The Stand

Actors; Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwold, Ray Walston, Jamey Sheridan, Ruby Dee, Miguel Ferrer, Adam Storke, Rob Lowe, Bill Fagerbakke, Laura San Giacomo, Stephen King
Rating: 8 out of 10, probably the best movie of a Stephen King's book to be made into a movie, in this case a TV miniseries. Sinise is one of my favorite actors and that dates from seeing him in this as one of the central characters, Stu Redmond. The story revolves around a plague, the super flu, which escapes from a government lab and kills 99% of the population. The survivors are split between two camps, good and evil. The evil ones are led by Sheridan as Randall Flagg, a demon masquerading as a human and sometimes a raven. What I really liked about this was the perfect way the movie makers captured the spirituality of King's work. The good are summoned to gather by Mother Abigail, a 106 year old black woman, played superbly by Ruby Dee. The central theme is that the good must "stand" against evil. I thought that simple premise says so much. The approach is almost lyrical and although the movie is showing some signs of aging it is still a great watch. I absolutely loved the book which, as with all of King's work, had some great characters. When each of these beloved characters were introduced in the movie I looked at them with a biased eye and surprisingly they got it right, which is hard to do. The last part of the story when four men set out to walk hundreds of miles to "stand" against the evil, appropriately centered in the remains of Las Vegas is just prefect in both its message and its execution in the movie. Walston’s scene where they finally meet Flagg shows what a great actor Walston was.  Evil will flourish if good men/women do not stand up against it. King, himself is in the movie in a bit part and shows as an actor that he is a great writer. The music accompanying the final quest was also pitch perfect. An aging, but magnificent piece of cinema.
MVP: Sinise as Stu Redmond, the East Texas everyman who leads

The Mummy - Hammer Films

Actors:  Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, Eddie Byrne, George Pastell
Rating:  7 out of 10, the last of the Hammer films I received for Christmas and surprisingly, to me, one of the best.  Cushing was at his peak in this movie and shows what a truly fine actor he was.  He plays the son of the archaeologist who unearths the mummy's tomb and then pays the price a few years later.  Lee does a good job as the mummy, especially in the flash backs that depicts him in ancient Egypt.  The plot moves right along and the sets are excellent.  There is real tension generated by the threat of the mummy and some nice comic moments where the English villagers are exposed to the monster.  You also have to give credit to the movie makers because they point out the facts that taking the artifacts out of Egypt was wrong, even at a time where it was routine.  An extremely solid movie and a nice watch.
MVP:  Peter Cushing, the star of the Hammer studio, excels as John Banning

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - Hammer Films

Actors:  Peter Cushing, Freddie Jones, Veronica Carlson, Simon Ward, Thorley Walters
Rating:  7 out of 10, the baron is back, somehow surviving the guillotine from the first movie.  He's in England where he blackmails a young doctor and his fiance into helping him with the first brain transplant ever.  He smuggles an old colleague out of a mental institute and cures him by transplanting his brain.  There is of course multiple side stories going on but this really is one of the best of the Hammer films in terms of quality.  The story moves right along and the acting is superb.  Carlson was a knockout in her day and could also act.  Both Jones and Ward went on to have distinguished acting careers.  I couldn't remember this from my youth, I think it scared me so much that I walked out after the first killing; but I found myself drawn into the plot and caring about the what was happening - a good, solid movie.  There is a completely unnecessary rape scene and no monster this time.  At the end we have the baron getting his comeuppance from his former colleague who goes around with a huge scar around the top of his bald head and who unsuccessfully tried to convince his wife who he was.
MVP:  Jones actually lends a sympathetic air as the ill fated Professor Richter

The Curse of Frankenstein - Hammer Films

Actors:  Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart
Rating:  6 out of 10, dated but another solid effort from Hammer retelling the horror classics from the 1930s.  Lee struck me as way too skinny to be the monster.  Cushing is great as the driven, and morally corrupt Baron Frankenstein.  He and his childhood tutor get together to experiment that eventually leads to the creation of the monster.  The tutor pulls out and tries to convince the baron of the error of is ways.  That the movie is told from the Baron's death row cell in flashback forms tells you how successful he was.  Really solid acting at all levels here.  It also has one of the scariest falls I've ever seen in the movies when the Baron kills a respected scientist to get his brain.  It really looks like the actor goes head first into the floor from two stories up.
MVP:  Cushing as the Baron Frankenstein, corrupt and loving it.

