Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Murphy Howard I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

charlytully Mos Def plays the Bob Cratchit clone, called Wemba here (on his own time, Wemba is studying to follow in Cratchit's footsteps as a bookkeeper, a dead giveaway of director Eric Eason's remake intentions). Wemba works as a dishwasher for brothel owner Sinatra, aka Rosso (Scott Glenn)--the Scrooge-like character. Sinatra gives Wemba a chance at a new life, if he can pull off the sale of a fortune in cocaine left behind at the brothel when the Mr. Fezziwig stand-in (The Russian=Johannes Sioberg) is gunned down in a murder-suicide by Mrs. Fezziwig (Carla Esposito here) in a tragic love triangle involving Sinatra's original drug mule, Baaba (Henry Babatunde Fadayumi). All Wemba need accomplish is to exchange the coke for the money-filled backpack of the Spirit of Christmas Past, aka Bosco Tang (Faroouq Olawale Sadia).Unfortunately, Sinatra's partner (the Jacob Marley character), his son Paul (Brendan Fraser), is still alive, and wants to get his hands on both the coke money and Fanny Scrooge, known here as Angie or the second Mrs. Sinatra (Catalina Sandino Moreno). Paul also believes he's the actual father of his step-brother Tiny Tim, dubbed Lazar (Luke Denis Nolan) in this retelling. In an effort to learn why Wemba is late returning to the brothel, Paul sends his personal thug Rodrigo (Milhem Cortaz, in the Undertaker role) to kidnap the Spirit of Christmas Future, the blind seer (Rui Polanah) to learn which way the cookie will crumble.Meanwhile, Wemba has made the exchange, but he's knocked unconscious by the two Collectors (designated as such in both the 1951 and the 2006 renderings). Fortunately, his cash pack is still at hand when the Spirit of Christmas Present--Monique (Alicia Braga)--comes to Wemba's rescue. Before he can return to the brothel, Rodrigo guns down Monique, as well as the clairvoyant's seeing-eye dog.Back at the brothel, Paul already has sliced open the face of this movie's Mr. Groper, the transsexual prostitute Nazda (Matheus Nachtergale), probably because Nazda had earlier snuffed out Baaba's life. The disfigured Nazda returns to Sinatra's office just after Paul has informed his dad he's confiscating all the drug money if Wemba ever returns. Nazda shoots Paul twice, Paul shoots Nazda once, and then Nazda puts two more bullets into Paul, blasting him to his death in the courtyard way below the broken-out office window. Nazda dies of his own bullet wound a moment before Wemba finally brings home the bacon. Rodrigo is hot on Wemba's heels, but Sinatra and Rodrigo exchange fatal shots, with the brothel owner bestowing his wife and money upon Wemba before expiring. The Seer looks on benignly as Wemba, Angie, and Lazar prepare to depart. Unbelievably, the Spirits have accomplished Wemba's transformation in a single night!While this remake was okay, I still am most partial to the 1951 version of A CHR!STMAS CAROL, aka SCROOGE, starring Alistair Sim in the title role.

