CRIMINAL (2016)

Ariel Vromen’s film is based on an original screenplay by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg that I found to be rousing entertainment with a plot that veres a bit into science fiction territory but none the less one I found to be fully believable and compelling. With the premise of being able to at least experimentally transfer a dead man’s memories into the mind of another provided the circumstances are feasible and correct was presented believably and incorporated into a story of corporate greed and government espionage. I was glad to see Kevin Costner in another really good film following last year’s MACFARLANE USA and BLACK AND WHITE, after a few years of OK but not great films. This film also boasts a who’s who of great acting talent in a series of fine roles well written and defined. The cast includes Gary Oldman, Gal Gadot (especially excellent), Tommy Lee Jones, Jordi Molla, Alice Eve and Michael Pitt among others. Sometimes it stretched the imagination as to how the Kevin Costner character was surviving some of the circumstances provided here, but this is entertainment of the highest order and one that I was able to accept for the sake of the story’s compelling plot and pure adrenaline rush.