Baumbach is a thoughtful filmmaker, his cast is stellar and Ben Stiller( who starred in Baumbach’s Greenberg) is endearing as usual.

Watch it only for Sean Penn…

Tense from start to end, Run All Night reveals the seamy underbelly of a city in a telling example of familial reconciliation in the absence of faith and grace.

We weren’t impressed by the art design (and for that matter, the landscapes), but the battle scenes are noteworthy as is the acting by Cusack and Brodie, and of course, our man Chan.

Like the 2011 sleeper hit, the sequel is combat-centric and overwhelms viewers with an unending series of mostly one-on-one bouts starting with the claustrophobic confines of a prison loo and corridor which reminded your reviewer of Spartan v/s Greek army fights. Later, there is slaughter in the snow and the mud-slime of the prison compound as hard rain falls followed by butchery in a bar where an aged hit man battles an entire cohort.

Considering how many of Sandler’s films are filled with potty humour, it’s good to see ‘Blended’ uphold family values like commitment, togetherness and the unique roles that only a father and mother can play.

Anderson’s film is engrossing with the tension building steadily, from the opening sequence’s Roman massacre of a Celtic rebellion in Londinium, Brittany through the emotional drama of the star-crossed, wracked by the longing for freedom and love, before the fury of the volcanic Vesuvius explodes upon all, free citizenry, gladiators and slaves.

…the painstakingly detailed rendition of the Lego universe (including water, fire and blasts) is commendable; but alas, the movie is not as memorable as such toons as Up, Shrek, Toy Story, the Lion King and the Jungle Book. – See more