Jon Loder's Reviews
No agenda. A little dark.
Woke: None. That is, unless you consider the existence of a privileged, female, corporate executive to be woke.
The "twist" was predictable. The acting was top-notch. Most of the characters were unlikable by design. That's good acting. Overall the movie just made me feel gloomy. That was also by design. That's good directing.
I didn't recognize Jesse Plemens at first. When I saw El Camino, I notice that he put on a lot of weight. In this movie, he lost all that and more.
As predictable as the twist was, it was still intense.
Created: 01-22-2026
Very enjoyable movie with a strong, history-revision, agenda
Atrocities were committed by Whites.
Atrocities were committed by Indians
Yes, I mean North American Indigenous people. My brother-in-law and good friend is full-blooded Indian. He actually gets upset when people use terms like Native-Americans, etc.
This movie strongly emphasizes one side, while ignoring or justifying the other. When one tribe fought another, the narration described it as a noble battle for survival.
Before the European migration, this was an extremely violent and dangerous land. War between tribes was constant. Women and children were often targeted while the men were on hunting or raiding parties. Torture was used to intimidate and destroy morale. The early settlers found that out the hard way. We cannot fully understand the brutality they lived with in those days. It was a lawless existence.
History is fascinating to study. Historical drama can be good and educational. It can also push an agenda. As enjoyable as this movie is, it has a very strong, biased agenda. It should be recognized as such.
Created: 01-19-2026
Good telling of a good story
The woke: Toward the end, it was revealed that the French, rival, number-running gang, is matriarchal. The boss is an attractive, black woman. I doubt that's realistic. It seems like maybe it's just checking the box for production. I think all MPAA rated movies need that. It's not too bothersome to enjoy the movie.
I'm a big fan of single scene movies. This one takes place entirely within the Cutter's shop. The acting and story line are showcased this way. Both are exceptional. There's obviously more to Leonard than meets the eye. When the story finally gets through all the layers, the ending is worth the wait.
I recommend watching.
Created: 01-19-2026
Not bad.
Wokeness: I didn't notice any agenda.
I love a good whodunit story. This one isn't too bad. The lead character, Benoit Blanc, seems to be a mashup of literary detectives, Poirot, Dupin, and maybe Holmes. The mystery is a play on a Dickson Carr story, The Hollow Man. That is, a locked room murder. They even reference the book in this movie. There are a few weaknesses in the basic plot, but, overall, it's worth the watch.
I will opine that this isn't Craig's best work.
Created: 12-29-2025
Rewatch after 40 years...(almost)
I saw this when it first came out. I remember liking it. It's definitely a '80's comedy. That is, cheesy, predictable, and kind of gimmicky: "That's not a knife. This... is a knife." I love fish-out-of-water stories. This was a pretty good one. There was a transsexual character that was the subject of ridicule, so, no woke there. Paul Hogan wrote and starred in it. He played heavily on the culture shock between the Outback and the big city. It's a fun movie as long as you don't take it too seriously.
Created: 12-29-2025
Sort of a R-Rated Home Alone meets die Hard
I didn't think I would like this. I was wrong. The interesting back-story on St. Nick was good. The powerful matriarch was portrayed as greedy, self-centered and thieving. The mixed race marriage was probably some form of DEI casting, but it was incidental in the story. There was a female commando kicking butt. The wise hero was a mixed-race little girl. there was no noticeable agenda in the woke elements. I gave it a half tick, rounded up for the wokeness meter.
Created: 12-20-2025
Funny. Fans of Melissa will enjoy it the most.
It's hard for me to find enjoyment in movies that feature marriages broken up by trivial issues. I could never get through Mrs. Doubtfire for that reason. A man gets caught up with a crisis at work, misses his daughter's 8th birthday party, and his wife leaves him over it. The bad guy is a middle-aged white guy who fires a black employee with much humiliation.
The best part of the movie is Melissa McCarthy doing what she does well. The situations are forced, but humorous. Don't expect too much, but it's not bad.
Created: 12-20-2025
Funny, clean, not the deepest plot, good rendered animation
It's predictable, but fun. There's no agenda other than the prejudice between cats and dogs. The voice acting is great. In particular, Samuel and Ricky were outstanding. There were a lot of clever gags. It's clean fun for kids with enough humor that adults will enjoy it too.
Created: 12-19-2025
Another "root for the bad-guy" movie
The reality is, if a guy points a gun at people to take what doesn't belong to him, he's a bad guy and shouldn't be celebrated. That is, except in movies like this one.
No woke, unless you count a mixed-race marriage. I don't count that as woke unless it comes with an agenda. It's just incidental in this one.
Truth is stranger than fiction. You would have to be pedantic to find the differences between this movie and the actual events. I'm amazed at how closely they followed the true story. Leigh didn't work at the Toys'R'Us store and his makeshift room was actually in the vacant Circuit City space next door. That's not a lot of differences.
Created: 12-18-2025
Two versions. Neither match the book.
This movie was completed, revised, then released. The revision added Kris Kristofferson in a completely different ending. This is the revised version. The original was released a few years later "Payback: Straight Up." If I remember right, Gibson clashed with the director and forced this version for original release.
Gibson recreates Porter from The Hunter (novel). He wasn't such a likeable character in the book. There's zero woke in this movie. This version has the narration by Gibson that makes it more enjoyable. It's more like the old time Noir detective films. If you like dark humor in violent situations, and six-shooters that don't need reloaded, This is great.
Created: 12-18-2025