Tony Camel Film Noir (literally 'black film') was a term created by French film scribes who noticed how 'dark', downbeat and black the textures and themes of many American crime and detective movies finally released in France following the WWII. (Films they hadn't been able to see under German occupation.) These B&W flicks initially came into vogue in the '40s, became more popular in the post-war era (especially as B-films, played behind more conventional cinema from Hollywood) and lasted up until the classic "Golden Age" to about 1960 -- or maybe 1958 -- as "Touch of Evil" is usually cited (by film professors) as the end of the classic noir period.It's interesting to note that film noir is not a genre, but rather a mood, style, point-of-view, or tone of a film. This tone can be blended with other genre's to form a most satisfying effect (most recently, the film "Brick" exploited noir conventions in High School setting!).Caper films, with its intricate plotting and criminal-characters existing on the periphery of society are some of the most significant examples of famous noir works. Most feature a "tone of pessimism, and darkness" and mainly share the form's visual style. But their main focus usually lies in the way they detail the strategies of the crime, that typically end up in fatal outcome, suggesting that there is a moral order to the universe, and that bad guys should not succeed.Crime Capers fall into several categories. In recent times, we've seen the jazzy stuff produced by Guy Richie and Soderbergh. In the 70s, we saw the existential masterpieces by Melville. In the eighties, we've seen caper films that were really romantic comedies at heart. Indeed, the fusion of capers has made its way into many a sub-categories heading.The same can be probably said for thrillers, although less fusions exist with classic thrillers. This category usually sticks to increasingly tense dramatic situation and if anything, veers into the realm of action films. Note that both "Fatal Attraction and "Basic Instinct" feature action set pieces that could easily be cut into a Bruckheimer film.JTTEOTN is not a caper film, a thriller, an actioner or even a straight noir -- its all those things, and none of them. "Journey to the End of the Night" suffers (wrongly) from being a not "instantly categorizable" work (not in the marketing sense, but in the processing sense; i.e, how our brains orient to story: who am I supposed to root for? Brendan Fraser? No. Scott Glenn? No. Mos Def, yes, finally, but not wholeheartedly, because even the saintly Wemba is a drug runner who undertakes his mission solely out of greed). Its these types of transgressions that play against the contemporary mores, and a viewer's desire to enjoin and identity (within the first ten minutes) with a hero. Still and all, I would argue, that it is precisely this break with convention that has such an a lasting effect on the viewer. And makes JTTEOTN a most powerful post-modern noir.

Melissa Rand What fun seeing a good ole fashion blood and guts, shoot 'em up noir. I felt like I was seeing a whole other side of the way crime thrillers could be made. This one uses sex, mostly in the backdrop and dialog in a hauntingly unerotic way--which speaks to the characters' misery and inability to feel pleasure. Not even sex or drugs can save them.Journey's plot is secondary to the indelible, painterly images; so much like Christopher Doyle's work that I had to stop the DVD and see who the cinematographer was. Scott Glenn rises to the occasion playing father and husband trying to make one last score so he can get out of the game. The old actor brings a lifetime of experience to the part. And really makes you invest emotionally in his plight. Also strong is Brendan Fraser, jumping out of his comedic pigeonhole and delivering an incredibly nuanced performance, at times funny, frightening and unforgettable.

Butch Corum (butchcorum1950) This is an interesting work in the film noir/gangster genre. The story has to do with the bad blood between father and son, played out over one night in Sao Paulo. The tone and mood of the movie seem to reference many more famous, high profile films that deal with the same topic matter. This one seems very interested in stylization over telling a completely coherent story. And its this stylization that sets it above regular crime dramas. Bredan Fraser plays the loser, coke addicted son without any fear of looking bad. HIs performance is very emotional and wild. Not easy for any actor to pull off. His character is a villain without any morals. Made that way by his father, Scott Glenn, an initially likable, sympathetic sort, who, as the tale unravels, is not so nice a guy after all.By far, the film's hero, Mos Def (the only hero because everyone else is evil or not big enough to really know) gives a winning, career defining performance as a Nigerian immigrant who, out of loyalty to his employer, agrees to partake in a drug deal. The "raptor" gives a nuanced, thoroughly believable performance as wemba in maybe his best role as a film actor.The other big star of the film are the colors. The nighttime images and camera. It appears to be heavily saturated and grainy and apparently enhanced through the DI process. Cinematographer aficionados will surely want to see this for the interesting lighting.If the film has a flaw, I would cite an overall bleak and hateful tone of the script. Very anti- human being. The violence feels almost gratuitous with some shots of face slashing feeling too long or ultimately unnecessary. The squeamish will look away! But nothing very troublesome compared to the gore in the horror genre.Recommended to those who like dark material.