Didn't The Long Kiss Goodnight have this same concept... - American Ultra (2015) Discussion

[–] Scaar_Alexander 10 years ago

It was a bit like that, yes. But A) it's an action comedy and not a thriller ; B) that difference (a stoner instead of a housewife) changes a lot of things story-wise, C) the casting is way more appealing, and D) since TLKG was one of Harlin's lamest movies, AU should be better. I've just watched the trailer, and it sounds quite fun.

___________
- Booker, are you afraid of God ?
- No. But I'm afraid of you.

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[–] princeplanet 10 years ago

Well, A) The Long Kiss Goodnight was actually a buddy action comedy itself in the Lethal Weapon vein since both were written by Shane Black. B) Of course, you're right, the character specific jokes will be different but they'll follow the same formula (wow, I just did something incredibly violent and I didn't know I could do that) C) Okay, that's a personal taste though; a lot of people at the time found Geena Davis and Sam Jackson pretty appealing. D) No argument; you're spot on.

My point was that this is kind of a predictable, well-used concept. You could add the Bourne Identity to the group also, and Total Recall, as well.

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[–] frozenwashcloth 10 years ago

And the show chuck

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[–] cryconscry 10 years ago

That's one helluva "except".

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[–] princeplanet 10 years ago

That's one helluva "except".

No it isn't. They all follow the same formula: the protagonist is at first surprised they can do all these things, then they try to find out who they really are while some unknown group sends a bunch of assassins to kill them, and they always drag around some civilian with them to talk about everything that's happening; the extra person is just a device to tell the audience a bunch of plot exposition. This movie looks exactly like all the others just with a lot of stoner pot jokes, which are a pretty lame overused source of humor at this point. There's nothing remotely original about this set up. They crossed Pineapple Express with The Bourne Identity.

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[–] cryconscry 10 years ago

No, it IS "one helluva except". While the premise is similar to LKGN in that it shows the main protagonist's surprise reaction to their abilities and what occurs around them, it does it from a completely different place based on the character's life experience. If you want to distill the film down to PA crossed with BI, knock yourself out, but the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. Besides, have you even seen the film yet? If not, what stocks should I put my money in since you seem able to foretell the future?

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[–] princeplanet 10 years ago

No, it isn't. They just replaced one stock movie character (a housewife) with another (a stoner) and while the specific jokes may be different, the story stays the same. It doesn't mean the movie won't be entertaining. Maybe it will, but it's an overworked formula and there's nothing in the trailer that suggests they do anything fresh with it. Trailers usually contain the high points of a film and this looks predictable and formulaic. And you don't need to be able to foretell the future to recognize cliches and trite characters.

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[–] cryconscry 10 years ago

You don't know anything until you see the film because trailers often create a different impression of the film than the film itself actually gives. Live and learn.

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[–] princeplanet 10 years ago

Yes, trailers often create a different impression of the film, but their intent is to create the best impression of the film and if this is the best impression they can give then the movie is a derivative been there, done that checklist of borrowed bits from other movies.

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[–] cryconscry 10 years ago

No, the trailer's job is to give the impression that filmmakers believe will best sell the film - not best represent the film or its "derivatives". Ask anyone in the business and they will tell you this. Live and learn.

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[–] FlippinFloppin 10 years ago

If you think that, you didn't pay attention when you saw "The Long Kiss Goodnight"

In TLKG Charly Baltimore was a Black Ops agent and assassin from CIA, who lost her memory - on a mission - because a bullet hit her in the head, whereas in "American Ultra" Mike Howell is a sleeper agent/assassin, that was forced to forget his true identity, until activated, which apparently went wrong by the look of the trailer. Probably because his excessive substance abuse.

When Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) tries to activate him, his consciousness do not recognize the code, but obviously his subconsciousness do, and that's why he freaks out, when he kills those two guys who messes with his car. He don't know what the hell happened, or how he was able to do what he did.

Charly Baltimore/Samantha Caine was beginning to recover her memory after the car crash in the start of the movie, Slowly but steadily, and after the little intermezzo in the waterwheel, she isn't in doubt anymore about WHO and WHAT she is, and for the rest of the movie, she's a pure bad ass, that knows exactly what she is capable of. Don't mess with Charly Baltimore, because she WILL fry your a$$!

- and then there is the whole side plot with the fake terrorist bomb in the big rig, and her having a kid + the private eye Mitch Henessey. Nothing like that in "American Ultra"

It is two totally different movies, and if you can't see that, you're either blind or, well... not that smart.

- the Bourne franchise is way more comparable to "The Long Kiss Goodnight" than "American Ultra" is.

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[–] princeplanet 9 years ago

IT'S THE SAME CONCEPT, MORON. An assassin who has forgotten their identity and suddenly remembers it. The details may be different but it's the same concept. You're a pinhead.

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[–] SillyGayBoy 9 years ago

Both a little similar and both good films.

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