunction for tech-bro hubris and influencer excess, using the whodunnit to skewer “move fast and break things” culture, fake innovation, and loyalty bought with NDAs. Rian Johnson twists the formula harder, early reveals shift suspicion to deeper lies, blending Clue’s playfulness with Ocean’s Eleven polish for a mystery that’s gleefully meta yet brutally on-point about power and privilege today.

Glass Onion is highly recommended for fans of clever twists, ensemble chaos, and Blanc’s brainpower, sharper and splashier than the original with 92% on Rotten Tomatoes!

Turn off the lights and devices,

Make some popcorn,

Grab a beverage,

and

Stream This Movie!

Knives Out

2019 Lionsgate Films

Rated: PG-13

Length: 2 hr 10min

Comedy ~ Crime ~ Drama ~ Mystery ~ Thriller ~ Whodunnit

Directed by: Rian Johnson

Starring: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, Christopher Plummer, Frank Oz, Riki Lindhome, Edi Patterson, K Callan, Noah Segan, M. Emmet Walsh, Marlene Forte and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Nothing Brings A Family Together Like Murder

Knives Out follows the wealthy Thrombey family in the aftermath of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey’s (Christopher Plummer) mysterious death at his sprawling estate. Detectives led by gentleman-sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrive to question the relatives, all of whom seem more interested in Harlan’s money than in mourning him. As Blanc listens in, it becomes clear that each family member is hiding something, and that the “suicide” might not be as straightforward as it looks.

At the heart of the story is Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas), Harlan’s kind, soft-spoken nurse, who had a close, genuine bond with him that his own children (Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette) seem to lack. Marta throws up when she tries to lie, which turns her into both an unlikely ally and a walking truth-detector for Blanc. When the will is read and Marta unexpectedly becomes the main heir to Harlan’s fortune and mansion, the once-smug Thrombeys quickly turn on her, exposing their entitlement and desperation in very down-to-earth, almost darkly comic ways.

As pressure mounts, Marta finds herself scrambling to keep her own involvement with Harlan’s final hours hidden while also trying to do the right thing. Harlan’s black-sheep grandson Ransom (Chris Evans) steps in, acting like the only family member willing to help her, but his smug charm and sudden interest raise questions about his true motives. The investigation spirals into car chases, secret notes, and late-night meetings, all while Blanc patiently pieces together a timeline that keeps shifting as new details emerge.

Ana de Armas shines as Marta Cabrera, the immigrant nurse who’s equal parts heart and hidden steel in a house full of schemers. She plays her as genuinely kind and awkward, constantly fidgeting or throwing up when she tries to lie, which makes her the moral center everyone else orbits around. It’s a breakout role that lets her mix vulnerability with quiet smarts, turning what could be a side character into the emotional engine of the whole mystery. Her chemistry with Harlan (Christopher Plummer) feels real and earned, like the one authentic relationship in a family built on fakeness, which sets her up perfectly for the chaos when the will drops its bombshell. De Armas nails the outsider vibe too, soft-spoken accent, wide-eyed politeness that masks a fierce sense of right and wrong, making every scene she’s in crackle with tension and sympathy

A couple of minutes in watching Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, I forgot that it was Daniel Craig. Instead of just playing Daniel Craig with an accent, he disappears into Benoit Blanc completely. He leans hard into Benoit’s slow, drawling Southern charm, with a slightly goofy, theatrical edge, and it strips away all the cool, steely James Bond baggage we’re used to seeing almost immediately. The physicality helps too, looser posture, more expressive hands and face, and a kind of amused curiosity, so he feels like a quirky gentleman detective rather than an action star slumming it. The softness in his voice, the patience in his pacing, and the way he lets other characters fill the space all help you forget the actor and just track Blanc’s brain at work. It feels like watching a character from a classic mystery novel who has somehow wandered into a very modern, messy family drama, and Craig commits to that blend so completely that the star persona fades into the background.

