No Credits Given - The blog for great movies that didn't get the spotlight

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Showing posts with the label Film

Inferno (2016) – A Lackluster Puzzle

Inferno (2016) - Film Review | No Credits Given Film Review: Inferno (2016) Directed by Ron Howard The third installment in the Dan Brown film series, following The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons , Inferno once again brings Tom Hanks back as Robert Langdon, the renowned symbologist. Directed by Ron Howard, the film centers around Langdon's quest to prevent the collapse of humanity—a problem posed by a scientist who believes overpopulation will soon trigger an irreversible global disaster. But the film's central premise, involving a virus to "reset" the world, quickly becomes muddled and difficult to follow, leaving audiences questioning its logic and purpose. As with Brown's previous stories, the film races through intellectual puzzles, Renaissance paintings, and cryptic symbols, all while moving at a breakneck pace. However, unlike the gripping mysteries of The Da Vin...

The Imitation Game (2014) - The Mind That Changed the War

By Isuru Bandara

The Imitation Game (2014) - The Mind That Changed the War Film Review: The Imitation Game (2014) Directed by Morten Tyldum Introduction to Alan Turing’s Genius The Imitation Game is a compelling historical drama that tells the story of Alan Turing, the brilliant British mathematician and logician who helped crack the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. Directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, the film follows Turing’s pivotal work at Bletchley Park, where he led a team of codebreakers in developing the machine that would later be recognized as the foundation of modern computing. The Three Phases of Turing’s Life The film stands out for its emotional depth and dramatic structure, moving between three key periods in Turing’s life: his isolated youth at Sherborne School, his wartime efforts in defeating Germany’s encrypted military communications,...

Kin-dza-dza! (1986) - Chaotic Satire

By Vadim

Kin-dza-dza! (1986) - Chaotic Satire Film Review: Kin-dza-dza! (1986) - Chaotic Satire Directed by Georgiy Daneliya Kin-dza-dza! is a cult Soviet science fiction tragicomedy directed by Georgiy Daneliya that remains relevant today thanks to its sharp social satire and unique storytelling style. The film follows two Muscovites—engineer Vladimir Nikolaevich (Stanislav Lyubshin) and student Gedevan (Levan Gabriadze)—who are accidentally transported to the desert planet Pluk in the galaxy Kin-dza-dza. There, they encounter a bizarre social hierarchy where status is determined by the color of your pants and whether you wear a metal “tsak” on your nose. Despite a low budget and minimalist set design, the film astonishes with its inventiveness and depth. As one reviewer notes, “It’s not a comedy, science fiction, or adventure in the usual sense, but a satirical parody of th...

The Good Neighbor (2016) - Captivating, Haunting, Ingenious

By Vadim

The Good Neighbor (2016) - Captivating, Haunting, Ingenious Film Review: The Good Neighbor (2016) Directed by Kasra Farahani The Good Neighbor , directed by Kasra Farahani, is a tense psychological thriller that blends elements of voyeurism, teenage recklessness, and moral ambiguity into a slow-burning, unsettling tale. The film follows two high school students, Ethan (Logan Miller) and Sean (Keir Gilchrist), who set out to play a "scientific" prank on their reclusive elderly neighbor, Harold Grainey (James Caan). The plan? To convince him his house is haunted—all while secretly filming his reactions. What begins as a seemingly harmless social experiment quickly spirals into something darker. As the boys manipulate Grainey’s environment—flickering lights, slamming doors, phantom noises—they not only unravel layers of the old man's life, but also their own motivation...

The Man from Nowhere (2010) – A Brutal, Beautiful Redemption

By Raimonds

The Man from Nowhere (2010) – Korean Action Film Review Film Review: The Man from Nowhere (2010) Directed by Lee Jeong-beom The Man from Nowhere is a Korean action film that sneaks up on you—starting quietly, then exploding into visceral intensity before settling back into soulful silence. It’s an action thriller, yes, but one that carries the pulse of a character drama and the heart of a tragedy. Won Bin plays Cha Tae-sik, a pawnshop owner whose quiet demeanor hides a stormy past. He lives in near isolation, barely speaking. His only connection is to a neglected young girl named So-mi. Their relationship—awkward, tender, unspoken—gives the film its emotional foundation. When So-mi is kidnapped by a brutal gang involved in drug trafficking and organ harvesting, Tae-sik is pulled back into a life of violence. This The Man from Nowhere film review explores how the movie reveals Tae-sik's special-o...

Coherence (2013) – Dinner, Doubles, and Dimensions

By Raimonds

Coherence (2013) Film Review – Sci-Fi Dinner Party Thriller Film Review: Coherence (2013) Directed by James Ward Byrkit In this Coherence film review , we look at how a low-budget dinner party turns into a haunting sci-fi experience. *Coherence (2013)* is a minimalist thriller that proves you don’t need big effects to tell a mind-bending story—just sharp writing, committed performances, and a dash of quantum uncertainty. Set in one house on one night, a group of friends reunites for dinner. But as a comet passes overhead, strange things begin to occur. Phones crack. Lights flicker. Reality fractures. What begins as casual becomes chaotic. And the scariest part? Everyone has a double. This indie gem plays with ideas of quantum decoherence and the multiverse in a way that’s accessible and deeply unsettling. The characters scramble to make sense of overlapping realities, facing versions of themselves ...

Leave No Trace (2018) – Off the Grid, Into the Heart

By Raimonds

Leave No Trace (2018) – Film Review of Debra Granik’s Indie Drama Film Review: Leave No Trace (2018) Directed by Debra Granik This Leave No Trace film review explores Debra Granik’s indie drama that goes beyond survival—it's a meditation on freedom, trauma, and human connection. Quiet yet powerful, the film showcases how minimalism in storytelling can still deliver emotional impact. We follow Will (Ben Foster) and his daughter Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), living off-grid in the Pacific Northwest. Their hidden forest life is disrupted by social services, and they're thrust back into mainstream society. What unfolds is a delicate battle between societal norms and one man’s need for solitude. Ben Foster’s portrayal of Will is deeply internalized—haunted by PTSD, surviving on instinct and fear. Thomasin McKenzie gives a breakout performance as Tom, caught between loyalty and a desire to live a ful...

The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023) – A Quiet Western About Quiet Strength

By Jimmy

The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023) – A Quiet Western About Quiet Strength Film Review: The Dead Don’t Hurt (2023) Directed by Viggo Mortensen You probably missed this one. Most people did. But The Dead Don't Hurt is the kind of film that lingers like a distant memory—faint, melancholic, and oddly warm. Directed by Viggo Mortensen, this slow-burning Western doesn’t care much for shootouts or spectacle. Instead, it builds a world on silence, stares, and the moral weight of choices. It's the kind of film that’s not in a rush to impress you. It just... sits there. And waits. Set in a dusty, unnamed town during the 1860s, the film follows Vivienne Le Coudy (played with deep, earthy grace by Vicky Krieps), a woman who chooses independence over convention in a place where that costs everything. Mortensen plays her partner, Holger Olsen, a Danish immigrant who leaves for war, leaving her to face the creeping rot of the town alone. The narrative isn’t linear. Time bends....