Straight-to-VOD films, or films that quickly go digital, are a mixed bag: either the film is a hidden gem, or it’s a complete mess. They can serve as vessels for small-budget action films to reach an audience through non-theatrical means. Though Just Play Dead had a limited release (4 days) on August 28th, the digital version was made available September 1st, and it shows why. But sadly for audiences, Martin Campbell’s newest film is one of the year’s worst. A convoluted crime thriller that not only wastes the talents of those on screen, but wastes the time of those who choose to watch it. With a cast like Eva Green and Samuel L. Jackson living the high life in a tropical paradise, one would think there’d be some passion behind the lens; they’d be wrong.
Audiences are dropped into Just Play Dead with a completely dysfunctional couple. Even if their lavish home screams luxury and wealth beyond any normal person’s comprehension, these two are running from more than just their marriage. Jack Wolfe (Samuel L. Jackson) and Nora Wolfe (Eva Green) look like any wealthy couple on the surface, the older man relaxing with the spoils of his work, and the hot arm candy wife in designer clothing. There’s no beating around the bush: the lifestyle that allows them to live in the Canary Islands is Jack’s criminal dealings. Naturally, Jack gets found out; the money he’s acquired through a lifetime of crime is under scrutiny, and when it’s discovered it wasn’t obtained legally, he needs an out. That’s where his seductress wife Nora comes in, a woman whose eyes have long wandered from her husband.
From the get-go, their dynamic doesn’t offer a glimpse into what brought them together in the first place; there’s really no backstory whatsoever for how these two ended up married. Internally, much of the movie is spent trying to figure out why they are even together. So when they concoct this plan to fake Jack’s death and blame it on one of Nora’s many male acquaintances, there are more questions than answers. Jack at one point blackmails his wife with images he acquired of her on her many nights away from home, forcing her hand to participate in even more of his criminal misdeeds. The true highlight of this convoluted and irritating script is that writer Dan Gordon gives Nora a chance to fight back, even if it is just her trying to create a secret plan within Jack’s, where she actually plans to have him killed. Just as the story gets going, it falls apart because the script takes a simple story and adds twist after twist that does nothing but drive the film off a cliff. For a majority of the film, it is a woman trying to fight back against her powerful husband, but it all gets lost in a sea of bad writing.
More than not, Just Play Dead doesn’t offer a whole lot in terms of competent storytelling, and the same can be said for just about everything else in the film. The pacing is lackluster, especially when dealing with Jack. He spends so much of his time inside his mega mansion drinking the finest liquor that it almost makes most of the film feel like an excuse for the cast and crew to take a paid vacation. It stops the film dead in its tracks, halting any momentum that Nora’s faster-paced, and in comparison, exciting scenes where the story actually progresses. As for the visuals, nothing stands out except the location they chose to film in. Sure, the film is filled with beautiful scenery, with its vibrant waters and wildlife, but it doesn’t reach the potential Campbell once had. Filming in a home such as Jack and Nora’s would surely lend some stunning design work, but their abode isn’t explored outside of the front door, a bar area, and a couch where Nora spends most of her time being threatened by her husband.
Green is having a lot of fun in Just Play Dead, but it’s a role we’ve seen her in dozens of times by now. The stunning seductress who uses her looks and her charms to get ahead in life. Her performance is good, but it doesn’t challenge her in any way. It’s not really her fault, though; Gordon wrote such a one-dimensional female character that only Green’s presence improves it. Jackson has some funny bits in the film, but this is a complete miscast, as his performance makes Jack likable in a way that wasn’t intended. After all, he’s a man who is once again trapping his wife in a plot against her will, and Jackson doesn’t evoke that kind of energy in his performance here. Their chemistry works, but it also highlights just how much of their star power carries the film.
Unfortunately for audiences, Just Play Dead shows Campbell’s 007 days seem long gone, and his newer work is a proof of it. From the script to the casting, this film has too many misfires to enjoy, and even its few good moments can’t make it a winner; even Eva Green can’t save it from being a total waste.
