Momentum Review
Director: Stephen S. Campanelli
Cast: Olga Kurylenko, James Purefoy
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 96 minutes
Synopsis: Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist; she quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds. A brutal murder sparks a cat and mouse chase between Alex and a master assassin. Now she must uncover the lies behind the heist and discover the secrets behind the men who have made her a target.
Momentum is one of six films which comprises a day long marathon run by Frightfest in aid of Halloween. Given it’s inclusion on the roster you would be forgiven for assuming that this is a film about ghosts, ghouls and other supernatural things. In reality the only thing that Momentum has in common with the horror genre is that there is a healthy splashing of blood – it’s much more of a straight action movie then anything else. It’s definitely a curious choice.
Ex-Bond girl Olga Kurylenko stars as Alex Farraday a thief trying to retire but is pulled into one last heist which goes horribly awry. Challenging her inner Milla Jovovich, Kurylenko is another example of a model who has thrown herself fully into the action genre. This isn’t her first time in an action-packed story, but it’s definitely one of the first to feature her so prominently. Alex may be our protagonist, but she is by no means a black and white heroine and has a rather mysterious and murky past.
Equally as shades of grey is James Purefoy‘s Mr.Washington. He has the arduous task of tracking down Alex and stealing back what she stole. Purefoy is no stranger to playing the villain and spent three seasons as serial-killing cult leader Joe Carroll on The Following.
The biggest let-down of Momentum is that, despite the film racing away to its conclusion from the opening minutes, the ending doesn’t have the pay-off that is expected of a film of this ilk. We get a big end fight with head bad guy Washington, but the story is left rather ambiguous with nothing truly wrapped up. It’s rather like that episode of The Big Bang Theory where the character Amy ruins Indiana Jones for Sheldon and his gang. The plot is a little frenetic and all over the place, and there’s a whole family of people who offer nothing to the plot other than to need rescuing.
As an action movie Momentum works (in places) and definitely lives up to its name sake in the pace stakes. The story could do with a little finessing however, and ending with a set-up to a sequel that might never happen is a bold and risky move.
Momentum screens at the Prince Charles Cinema on 24th October as part of the Halloween Frightfest event. It releases across the UK on 20th November.
