Set in an anonymous city that looks and feels like the soundstage it is, Terminal introduces us to Annie (Robbie), a waitress at a railway diner called End of the Line. Here’s another question: How did debuting filmmaker Vaughn Stein ever persuade Margot Robbie, just off her Oscar-nominated triumph in I, Tonya, to star in a script that plays like something Quentin Tarantino upchucked after watching Blade Runner while reading Alice in Wonderland and ingesting too many hallucinogens? When talented people create one of the worst movies ever made, you have to ask: What the hell happened? Terminal is a case in point. Fans of movies like Out of the Past (1947) or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) will find this to have similar sensibilities.Yes, you read that correctly: zero stars. There were some story issues, but the rest of the piece went a long way in making up for the easy to guess plot. If the plot had been a bit less obvious, this would have been a slam dunk.Īll in all, the composition is absolutely gorgeous and the cast rocks their roles. One plot point in particular was telegraphed so early on that when they finally decided to bring it into the light, the obviousness of the twist made the reveal feel overly long. The story itself was entertaining thanks to the mysterious nature of our protagonist’s motivations, but as things went along the twists seemed rather obvious. While I enjoyed much of what was on offer as far as look and acting go, I did take issue with some of the plotting. The rest of the sets, while not nearly as grand, evoked the noir vibe with their swirling staircases or gritty look. This neon soaked club played a very welcome supporting role as it fleshed out the idea that this was an occupied city, something one could forget given the small amount of characters on screen at any one time. Of particular note is the club La Lapin Blanche which was gorgeously designed. The city itself was filled out with a few seedy locales and some stunning sets. The empty train station and sleazy rooms were cut through with shafts of light that attempted, to no avail, to illuminate the dark underbelly of our out of time city.
THE TERMINAL MOVIE REVIEW MOVIE
I was especially impressed with the lighting design as it managed to evoke a truly timeless feel, as if we had stepped into an old Humphrey Bogart movie that was awash in color. This world manages to incorporate the smoky rooms and neon signs one expects from a modern day noir. It helps that their characters had a sort of dark sense of humor about them that felt perfectly in line with Robbie’s manic role. Of the supporting players, Dexter Fletcher and Simon Pegg deserve some extra notice as both turn in their usual solid performances. In fact, I thought that the majority of the cast were quite convincing in their roles. While Robbie is certainly the star of the piece, she is by no means the only good performance. She comes across like a less obvious version of Robbie’s famous Harley Quinn role, but this time she is dropped into the center of a noir thriller. Much like the men around her, we are quickly drawn into her web thanks to her comically dark rants about the fun ways for one to kill themselves or the little morsels she drops about her own backstory.
This role allows Robbie to really let loose as she as her magnetic, manic nature is balanced out by her mysterious motivations. While all four are drawn to her, none realize that she might be playing her own game.Īs she is playing the protagonist let us talk about Margot Robbie a bit to get the ball rolling.
In a lonely diner at a deserted train station, an enigmatic waitress begins to get involved in the lives of two hitmen, a hobbled janitor, and a suicidal teacher. To best describe the story, I will use my own plot summary: Today I will be reviewing the noir thriller TERMINAL (2018) by writer/director Vaughn Stein.
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