Taste the Blood Of Dracula - Hammer Film

Actors:  Christopher Lee, Geoffrey Keen, Gwen Watford, Linda Hayden, Peter Sallis, Anthony Higgins
Rating:  4 out of 10, the series had definitely lost its way in this sequel. Lee is still great as Dracula but the story is ludicrous in the extreme.  All of Dracula's victims here seem to deserve their fate as Dracula uses their children to go after them.  Once again its interesting the see the differences in the mores present here with full on nudity and strange cults, a comment on the end of the 1960s.  Dracula is seeking revenge against the guys who double crossed the demon worshipper who resurrected him.  In the end Drac is a lot less powerful as he dies without even being staked - kind of a lousy ending.  Wile the acting is solid the story is so stupid as to defy description.  Hammer had apparently lost their way and quantity over quality was the goal.
MVP:  Lee as Dracula once again menacing

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave - Hammer Films

Actors:  Christopher Lee, Rupert Davies, Veronica Carlson, Paul Barry, Barbara Ewing
Rating:  6 out of 10,  this is the third in the series and first without Cushing and it suffers a little bit for that.  Its easy to see the difference from the earlier one as there is a much greater emphasis on sex with extremely low cut blouses on the female actresses. It's interesting to watch directly after the first because you can see the changes in society between the 1950s and 1960s reflected in the movie. Dracula is resurrected only to find his castle sealed with a cross.  He sets out to seek revenge from the monsignor who sealed the castle.  The main story is a young couple associated with the target and Dracula's attack on her.  This movie has a lot less suspense and Dracula seems a little less menacing than in earlier films.    I'm missing the one that came between the first and this the third and I'm going to have to find that the complete the collection.  I again enjoyed this although it is definitely lost some of its punch.
MVP:  Ewing as Zena the bar maid with a gravity defying blouse

Horror of Dracula - Hammer Films

Actors: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Melissa Stribling, Carol Marsh, Jophn Van Eyssen
Rating: 6 out of 10, a film from my youth when movies used to be recycled through theaters because there were no VHS or DVDs. I just loved the Hammer horror films, they were so English. I received a boxed set of them for this past Christmas. Both Cushing and Lee were favorites of mine and these movies scared the crap out of me in the 1960s. I guess its a comment about how much movies have changed but as I watched this last night I was amused at how tame it is now. Christopher Lee has been around for so long, recently appearing in the Lord of the Rings as Saruman. He was always the scariest Dracula for me - much more so than Lugosi or any of the modern incarnations. The real star of this series of films was Cushing, a really good actor, who plays Doctor Van Helsing here. It's interesting that both he and Lee became associated with the Star Wars series; Cushing as the original villain, Tarkin, in the first movie and Lee as Count Dooku in the newer films. I really enjoyed watching this purely from the nostalgia it presented. The dialogue was also so polite; it reminded me of a bygone era.
MVP: Cushing as the stalwart but at the same time frail Dr Van Helsing

Music Man

Actors: Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett, Hermione Gingold, Paul Ford, Ron Howard
Rating; 6 out of 10, a timeless classic that I remembered fondly from my youth, especially because it was one of my mother's favorite musicals. I bought this as a fling when I was ordering something else from Amazon. I clearly remember being inspired by the ending scene when Preston leads out the huge marching band - just thinking it was so cool. If you read my other blog you know I love parades - maybe it started then. I was a little disappointed that the scene doesn’t play as well for me now - it just didn't have the emotional punch I remembered. Maybe I grew up but I still love that song. Watching it on blu ray you can see some the really extravagant makeup they used on Preston to make him seem younger. Preston is one of my favorite actors but he seemed to almost be walking through this - which is really his signature role. I had forgotten how devastatingly beautiful Jones was and what a great singing voice she has. This movie seems a little hokey now but it is a great example of the bygone era of Hollywood musicals. It was funny to see Ron Howard as a lisping six year old.
MVP: Jones is the best thing about this movie as Marion the Librarian

