SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

vsd324 I don't know how "good" this movie is, but I found it interesting because I felt it was different. At first glance, I thought this was going to be one of those hard to follow Las Vegas action movies like "Smokin' Aces" (2006). It turns out the plot of this movie is really quite simple, and the movie is almost more of a character study which is unusual for an action movie of this type. Nick Wild (Jason Statham) is a bodyguard and recovering gambling addict living in Las Vegas, Nevada. His dream is to one day be wealthy enough to leave Las Vegas and sail the Mediterranean. The movie focuses on two main stories. One: Nick helps to avenge a rape victim, and two: he is hired as a bodyguard by a scrappy self made millionaire during his stay in Vegas. The movie is about Nick struggling to achieve his dream, while fighting the demons of his addiction. It also has some elements of the Aesop fable "The Mouse and the Lion." Jason Statham keeps a heavy English accent for this character, although there is no explanation as to how the character ended up from Britain to Las Vegas. What I found odd was that the most prominent songs in the soundtrack are Christmas songs. Although there are several other songs, "Blue Christmas" by Dean Martin and "White Christmas" by The Drifters are played loudly and in entirety. They are just not the types of songs one would expect to be in the background of the scenes in this movie. I think the reason the film has received negative reviews is because one goes into this movie looking for a Vegas action movie, and they get a character study which are movies that many people find boring—particularly someone looking for a movie like "21" (2008). I thought it was good storytelling.

scorch429 I thought this movie was just very odd overall. Very weak motives and resolutions. The first thing I thought was..did someone make a bet to try and pass off a 12 year old's script as an actual movie? Acting was average, directing was okay, but the script was extremely weak.I'd give this one a pass unless you're a die hard Jason Statham fan. It just reminded me of something cheesy I might had written in grade school or something. Don't waste your time.

Andrew Mariano Great action sequences and a good performance by Statham, but the story line leaves a lot to be desired. In a day and age when 2+ hour long movies are the norm, this one deserved at least that extra 30 minutes. Just when the character development for Nick finally arrives at a point that generates audience sympathy, one final action sequence occurs and the end credits roll. I expected Statham to have to turn around and rescue the girl or his new friend and was rather surprised when the credits rolled. The ending leaves a lot of plot holes, such as Cyrus giving Nick a check, which obviously can be traced back to Cyrus. The hotel housekeeper mentions that the antagonist is the heir of a rich Italian family, so wouldn't they go after Cyrus for revenge?In short, this could have been much better than it was. The writer should have extended the story just a tad bit longer.

jtindahouse 'Wild Card' is a fun ride. It's about as disjointed and unfocused as you'll ever see a modern film, but it's fun nonetheless. Jason Statham carries the movie. We follow him from start to finish and it's simply a pleasure. I don't know what it is about the guy, he's just a very likable actor to watch. He's an action star through and through (you'll never see him being nominated for an Academy Award, at least not for acting) and he just does what he does very well. Is he alone enough to make a film watchable? I'd say so, yes.The action scenes are well directed, for the most part, and the story, while a bit all over the place, is never dull. The question that keeps coming to mind is what is the point? Generally movies like this have a central plot-point that the whole thing revolves around, but in this there are little plot pieces all over the place. Perhaps this was just an attempt to show Statham's character in many different lights. Afterall, I'd watch another movie about this guy. If you're willing to not over-analyse, I think you'll enjoy the film.