Currently available on popular online and VOD platforms (like Google Play Movies and Amazon Video) is one of the newest movies of 2017, Hangman . Hangman is the latest title of movies in Al Pacino’s lengthy cinematic career, and the feature is also set for a limited theatrical release starting on December 22, 2017. Brittany Snow ( Pitch Perfect 2 ) and Karl Urban ( Thor: Ragnarok ) co-star alongside Pacino, and the picture is directed by Johnny Martin ( Vengeance: A Love Story ).
There was heavy publicity for Hangman after the trailer debuted last October. Filled with intense montages and action-packed clips, the trailer makes the feature look like edge-of-your-seat material. Plus, fans look forward to anything featuring the legendary Al Pacino. But with audiences and critics alike largely disappointed with the film, it looks as though the movie couldn’t live up to the hype from the trailer.
With over 2,000 votes, Hangman has a score of 4.9 out of 10 on IMDb. The site provides the premise for one of the most disappointing movies of 2017 .
“Decorated homicide detective Ray Archer (Al Pacino) and his partner, criminal profiler Will Ruiney, (Karl Urban) are tasked to catch one of the city’s notoriously vicious serial killers who is playing a twisted version of murder using the child’s game – HANGMAN, while crime journalist Christi Davies (Brittany Snow) reports on the crime spree, shadowing the detectives.”
Part of the problem of the story is that there’s very little character development between the three main characters; instead, we get exposition-city to fill in the gaps. Brittany Snow and Karl Urban have certainly impressed audiences with their performances in many of their movies, but both feel a bit off in this one. Rather than the audience feeling like they are watching a story between these two characters unfold before their eyes, they are likely to feel like they are just watching two people act, and that’s not fun.
Hangman joins a long list of movies where Pacino portrays a detective — like Cruising, Sea of Love , Heat , and Insomnia , among a few others — and Pacino fans may find their time better served revisiting or discovering any of those gems. The story leads to an anticlimactic ending that lands flat, and the reveal of the serial killer is sure to disappoint most.
In contrast, though this movie was uninspiring, Hangman certainly has a few moments that audiences should enjoy. After all, even in his less popular movies, Pacino is never boring. It’s nice to see that in 2017, the talented actor is still delivering, but fans are likely to wish he had chosen a different script to work with this time around. With unconvincing performances and uninspiring material, Hangman is one of the most lackluster new movies of 2017.
