Criminal (2015 Film)
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''Criminal'' is a 2016 American
action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...
thriller film directed by Ariel Vromen and written by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg. The film is about a convict who is implanted with a dead CIA agent's memories to finish an assignment. The film stars
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...
,
Gary Oldman Sir Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Gary Oldman, various accolades, including an Academ ...
, and
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...
, in the second collaboration among all three following the 1991 film ''
JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until Assassination of John F. Kennedy, his assassination in 1963. He was the first Catholic Chur ...
''. The film also features
Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born 6 February 1982) is a British and American actress. The daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan, she began her career with supporting roles in the films '' Hawking'' and '' Stage Beauty'' (both 2004). Her other ...
,
Antje Traue Antje Traue (; born 18 January 1981) is a German actress. She started performing in plays as a sixteen-year-old in 1997, made her first screen appearance in the 2000 German film ''Verlorene Kinder'', and appeared in her first English-language ro ...
and
Gal Gadot Gal Gadot (; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress. She gained recognition for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe films (2016–2023). In 2018, Gadot was named one of ''Time''s 100 most influential people and ranked by ''F ...
, with the death of
Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
's character, early in the film, setting the plot in motion.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began on September 4, 2014, in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The film was produced by Campbell-Grobman Films and
Millennium Films A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting p ...
and was released on April 15, 2016. It received generally negative reviews from critics and was a financial disappointment, grossing $38.8million against its $31.5million budget.


Plot

Spanish industrialist-turned-anarchist Xavier Heimdahl arranges for his associate Jan Strook—a
hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who achieves goals and solves problems by non-standard means. The term has become associated in popular culture with a security hackersomeone with knowledge of bug (computing), bugs or exp ...
known as "the Dutchman"—to create a wormhole program that would allow the owner to bypass all computer codes protecting the world's nuclear defense codes. The Dutchman panics and attempts to hand his secret over to
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
agent Bill Pope. Although Pope gets the Dutchman to a
safe house A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is a dwelling place or building whose unassuming appearance makes it an inconspicuous location where one can hide out, take shelter, or conduct clandestine activities. Historical usage It may also refer to ...
and recovers the money to pay him for his services, he is caught by Heimdahl's men and tortured to death before he can tell anyone where he hid the Dutchman. Desperate to find the Dutchman, Pope's supervisor Quaker Wells contacts Dr. Micah Franks, who has developed a treatment that could theoretically plant the memory patterns of a dead person onto a living one. Franks requests that they "graft" Pope's knowledge into the brain of convict Jerico Stewart, who received damage in his
frontal lobe The frontal lobe is the largest of the four major lobes of the brain in mammals, and is located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere (in front of the parietal lobe and the temporal lobe). It is parted from the parietal lobe by a Sulcus (neur ...
by being abused as a child and is effectively a
sociopath Psychopathy, or psychopathic personality, is a personality construct characterized by impaired empathy and remorse, along with bold, disinhibited, and egocentric traits. These traits are often masked by superficial charm and immunity to st ...
. After the operation, Jerico escapes custody and fakes his death. He steals a maintenance van and goes to Pope's house, where he holds Pope's widow Jillian hostage while he looks for the money. As time goes on, he experiences memory flashes of Pope's past, but all he can determine is that the bag of money was hidden behind a bookshelf, without identifying where it or the Dutchman is kept. The CIA learns that the Dutchman is planning to sell the program to the Russians, believing that the CIA has betrayed him. Fortunately, they are able to find Jerico after he contacts Dr. Franks for medication using Pope's CIA codes. Jerico is beginning to develop emotions and draw on Pope's experience. As Jerico attempts to retrace the route Pope took to hide the Dutchman, Heimdahl creates a distraction at the airport that draws Wells' attention, allowing Heimdahl's accomplice and lover Elsa to try and capture Jerico, killing his CIA guards before Jerico escapes by driving a taxi off a bridge. Jerico retreats to the Popes' house, where he encounters Jillian and explains the situation to her. Although she initially fears him, Jillian comes to accept Jerico as she sees him bonding with her daughter, Emma, allowing Jerico to stay the night. The next morning, Jerico realizes through a conversation with Jillian that the bag is hidden in the rare books collection at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
where she works. He attempts to retrieve the bag but is captured by Heimdahl and Elsa once he has found it. Heimdahl threatens to kill Jillian and Emma unless Jerico takes him to the Dutchman. With the CIA and a Russian strike team now seeking the Dutchman, Jerico, who has now recalled that Pope hid the Dutchman in Jillian's office at the university, escapes Elsa using an improvised nitro-glycerine bomb, returning to the office to provide a hurried explanation to the Dutchman. Elsa finds them before they can escape, shooting Jerico in the shoulder and killing the Dutchman, but Jerico gets the upper hand and bludgeons her to death with a lamp. Jerico steals an ambulance and takes the flash drive containing the wormhole program to the airfield where Heimdahl is attempting an escape. Jerico saves Jillian and Emma, even as Heimdahl shoots him. As Heimdahl's plane takes off, Jerico reveals to Wells that he had the Dutchman reprogram the wormhole so that it would target the source of the next transmission. This results in Heimdahl unwittingly destroying his own plane when he tries to fire a missile at the airfield. A few months later, Jerico is shown on the beach where Pope and Jillian had their honeymoon. He is initially unresponsive to anything but automatic reflexes and responses. With all other options exhausted, Wells and Franks take Jillian and Emma to see him. The sight of Pope's family confirms that some part of Pope exists in Jerico as he responds with a nose-tap. This was Pope and Jillian's way of saying "I love you". Witnessing this, Quaker reflects that he will offer Jerico a job.