The A-Team

Actors:  Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, Quinton Jackson, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bloom, Gerald Macraney
Rating:  8 out of 10, I love it when movies don't try to be anything they're not and just relish in being outlandish.  The A-Team TV show upon which this movie is based was totally over the top and didn't even try to get you to believe this was truly possible and the movie is true to that premise.  It has a truly great ensemble cast called upon to do some of these really over the top action sequences.  M1 tanks cannot be lifted by a C130 aircraft and cannot be parachuted yet here we have the boys not only lifting one in a C130 and then jumping the tank when the plane is shot down, using the weapon systems to have an aerial dogfight while parachuting and then using the main gun to steer to tank into a lake and then driving the tank out of the lake.  While the self-important, overly serious (pompous) movie critic would roll their eyes at this - I love it!  This movie rocks because it doesn't take itself seriously.  You have a loose plot that lets us follow the engaging characters through a series of totally outlandish action sequences.  This the A-Team not Macbeth!  A total escapist, popcorn mess of a movie that any true lover of action movies will rejoice in.  The only downer in the movie is Biel who is totally miscast as an Army investigator - I used to work with some of them.  They were all much smarter and incredibly uglier than Biel.  She just doesn't work but as stated above the rest of the cast is spot on, led by Neeson who is turning himself into an action hero late in his acting career.  Copley steals every scene he's in, as he is demonstrating in all of his movies so far, real talent and incredibly funny.
MVP:  Sharlto Copley as Murdock the truly crazy pilot but the best actor in this movie

The Adjustment Bureau

Actors:  Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, John Slattery, Anthony Mackie, Terence Stamp, Michael Kelly
Rating:  8 out of 10, really interesting love story set in New York City with a heavy dose of science fiction.  Damon and Blunt make a very appealing couple and have real chemistry with each other.  It was nice to see Blunt allowed to show a little bit of personality instead of playing a wan, English waif as she is all too often cast as.  Damon is really growing into a superb actor and is pitch perfect as the flawed but idealistic politician haunted by a lost love.  He is inadvertently allowed to see the adjusters at work and spends the rest of the movie trying to get Blunt back.  I really liked the theme of love conquering ambition.  The final chase through the doors which open at random places all over NYC was a lot of fun.  Seeing the adjusters forced to adjust on the fly was exciting and added a lot of tension.  Mackie, as Damon’s sympathetic adjuster is an extremely interesting actor - I think we're going to see some very good things from him in the future - boatloads of talent.  This movie is based on a Philip Dick short story.  So many great movies have been generated from this talented sci fi writer who died too young that there must be a team from Hollywood burrowing through his unpublished work to find even more gems.  A lot of people didn't like this movie and I think its because of the heavy science fiction.  If you love sci fi (guilty) and romance you're going to love this movie.
MVP:  Damon as earnest young David Norris pursuing a hopeless love that carries a potentially tragic price

Avatar

Actors:  Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore
Rating:  10 out of 10, Cameron surprises again.  Even thought this movie had a huge amount of buzz before it came out I went into it thinking it would be another one of those CGI dependent movies that just wanted to awe you with what they could do and forget about an actual story.  Boy was I wrong, this movie is simply great.  He did the same thing to me with Titanic.  This movie is groundbreaking because it takes CGI to a new much higher level.  Earlier animated type movies made you think you were watching cartoons.  Here you quickly forget this is an almost completely CGI world.  Everything seems so real, the special effects truly are seamless.  Cameron truly is a genius for putting all the money he spends on a movie up on the screen for all of us to see.  The story is incredibly engaging and a sledge hammer subtle jab at what we're doing to our own world ecologically.  I still don't know what to make of Worthington.  He's extremely competent but I just don't get the reason he is getting all the roles that he is.  Saldana is once again transcendent as the romantic interest even though most of her character is computer generated; her performance shines through.  Lang is a little over the top as the mad, military leader of the humans but it wasn't too far off the mark as I met many guys like this in the military.  It would be easy to see one of them going off the deep end in an isolated post such as this.  Bravo Cameron, once again you have made movie history by not forgetting why we go to movies in the first place; a great story, characters you care about and the magnificent fight against impossible odds.
MVP:  Saldana as Neytiri, still incredibly, yet uncomfortably, sexy even as an 8 foot tall alien

