Momentum (I)

Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist. She quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds. A brutal murder sparks a cat and mouse chase between... See full summary »

Director: Stephen S. Campanelli

Writers: Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan

Stars: Olga Kurylenko, James Purefoy, Morgan Freeman | See full cast and crew » 

 

 

 

 

 Storyline

Alex, a mysterious thief, is pulled in by her former partner for one last heist. She quickly finds it was never just about the diamonds. A brutal murder sparks a cat and mouse chase between Alex and a master assassin. Now she must uncover the lies behind the heist and discover the secrets behind the men who have made her a target. 

User Reviews

 It's quite ironic that the title is called Momentum seeing that the pace is rather slow for an action movie. Credit for trying to set up espionage twists along the bullet spree, but things eventually feel like they are conveniently forced to make the heroine look good. Still, Olga Kurylenko does look fittingly attractive and strong for the female role, the action is also fairly presentable for a leisure watch.

Alex (Olga Kurylenko) is an operative who got caught in a web of conspiracy after a botched heist. She must try to survive from other agents while trying to figure out the secret agenda. Like Milla Jovovich or Angelina Jolie before her, Olga admittedly looks the part. She's nimble and athletic enough to pull off the operative persona, which is already half or even most of the movie's appeal.

James Purefoy as Mr. Washington is convincing as the antagonist, it feels like he's comfortable on suave charismatic villain after his role in The Following series. Morgan Freeman rounds out the cast, he appears in so many movies lately and for a good reason, relatively. His past few roles might just be supporting ones but he does give air of authority when he's present and a famous name can't hurt.

The main problem is the movie tries to incorporate too many angles, be it may the sinister villain and some unexpected allies. However, these subplots don't really mash well together, in the end it resorts to cheap Deus Ex Machina twist and even stalls the pace. Some of the characters might feel out of place or simply appear out of nowhere when plot demands them. The tricks used are far from refined, which make it even more far fetch when the movie tries too hard to sell them.

These flaws notwithstanding, Momentum does offer what expected of it; a strong female lead shooting through and outsmarting her foes. It may not receive many merits from the story or consistency, at times it seems like watching a femme fatale wearing heavy plot armor. but it delivers a decent action for simple movie night.