Cast

In addition,
Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
appearsin the opening minutes of the filmas CIA agent Bill Pope. Lara Decaro appears as Pope's daughter Emma.


Production


Development

On June 20, 2013, it was announced that
Millennium Films A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting p ...
had acquired the script for ''Criminal'', written by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg, an action film in which a dead CIA operative's memories, secrets, and skills are implanted into a dangerous criminal, who is sent on a government mission. J.C. Spink, Chris Bender, Matt O'Toole and Mark Gill were initially announced as producers, with
Boaz Davidson Boaz Davidson (, ; born 8 November 1943) is an Israeli film director, film producer, producer and screenwriter. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and studied film in London at London Film School. Biography Davidson was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, to ...
later joining the production. On September 13, Millennium set Ariel Vromen to direct the film.


Casting

On June 17, 2014,
Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Kevin Costner, various accolades, including two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Primeti ...
was cast to play a dangerous criminal with a dead CIA operative's skills, secrets, and memories implanted into him to finish a job. On July 10,
Gary Oldman Sir Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Gary Oldman, various accolades, including an Academ ...
was in talks to join the film to play the CIA chief. On July 23,
Tommy Lee Jones Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Tommy Lee Jones, various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Scre ...
joined the film to play a neuroscientist who transplants the memories to the criminal, while Oldman's role was also confirmed. On August 4,
Ryan Reynolds Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
was added to the cast. On August 7,
Alice Eve Alice Sophia Eve (born 6 February 1982) is a British and American actress. The daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan, she began her career with supporting roles in the films '' Hawking'' and '' Stage Beauty'' (both 2004). Her other ...
joined the cast. On August 11,
Jordi Mollà Jordi Mollà Perales () is a Spanish actor, artist, writer, and filmmaker. He has been nominated three times for the Goya Award for Best Actor for '' The Lucky Star'' (1997), '' Second Skin'' (1999), and '' El cónsul de Sodoma'' (1999). Early ...
joined the film in the villain role of Hagbardaka Heimdahl, who wants the dead CIA agent's secrets now implanted in the criminal's brain. On August 12,
Gal Gadot Gal Gadot (; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress. She gained recognition for portraying Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe films (2016–2023). In 2018, Gadot was named one of ''Time''s 100 most influential people and ranked by ''F ...
signed on to star in the film as Reynolds' character's wife. On September 26,
Antje Traue Antje Traue (; born 18 January 1981) is a German actress. She started performing in plays as a sixteen-year-old in 1997, made her first screen appearance in the 2000 German film ''Verlorene Kinder'', and appeared in her first English-language ro ...
joined the film to play the villain's accomplice.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
on the film began on September 4, 2014, in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Some actors and crews were also spotted filming scenes for the film on
King's Road King's Road or Kings Road (or sometimes the King's Road, especially when it was the king's private road until 1830, or as a colloquialism by middle/upper class London residents) is a major street stretching through Chelsea and Fulham, both ...
in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
. From September 22–25, filming was taking place in
Yateley Yateley () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council area, and is approximately 33 mi (53 km) southwest of Central London. It includes the settlements of Frogmo ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
