'Point Blank'? 'Point Break'? Netflix’s Anthony Mackie movie isn’t what you think it is
Oh, lookie there! Netflix has just added that movie to its list of available titles: “Point Blank.”
You know the one, right? It’s that action movie. It has that familiar title implying that people in the film get shot at close range. It's that fast-paced film with plenty of bullets, blood, bruises and biceps.
Did we just describe several "Point Blank" movies? Yes. The specific "Point Blank" that arrived on Netflix Friday stars Anthony Mackie as an ER nurse who, after his pregnant wife is kidnapped, is forced to team up with an injured murder suspect played by Frank Grillo.
Wait, which movie is that?
No, it’s not 'Point Break'
A story about FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) and surfer Bodhi (Patrick Swayze), it is not. Sorry. That beloved 1991 movie already got a stunt-filled, barely cohesive remake in 1995.
That was “Point Break”; this is “Point Blank.” That was about waves; this is about guns.
It’s a remake of 'Point Blank' – but not that 'Point Blank'
Remember the 1967 crime thriller “Point Blank” that starred Lee Marvin as gun-toting, revenge-seeking Walker? This movie has nothing to do with that one.
How about the 1998 movie “Point Blank” with Mickey Rourke as a muscly renegade cop who takes on criminals in a Texas mall? Nope, not relevant.
And 1997 comedy “Grosse Pointe Blank,” spelled that way because it’s set in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, is also totally unrelated. It’s about a hitman, John Cusack, who is sent on a mission home when his 10-year high school reunion is taking place.
It’s a new version of the 2010 French film
The French movie “Point Blank” is the one that inspired the Netflix film. That movie's plot went thusly: A nurse (Gilles Lellouche) working at a hospital does a dangerous criminal’s bidding after his pregnant wife is kidnapped. In the new take, Mackie plays the nurse; Grillo plays the criminal. In both movies, there are "bad" guys that wind up being good, “good” guys that turn out to be bad, and plenty of action.
Netflix’s 'Point Blank' goes for more comedy
The new film strives for a more comedic tone than the previous one. They mostly achieve it, thanks to Mackie and Grillo’s expletive-laden banter, car chase sequences featuring a PT Cruiser, and a looming character called Big D whose reputation doesn’t match his secret movie geekdom. What's not funny: Watching the pregnant wife, played by Teyonah Parris, deal with contractions as she runs from gunshots.
Frank Grillo is in this, and a zillion other movies
The rugged Italian-American actor, who helped obtain the rights to this “Point Break,” is also known for “Zero Dark Thirty," “The Purge” movies and for playing Marvel supervillain Crossbones.
If you feel like you keep seeing his name, you probably are. Just this year, he has two more flicks where he plays someone involved with a criminal gang: “Into the Ashes” and “Black and Blue.” His coming projects include the martial arts film “Jiu Jitsu” and Western drama “No Man’s Land.”
Yes, Anthony Mackie is in another Netflix title
You saw the Falcon star in TV's “Altered Carbon” and “Black Mirror,” and now he’s the lead in “Point Blank.” He’s also producing and starring in the Netflix action movie “Outside the Wire.”
You can never have too much Mackie, and especially not of him in his recent roles, in which he's basically played a hard-working husband who loves video games. But he'll go back to superhero work: He's starring in a forthcoming Disney+ "Falcon & Winter Soldier" series.
Marcia Gay Harden’s in it, too
The Oscar winner plays a no-nonsense cop who’s not afraid to shoot. Or break the law. Uh-oh.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Point Blank'? 'Point Break'? Netflix redo isn’t what you think it is
