‘Damaged’ Review: Aside from Samuel L. Jackson, There Isn’t Much to Love Here
I know I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Films that don’t make a big impression are the most difficult to critique. If one doesn’t have strong feelings either way, it’s excruciating trying to articulate that ambivalence in a way that’s worth reading. A review should offer more than indifference. So, my feelings toward Damaged leave me in a precarious position. There’s nothing terrible about the picture to report. But there is nothing that stands out about it either. Damaged is a by-the-numbers crime thriller that serves as a momentary distraction and not much else. I doubt I will remember the finer points of the narrative in a month. In a year, I may forget the picture entirely.
Damaged follows Dan Lawson (Samuel L. Jackson), a homicide detective. When a series of murders reminiscent of a case he worked on in Chicago begin unfolding across the pond in Scotland, Lawson comes on board to work with the local authorities as a consultant. After arriving on the scene, the lawman puts his thinking cap on and begins assessing whether the deaths are the work of the killer he previously hunted.
Samuel L. Jackson is the best part of this film. But even he seems like he’s phoning it in. His performance isn’t bad. He gets the job done as he always does. But there isn’t a lot of pizazz to his portrayal. It’s as if he showed up, recited his lines, and collected a paycheck. No shade. A person must work. I merely mean to say it doesn’t read like his heart is in this. With that said, his presence alone might be enough to win some viewers over.
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Jackson’s serviceable performance aside, I was hopeful I’d be surprised by the reveal of the killer’s identity. But I can’t say I was. I found myself left wanting for a bit more creativity on the part of screenwriters Paul Aniello, Gianni Capaldi, and Koji Steven Sakai. In fairness, they deliver a serviceable premise. But it’s reminiscent of pieces of superior films and doesn’t bring anything unexpected or original to the equation. That kind of repetition on a proven formula can work when all other pieces are airtight. But the other pieces here are anything but.
The ending may be surprising to some, but I was underwhelmed. It seems like the conclusion is staged to deliver a ‘gotcha’ moment. But it’s not entirely unexpected. I had a pretty good idea of how matters were going to conclude by the midway point. And that left me a little bored.
Director Terry McDonough deserves props for delivering a couple of exciting action sequences along the way to the finale. But they are the exception rather than the rule. I came away craving a bit more in the way of white-knuckle action to distract from the predictability.
Another challenge I had is that none of the characters come across as accessible. We don’t get a lot of insight regarding who Lawson is. There’s a strategy behind that. But keeping the audience at arm’s length from the lead character doesn’t inspire much investment. Worse yet, he’s an alcoholic hardened by years on the job. That may be the most overused trope in crime cinema. That’s not to say it shouldn’t be used under any circumstances. But it feels lazy here and might have played more successfully if Lawson was given a slightly less obvious vice or if the material had a bit more nuance.
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Gianni Capaldi appears as Lawson’s Scottish counterpart, Glen Boyd, and he’s about as milquetoast as can be. Like Jackson, Capaldi is serviceable and does what he can with what he is given. But I couldn’t shake the notion that we aren’t given a character in whom we can invest.
To be fair, the film isn’t a total loss. The proceedings are bordering on entertaining through most of the film. Also, horror fans may enjoy some of the crime scene sequences; there is ample gore on display at a couple of the kill sites.
All things considered, Damaged is a crime thriller that will appeal to anyone who isn’t looking for anything beyond run-of-the-mill thriller tropes. Viewers content to indulge in a formulaic affair that does little to differentiate itself from the volumes of similar offerings already available likely won’t be disappointed. Anyone else can safely take a pass on this exercise in mediocrity.
Damaged is out now on digital and VOD.
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‘Damaged'
Summary
‘Damaged’ may suffice for die-hard fans of formulaic crime thrillers but anyone else should take a pass.