Bad Teacher

Actors:  Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch, John Michael Higgins, Phyllis Smith
Rating:  8 out of 10, another very strong, female led, R rated comedy with Diaz playing against type as a foul mouthed, socially irredeemable teacher.  This movie takes chances by refusing to descend into mediocrity as so many comedies do by playing it safe.  It is very cool to see Diaz abandoning her good girl type roles and she is a very good comedic actor to begin with.  Timberlake once again surprises with an extremely solid supporting role as the geeky, rich boy and the target of Diaz' gold digging character.  This is one of the real strengths of this movie.  While Diaz does an adequate job as the lead, the supporting characters lend depth and some of the truly funniest moments.  Diaz is generous enough to allow this and even the small roles are allowed to shine.  Diaz is probably at the tail end of her ability to come across as a sexy vixen but she carries it off here, barely.  Higgins, always funny, scores again here as the dolphin loving principal as does Segel, so much better in supporting roles.  Punch is absolutely hilarious as the squeaky clean teacher Amy Squirrel, the foil for Diaz' depravity and competitor for Timberlake's affections.  A very funny movie, strictly for an adult audience.
MVP:  Diaz as the foul mouthed Elizabeth Halsey relishing being a bad girl

Battle for Los Angeles

Actors:  Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Bridget Moynihan, Ramon Rodriguez, Jim Parrack, Corey Hardict

Rating:  9 out of 10, a movie that finally gets the dynamics of a small infantry unit right and strangely enough does it in an alien invasion movie.  I was leery of this movie after Skyline, which was an unmitigated disaster of a movie from the prior year with basically the same plot.  I could not have been more pleased to be wrong.  As with all good science fiction the focus here is on the people and their story with the science fiction providing the backdrop.  Eckhart does a fabulous job capturing the importance and role of the non-commissioned officer in the US military.  The NCO is the backbone and real strength of the US military and they get it right here without turning his character into a caricature.  Rodriguez once again plays the plucky female military type - does she do anything else?  The movie starts out a little slow but once the battle starts it's hold onto to your seat excitement.  I did have some problems with the scenarios like over flying an active impact area with helicopters and then sending a ground unit to extract civilians by helicopter - why not send the helicopter in first?  These are minor issues and the struggle against the overwhelming alien force is epic in dimension without going over the top.  I also liked that these aliens, while possessed of a significant technology advantage were not invulnerable and had to deal with their own problems.  I left the movie thinking this is how many of the infantry units I was blessed to serve with would have performed; especially the last scene where the battle scarred survivors head back into the fight.  Great movie.

MVP:  Eckhart as Tech Sergeant Nance embodying all that is good about the NCO

Bluebeard

Actors:  Richard Burton, Joey Heatherton, Raquel Welch, Virna Lisi, Sybil Danning, Nathalie Delon, Marilu Toto

Rating:  3 out of 10, this movie was a gag gift from a great friend who remembered what a big deal this movie was when it came out in 1972.  It was huge then because it involved an A list star and a topless scene from Miss Heatherton which was newsworthy, at the time.  Watching this again I am embarrassed for Mr. Burton and if you watch closely you can almost see him wincing at some of the ridiculous lines he is forced to utter.  It's a shame that one of the finest actors of any generation, no longer around to defend himself, sold out and took a pay check for this rubbish.  The story makes little to no sense as Burton plays a German baron who is also a serial murderer of women who annoy him.  It provides a series of beautiful women for no other reason than to take their clothes off, annoy the baron, and then get offed.  Heatherton was attractive but could not act, not even a little bit.  She is called upon to carry large parts of the movie and is utterly incapable of doing this.  Her scenes with Burton are cringe worthy.  Whoever put this movie together, if they're still alive, should be considered criminals. 

