Dying of the Light (2014) 

94 min - Drama 89% | Thriller 11%

2/5 
And here's why....

Background... 

         When the first publicity you hear about a film is the fact that accomplished director Paul Schrader (Wrote Taxi Driver and Raging Bull),  Academy award winning Actor Cage and Producer  Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) all denounce the film by wearing matching shirts quoting their contracts that say they are unable to publicly denounce the film it doesn't inspire confidence in the final product .



           
                     A more exciting poster for the film. 

      This is because the director and co were booted out the edit suite and the backers edited the movie to there liking. I suppose one way or another you really do get what you pay for. This might explain the slightly mis matched film in front of you. In future maybe just have a better contract before you take the King's shilling.....

 And so the story goes...


       Evan Lake (Cage, sporting his probably natural grey hair) is a seasoned CIA agent looking at a terminal illness that will rot his brain is suddenly given the chance to take down the terrorist that tortured him decades earlier. After he sales pitches his mission to his boss who points out to Cage that the now elderly terrorist his after hasn't been active in 20 years, is now terminally ill, facing a painful death that will kill him soon anyway so what's the point? Fuck it Cage loses his shit, then his job, then goes rogue with a young weird voiced colleague (Anton Yelchin) who's willing to risk it all (His Job! His freedom!) if its gives him some field work!


Cage still trying to understand the scripts narrative. 

In a nutshell....



         After a slow endeavor, then a semi meaningful confrontation, comes a random violent and crazy rushed conclusion with all diplomacy out the window with Cage even declaring " Salam alaikum asshole!" in his deadly showdown with a heavily crippled elderly terminally ill terrorist!      
The random action packed four minute sequence of the film, eight minutes from the end.

Afterthought.....


             I had read that perhaps the initial intention of the story was showing the effects of burnt out agents, or post traumatic stress who knows, no answers here. 
        
        The film doesn't back up the plot really despite how hard it tries in its last shot of quickest plot tidy edit I've seen in some time. 
      
       More disturbingly perhaps the title was given the most literal meaning it could of done in the last three minutes so any metaphoric idealism over the title's true meaning can be brain energy better saved for Sudoku or Candy Crush on the ipad, these editors want to give you exactly whats on the tin. 


Cage waiting for another re edit.

              There was brief bit of acting delight from Cage where he denounces his boss's  and CIA's actions in modern American history after his lifetime's dedication to the service, that to me was the height of the acting and script writing in this film, unfortunately it was near the start.

The 200th re edit was getting to Cage

Summary... 
               What had potential is now a strange unbalanced film that will never quite show us what the filmmakers were planning. Would love to read the original script to see exactly what the true intention was. 
     
One thing is for sure I bet the director's commentary will be fucking hilarious.

Take it for it is.... it's ok....
2/5 

Did you know?...
    Harrison Ford and Channing Tatum were originally set to star with Nicolas Winding Refn to direct.

         Ford walked out due to the Script's ending apparently (not the first time either, did the same on The Sum Of All Fears) and Refn left to direct Drive (In retrospect a rather good call) but stayed on as a Executive Producer.