Calm down...not so bad.
Wow, this movie evoked a lot of scathing hatred from a lot of people on this board, so I thought I'd add a little different perspective for others who might read this before deciding what to add to their netflix list.
First of all, there have been lots of movies I've seen that have angered me with their stupidity and plot twists you could see coming for miles. This was not one of them. I agree that this is not Oscar material, and it's below Cusack's usual standards, but I thought it was an altogether entertaining film, and doesn't deserve to be hated on by so many people who I guess just approach action movies with a whole different set of expectations than I do.
Okay, I too was wondering why Freeman didn't just sit down and refuse to go any further and force Cusack's hand. But then again I wonder that every time someone approaches someone else in a crowded area with a hidden gun and insists that they leave quietly and they do. It doesn't make sense, but we've seen it in a million movies, so I just chalked this one up as well to a necessary "suspension of disbelief" in order to get the plot moving.
As far as all the outrage at the movie's basic premise--that Cusack would actually try to bring this man to justice--it's misplaced. Clearly the man is desperate to overcome his own sense of powerlessness and restore his own faith in his sense of justice in the world. (Clearly hinted at with his reaction to his wife's death; there probably was more backstory that was edited out, but you have to be able to infer a little bit!) And he's just as desperate to redeem himself in the eyes of his son. And finally: once a cop always a cop...overconfidence in one's own abilities is not altogether rare in policemen. I had no problem with his initial and subsequent attempts to bring Carden to justice. And his rationality was further strengthened by his changing his mind and uncuffing the man once it became clear that it was no longer a feasible possibility.
Yes, the conspiracies were unsurprising, the repeated botched attempts at Carden's life a little too far-fetched, and Frank's whole crew was laughably underwritten and underacted. The movie is not without its flaws, but what exactly were people expecting from a straight to video release?? In all, if you're not focusing on the negatives, it's an enjoyable movie. The acting by the three main leads is superb, the pacing allows the tension to build rather nicely, and the ending is actually very good--Cusack's face says it all when he thinks he has accomplished nothing and that evil is still marching on unimpeded. But actually he has accomplished something--he has made an impression on what he had considered to be an unredeemable man, whose actions at the end suggest that maybe a change is beginning to stir within him.
I'm sure I'll get lambasted by all the psuedo intellectuals that get on here and feel it's their place to question the intelligence and character of people they've never met, but I don't care. I'm not "connected" to the movie in any way personally or financially, I just wanted other prospective viewers to get a different take on it. After watching it on netflix.com I rated it "really liked it" and even after reading several monumentally-negative reviews on this site, I stand by that rating.