MVP:  Burton as Baron Von Zepper, embarrassed to be in this but still a great actor

Book of Eli

Actors:  Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals
Rating:  8 out of 10, very solid apocalyptic tale of redemption.  Washington is so good in everything he does and here he plays a loner on a mission in a world devastated by what looks like nuclear war.  He caries a mysterious Bible, which may be the last in existence.  He runs into bad guy Oldman who just nails evil every times he tries it.  Who would have thought that the one true actor in The 70's Show was Kunis but she has established true screen presence and she more than holds her own here with both Washington and Oldman, not an easy task.  Stevenson, one of my favorite actors, plays an assistant bad guy but still adds some unexpected layers.  The action scenes are extremely well choreographed with Washington demonstrating some true prowess with a sword.  The color in the movie is very washed out adding to the bleak feel and the haunting music is perfect in setting the tone.  The director does a good job of leading the audience down the path of explaining Eli's quest which is simple enough but transcendent at the end.  I really liked that despite all the glamorization of violence in the movie in the end Eli realizes he has missed something important. 
MVP:  Washington as Eli, the simple and extremely dangerous man on a divine mission

Bridesmaids

Actors:  Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolf, Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh, Chris O'Dowd, Rose Bryne, Melissa McCarthy
Rating:  8 out of 10, a totally enjoyable comedy that provides an interesting female viewpoint that is extremely rare in R rated comedies.  I've always liked Wiig's performances and her brand of humor.  She's the driving force here and has her funniest moments in the quick side comments she is so good at.  As I said, this is an estrogen driven comedy that is still very appealing to guys, at least this guy.  The story revolves around Annie (Wiig) dealing with some challenges in about every aspect of her own life while trying to be the maid of honor for her best friend.  Bryne plays a rich bitch bridesmaid who tries to horn in on Annie's prerogatives.  Again, this is a female point of view, I think most guys would think, oh a rich friend willing to fund this great party and be fine with it.  McCarthy as the over weight and totally inappropriate bridesmaid has most of the biggest laughs outside Wiig.  Annie finally gets control of her life and finds love with O'Dowd who is an English Wisconsin state policeman, don't ask.  One of the funniest scenes is Annie trying to get O'Dowd's attention by repeatedly running through a speed trap he has set up.  Hamm looked to be having a lot of fun as the heartless cad.  A lot of guys dismiss this movie as strictly a chick flick, for me funny is funny and this is a very funny movie.
MVP:  Wiig as the semi-hopeless Annie struggling to be the Maid of Honor honorably

Cedar Rapids

Actors:  Ed Helms. John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock, Kurtwood Smith, Alia Shawkat, Stephen Root, Sigourney Weaver
Rating:  9 out of 10, a movie that really surprised me.  When I first started watching this I hated the Helms character, thinking, what a wimp!  But by the end of the movie he is totally transformed into a modern day hero.  You are allowed to love this guy because of his wimpiness, he becomes a transcendent hero - against all odds.  How a movie makes an insurance salesman lovable tells you all you need to know why this is a great movie.  It is a great ensemble cast with Whitlock, Smith, and Heche just handing all the scenes to Reilly and Helms.  Helms is a revelation never wavering from his complete nerd but again, making this something to yearn for instead of have contempt for. You cringe and revel in Helm's romance with his high school teacher, Weaver. I've been to the mid-west and this is not an exaggeration - they are the nicest people I've ever met.  While some would say Helms' Tim Lippe is a characterization - there really are people this nice and unashamedly so.  This is what is so great about this movie - it allows you to channel your inner geek.  Instead of trying to be cool and acceptable - be nice.  I love it when a movie plays against type and that is in full force here.  The best scene in the movie is when Whitlock who has been a completely mild guy until this point plays at being a hood from The Wire.  It's a great comment on society's fear of the angry black man.  Watch this movie and bask in the mid-west nice.
MVP:  Reilly as Dean Ziegler the completely inappropriate but completely solid friend