, where actors were spotted filming car crashes and helicopter chase scenes at the
Blackbushe Airport Blackbushe Airport is an operational general aviation airport in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire. Built during the Second World War, Blackbushe is north of the A30 road between Camberle ...
. Filming was also done in Croydon College in
Croydon Croydon is a large town in South London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a Districts of England, local government district of Greater London; it is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater Lond ...
, with the college building used as medical research labs and the CIA operations centre. In October 2014, Connect 2 Cleanrooms installed a cleanroom in Surrey Quays Road, London, for the scene where Tommy Lee Jones' character operates on Kevin Costner's. On October 23, aerial drone filming was undertaken featuring Costner in a car chase scene on White's Row in East London. Some filming also took place at the SOAS University of London library. Filming also took place at
Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...
.


Music

On December 9, 2014, it was announced that Haim Mazar had signed on to compose the music of the film. However, on June 10, 2015, it was announced that
Brian Tyler Brian Theodore Tyler (born May 8, 1972) is an American composer, conductor and arranger, best known for his film, television, and video game scores. In his 26-year career, Tyler has scored seven installments of the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, ...
and Keith Power had taken over scoring duties on the film, replacing Mazar.


Release

The film was to be released on January 22, 2016, in the United States, but in August 2015 the release was pushed back to April 15, 2016.


Reception


Box office

''Criminal'' grossed $14.7million domestically (United States and Canada), and $24.1million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $38.8million, against a budget of $31.5million. In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...
'' and '' Barbershop: The Next Cut'', and was projected to gross $9–12 million from 2,683 theaters in its opening weekend. The film ended up grossing just $5.8 million in its opening weekend, below expectations and among the worst wide-release openings of Costner's career, finishing 6th at the box office.


Critical response

In his review, ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' magazine's John Nugent wrote: "We can but pray that scientists invent a procedure to remove the memory of ever watching this film in the first place", and awarded the film 1 star out of 5. Writing for ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'', Tim Robey called it "wanton, low-down entertainment" and awarded it 2 stars out of 5. In his review for
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
,
Mark Kermode Mark Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter (with Ellen E. Jones) of the BBC Radio 4 programme ''Screenshot'', and co-presenter ...
placed it in fifth place in his mid-year list of the Worst Films of 2016.


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Criminal (2016 Film) 2016 films 2016 action thriller films 2010s spy thriller films American action thriller films American spy thriller films Films about brain transplantation British action thriller films British spy thriller films British chase films American chase films 2010s English-language films Films scored by Brian Tyler Films about amnesia Films about the Central Intelligence Agency Films about computing Films about consciousness Films about terrorism Films directed by Ariel Vromen Films set in Hampshire Films set in London Films shot in Hampshire Films shot in London Summit Entertainment films Techno-thriller films Films with screenplays by Douglas S. Cook Films with screenplays by David Weisberg 2016 drama films Films shot at Pinewood Studios 2010s American films 2010s British films English-language action thriller films English-language spy thriller films