Knives Out doesn’t just copy the old-school whodunnit formula, it updates it by blending classic mystery motifs with today’s social and political tensions. Rian Johnson builds the story around familiar elements, a big eccentric family, a sprawling mansion, and a quirky detective, but uses them to explore themes like privilege, immigration, and class conflict in a way that feels current rather than nostalgic. By flipping when and how key information is revealed, the film shifts the focus from simply guessing the killer to questioning motives, power dynamics, and who gets to claim the moral high ground, turning a cozy genre staple into something sharper and more reflective of the world viewers recognize now.

Knives Out is highly recommended for anyone who loves clever mysteries with bite. It nails the whodunit formula while delivering fresh laughs, stellar acting, and social commentary that doesn’t preach. You know what Bobby says:

Turn off the lights and devices,

Make some popcorn,

Grab a beverage,

and

Stream This Movie!

Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera

2025 Lionsgate Films

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr 24min

Action ~ Suspense

Directed by: Christian Gudegast

Starring: Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Evin Ahmad, Salvatore Esposito, Meadow Williams, and Swen Temmel.

It Pays To Switch Sides.

Synopsis:

Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. return in the sequel to 2018’s action-heist hit Den of Thieves. In DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA, Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s largest diamond exchange.

Movie Backstory:

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was inspired by the real life Antwerp Diamond Heist in Antwerp, Belgium in February of 2003. In the city of Antwerp, Belgium lies The Antwerp World Diamond Centre where 84% of the world’s Diamonds make their way. Over the weekend of February 15-16, 2003 a crew of thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and jewelry valued at over 100 Million Dollars. The group had planned and orchestrated details and surveillance for 18 months before enacting their heist.

The Diamond Centre Robbery in the movie mimics the real life diamond heist right down to the details of how they did it. Just like in the movie the group had gained access into the Diamond Centre and rented an office under the guise of being in the diamond industry. Even the depiction of breaking into the safe and other details of the robbery were based on the details provided by the real life robbers themselves. The real life thieves were caught but the majority of the good stolen were never recovered.

The Review:

After thoroughly enjoying Den Of Thieves last night I was really looking forward to Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera. At the end of Den Of Thieves it completely sets itself up for the sequel involving the Diamond Centre so you knew which direction 2 was headed. But you don’t see the twists coming as the movie unfolds, just like the original. There is not quite as much gunfire and violence as in the first one, that was like a war movie in some scenes. This one is a little more laid back in that department and instead focuses more on the heist itself.

Den Of Thieves 2 really goes into detail as it shows how they set up the heist in the Diamond Centre, just like the real life Heist. It does a good job of following Nick O’Brien (Gerard Butler) as he picks up Donnie Wilson’s (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) trail and hunts him down. It picks up exactly where the original movie ends with Nick struggling with his personal life and his divorce. And the disappearance of Donnie and any evidence that he committed a crime. In a surprise twist Nick seems to turn his back on his Law Enforcement career as he encounters Donnie, or does he or doesn’t he?

It follows Den Of Thieves penchant for twists and turns you didn’t see coming, right up until the last scene in the movie. Which completely sets itself up for a third installment in the Trilogy. And according to Variety in an article dated Jan. 30, 2025 by Katy Stephan that is currently in development:

Lionsgate, Tucker Tooley Entertainment and G-BASE are moving a third film in the “Den of Thieves” franchise into active development. It is expected that Gerard Butler will return to star and produce through his G-BASE banner, alongside partner Alan Siegel, and Lionsgate is in talks with franchise writer-director Christian Gudegast to return to write and direct. It is also expected that O’Shea Jackson Jr. will co-star in the third installment.

Earlier this month, Jackson Jr. told Variety he was hoping for more “Den of Thieves” in the near future. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: I’m trying to Vin Diesel this thing. To quote Ryan Reynolds, I want to work with Gerard until he’s 90,” he said. “I have such a family feel with these guys. I know how much I want to do these other films, but we cannot cheapen this beautiful thing that we made. This one took six or seven years to get done. I hope the next one doesn’t. In our heart of hearts, we won’t make it if it’s not right and if it’s not the same thing that made audiences fall in love with the franchise in the first place.”

I’m ready! I loved the first two and am ready for the third. I wonder where Den Of Thieves 3 will take us…………