The Prodigy (2005)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

I watched 1 hour of the movie and that was enough to conclude what a bad sh*t this is. I don't even want to spend time writing this comment... The movie begins with a big fight which took way too long. It didn't have a bad guy or a good guy, so you are just looking to a stupid fight. When it's finally clear who is the bad guy he gets killed!I had no idea what's the purpose of the main characters in the story, and couldn't really identify with the character. Just a sh*tty movie. Don't watch it. Save your money.

While the story was somewhat interesting, the acting was so bad it was distracting. The only reason I gave it a 2 instead of a 1 is because the shootouts were outstandingly ridiculous! It was embarrassing to listen to the dialogue and I'm sure if any of the people reciting the lines were actual actors they would have been embarrassed as well. As it was, some of the "performers" seemed to be choking the lines out. As I stated above, the action sequences (shootouts) were better than average. There were people shooting at each other and missing, as opposed to the typical fare. As far as the plot, I could not generate any real interest in what the main character was experiencing because his acting was so terrible! It was like watching a high school play in which you don't know any of the kids. Don't waste your time.

I really enjoyed this independent effort. I was fortunate enough to see a screening of the uncut version a few months ago, and now that it has percolated in my mind, I like it even more now. The plot, while a little slow at the beginning, rapidly picked up pace and build into a crescendo of action and emotion. I am a huge fan of revenge style movies, and the Prodigy satisfies in the vengeance aspect like few others. The fight choreography was some of the most unique I have ever seen. Finally a movie without kung foo roundhouses and crappy fake punching. Nobody expects a headbutt! This is one of the few "fight" movies where the combat actually seemed real between guys who haven't logged thousands of hours in a Japanese dojo. The gritty dark look of the film added an atmosphere of foreboding, and seemed in tune with the main character's persona.Plus the female lead was hideous. I loved her. A few of the characters seemed superfluous, but it was an uncut version of the film. I hope to see more in the future from these talented independents.

I can't remember when I last saw movie that has stayed with me weeks after seeing it. Talk about an audience participation experience, I kid you not, there were actually numerous times when the entire audience, a packed house would all gasp or jump in unison as the horrors of film unfolded. I can't remember when the last time that happened to me, can you? The story in a nutshell is about this small time thug, Truman, who is being hunted by this psychotic, Keyser Söze type hit-man, known as Rains. Imagine what kind of world it would be if Frank Miller's Batman was a serial killer and he was coming after you and you get an idea of how lethal and terrifying this bad guy is. Rains wants to shape and mold Truman into his likeness so to carrying on his life's work - judging and punishing those who he deems deserve it. He believes that he and his natural born killer prodigy, have a responsibility to help give purpose and clarity for the sufferings included in God's master plan…Yeah I know, it sounds insane as hell, your right it is, and I loved every minute of it. As far as the acting, yes I agree with everyone else here, it was dead on. My favorites were the lead guy Truman, and his mentor King. You've got to hand it to the filmmakers for having the courage to go with an unknown cast over your regular handful of straight to video talent. That choice accomplished two things, first I had no idea who the killer was, second it really gave me the impression that all bets were off, that no one was safe. This in turn had the great residual effect, and one so lacking of most thrillers, of making it impossible for me to have a clue as to how this film was going to end. Second it really elevated the film out of the B-movie label it would have so easily been tagged with and into something quite unusual. As far as the shoot outs and fight scenes go, thought they rocked, absolutely super brutal. Every character in this movie is scarred out of there minds and rightfully so. You really get the vibe that at anytime, anyone is heartbeat away from eating a bullet. What a welcome change of pace from all the "wire work", slow motion hero shots and "bullet time" f/x that everyone has been ripping since The Matrix. I left the theater feeling like I'd taken a beating. This was the coolest, slickest, gut-wrenching journey into hell I've seen in ages. You've got to see it.