Hero Wanted (2008)

This is a movie worth watching simply because of the psychological issues dredged up in it! The dark side of heroism is something that movies like the 'Batman' flicks usually dig up, but this one definitely has a combination of elements that will leave a viewer asking, who was really a hero here? Was anyone? It definitely hits home that there is no black and white when it comes to certain dark areas of our lives. It also drives home that sometimes heroes are anything but depending on which character one is watching closely here.I will say this though, the character of Cosmo Jackson as played by Ben Cross should have gotten a lot more attention than what was given. Mr. Cross made THAT character real. He has a knack for that. I wish other producers and directors would take the time to give this guy a chance to prove his metal in other films. Until I saw this, I really couldn't picture him playing a Viet Nam War Veteran! This guy is REALLY under-utilized in my opinion.I also feel that Gary Cairns deserves a pat on the back for his role. He did an excellent job bringing out the emotions of his character also, and I hope to see more of him in the future because he has the ability to make a film shine also.Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ray Liotta may have gotten top billing for this film and they are great in it, don't get me wrong, but I watch every actor and how they bring out their characters when I see a film and I watched this one twice. All of them did a great job, but I focus on Cairns and Cross because they both have that same knack for bringing out emotions in a realistic fashion and that keeps viewers coming back for more! Comparing this movie to football, Gooding and Liotta get a lot of attention because they are quarterbacks in the movie industry and they do a great job when they play! I love watching them! However, Cross and Cairns deserve a heck of a lot more respect than the kickers in the game ever get--that's for sure!

A recent direct to DVD starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Ray Liotta. Cuba Gooding Jr. is Liam Case, a garbageman who aimlessly does his job and drinks a lot. He drinks because he remembers how his wife and their unborn child drowned in a car accident several years ago. Liam tried his utmost to save both of them, but failed to do so. One day Liam is walking along and sees a flaming car. A little girl is trapped inside. Without thinking, Liam rushes into the car and saves the child's life. The city loves him, and Case feels like he has finally found a calling as a hero.However, people have their 15 minutes of fame, and then the world moves on. Case is no exception. Everyone forgets about the garbageman after a while, and Liam crawls back into another bottle. Then he's in a bank trying to cash a check and the bank gets robbed by a band of crooks. Liam tries his best to stop the robbers and gets shot for his troubles. Also, a bank teller is shot as well. While sitting in the hospital, Liam decides to find the robbers and dispense justice upon them. Easier said than done. Just because fighting bad guys looks easy on TV doesn't make it easy in real life.Again, I haven't given away anything that you wouldn't see on the back of the DVD cover. Then it gets crazier. Cuba Gooding Jr. has his highs and lows in his film career, but Hero Wanted is one of his best roles to date. His portrayal as a troubled garbageman and his attempts at heroism remind me of Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Peter Parker and Spiderman. I kid you not. One moment, Gooding is all mild mannered and sad, the next he can be kicking butt with the best of them. There are some brutal beat downs as well. Plus there's a plot twist that you usually don't see in these kind of films.Its a crying shame that Hero Wanted did not go to the movie theaters, because its a sleeper hit. Its not the best film on earth, but it could have stomped a lot of this crap that came out this year if it had a shot in theaters. Go rent Hero Wanted if you can.

How did this movie make it to the shelf at my local video store? A decent movie needs 2 of 3 things. Those things are 1. Dialog 2. Filmography 3. Acting. I rate them either pass or fail. Keep in mind that i'm a movie lover and I enjoy watching movies. I don't always need to watch an A+ movie. I can be happy with a D+ sometimes. 1. Dialog/script: Failed. Unbelievable. Unconviencing. Uneducated. 2. Filmograpy: Failed. It just wasn't interesting enough to make up for the failed dialog. 3. Acting: Pass. Even with crappy lines, the actors add some credibility to the over all film. I believe that the script is the heart of any movie. If the script is good I can deal with bad acting. Or sometimes if the filmography is awesome I can deal a bad script. There are good things to pull away from this movie. Even if those things are the "what not to do next times". If want to watch a bad movie. This is a good one!

I usually like the leads and the acting wasn't too bad but the plot and scripting was too ridiculous to hold your attention too long, especially for the last 20 minutes. I just wanted it to be over.The junior bad guy just shows up in a bar and demands a meeting from one of the really tough guys. Who promptly dumps the woman he is with to listen to junior. And what is the message? That junior wants to meet the next day. Wow.So they meet the next day and after some tough talk they decide to pull a bank job based on some information from some guy that only Junior knows. Why? Because Junior insists "he knows all the security and routines". It's hard not to ask whether guys this stupid can make it out of their teens.And then after Gooding has killed a few of them, instead of just tracking him down and putting a bullet in his head they kidnap a little girl. Why make things so complicated? Apparently the only reason is to make us loathe them even more, but it comes across as another example of just too dumb to believe. A cheap ploy by a film that tries to take itself way too seriously. And we haven't even gotten to the shootout, where a guy yells stereotypic tough guy lines, then escapes the half dozen cops that are shooting at him by getting up and walking into the next room where he can take on the hero one on one. Or the reprise of the little girl. By that time I had the sound on and the video off and was reading email, waiting for the dumb thing to be over. I gave it a heartfelt 3. For Liotta and Gooding to be involved with this turkey should be an embarrassment to them both. Good grief.