Crank 2: High Voltage

Actors;  Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Dwight Yoakam, Efren Ramirez, Corey Haim, Bai Ling
Rating:  5 out of 10, a total train wreck (I mean they cast both Haim and Ling in this) of a movie that was such a disappointment after the first Crank movie which was so good.  All the same characters are back, even the ones killed in the first movie.  It's basically the same story but without any of the thought and charm of the first movie.  Statham is Chev Chelios who somehow survived a high altitude fall from a helicopter onto a city street that ended the last movie.  He's had his heart stolen, literally, and must recover it from a Chinese gangster.  Now Chelios must keep recharging his artificial heart with static electricity while he kills his way across L.A.  What was so cool about the original was the single minded drive of Chelios as he spent the last minutes of his life trying to kill the guy who poisoned him.  Now we have Chelios as an almost Jason Vorhees type character that literally can’t be killed.  The directors obviously had some studio oversight on the first one that quelled some of their worst instincts and produced a cool, niche movie.  Due to the success of the first movie those constraints were apparently taken off and we now have some of their worst ideas in full view.  Did we really need to see the Latino gangster cut his own nipples off?  They did seem to have a lot of fun making the movie as the out takes during the final credits attest but they should have spent more time in the editing room.  Maybe the film makers were just reacting to the earlier constraints by thumbing their noses at those constraints and just seeing how far they could push the envelope.  They push it pretty far.  It is fun to watch and try to identify all the actors making really minor cameos throughout the movie.
MVP:  Yoakam as the Doc Miles giving Chelios advice over the phone on how to survive and performing heart transplant procedures in his living room

In Time

Actors:  Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy, Alex Pettyfer, Vincent Kartheiser
Rating:  7 out of 10, interesting concept that was a little thin to base an entire movie on.  The biggest revelation in this movie is that Timberlake has actually become an actor.  Here everyone stops aging at 25 but then have only one year of life left.  Time is the currency of the society with the rich blessed with hundreds of years while the poor live, literally day to to day.  Timberlake's character comes into possession of a hundred years which brings him into the sights of both the police force, called timekeepers, and the criminal element.  He hooks up with rich kid Seyfried and then spends the rest of the movie falling in love and running from place to place trying to get more time.  Seyfried is almost unrecognizable in a short red wig but she and Timberlake make an interesting pair.  Murphy plays a relentless timekeeper in hot pursuit while Pettyfer is the head criminal.  Since everyone looks 25 there are some interesting asides such as when Timberlake meets Seyfried alongside her mother and grandmother and they all look the same age; Wilde in a very small part plays Timberlake's mother.  I like that Timberlake doesn't try to over emote as most singer wanna be actors do.  He is very impressive in this and carries the movie effortlessly.  He more than holds his own in his scenes with Murphy who is a very talented actor.  As I said above, great concept but by the end of the movie it feels really stretched; I liked it but felt it could have been more.
MVP:  Timberlake as the hero Will Salas emerging as a fine actor in his own right

Drive Angry

Actors:  Nicholas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke, David Morse
Rating:  8 out of 10, I absolutely loved this movie when it first came out but last night, when I was watching it for this review, it struck me as a lot more silly than I remembered, probably because of the mood I was in.  I still love the movie as a straight good versus evil but I like the shading of the evil part.  You have a good man who turns out to be a flawed guy who escapes from hell to save his granddaughter.  Cage, once again, struggles with the physicality part because he is such a wimpy looking guy. He is however such a good actor that he is believable.  Heard is smoking hot no matter what her real life inclinations might be and she can act, obviously.  There are a lot of little background themes that I liked, such as Cage struggling with new technology that has arrived since he last "died". (see the movie and that last comment will make sense)  It's a great observation of just how fast technology is sweeping over us.  This movie was marketed as a big 3-D adventure and there are obvious shots in the movie that are in only to highlight that technology - I hate that. Fichtner is fabulous as a well dressed demon sent to bring Cage back.  I just loved the way he interacted with people who had no idea who they were dealing with.  This movie is camp taken to another whole level - I mean a massive gun fight taking place while the hero is in the middle of having sex and there is no interuptus - it is so funny.  I really liked this movie even though it is at times incredibly silly.  It has everything a guy's movie should have:  violence, sex, hot women, and a redemptive hero; what's not to like.
MVP:  Fichtner as the Accountant a really well dressed and dangerous minion of hell