I so love a happy ending. That was a happy ending, right?

This was fucking horrific. This scriptwriter should be forced to find a new career. [spoiler]The second that Rosamund Pike was kidnapped, I thought to myself, "He's either going to propose, or they're going to go into business together." The problem was in getting to the point, where this actually happened. These Russian mobsters must've been the most incompetent buffoons on the planet to not be able to finish off two individuals, who they'd already pretty much brought to w/in an inch of their life. This was such an incredible stretch that it made this movie absolutely ridiculous.[/spoiler] Aside from this, the fact that the writer tried to make these two women sympathetic characters screams that there's something really off w/ this writer. On what planet are people who take advantage of, and essentially murder, some of the most vulnerable members of society sympathetic? On one last note, I've never been a fan of Rosamund Pike. I'd seen her in two previous films, where she was not good at all: Jack Reacher and Gone Girl. In the former, she's so melodramatic, it's difficult to watch, and it's even more difficult to take her character seriously. In the latter, although she's playing a character w/ Antisocial Personality Disorder, that doesn't necessarily mean someone devoid of affect, which is exactly how she played that role. She may as well have been a talking stump in that movie. I realize that she received industry-wide recognition for the latter role, but I prescribe this to the industries' complete and utter lack of understanding of psychological disorders and their accompanying attributes. I wasn't going to watch this film b/c of my distaste for Ms. Pike's acting ability, but the movie, on its own, won such rave reviews, I figured that I'd give it a chance. However, something about her just wasn't right. She had this odd grin in a lot of scenes, where it either didn't fit, or it seemed like it would've been inappropriate, if it had been a real-life situation. I just find her acting to be really off-putting. Luckily, both Peter Dinklage and Dianne Wiest are always top-notch performers.

While sporting some of the most unlikable characters in a feature for some time, I Care A Lot somehow manages to squeeze out a compelling narrative via the dynamic of it's "love-to-hate" protagonist _and_ antagonist. Pike and Dinklage fit their exaggerated caricatures comfortabley, leading to some great independent scenes, as well as some delightfully pointed conflicts between the two. If you can forgive some of the liberties it takes with the story, I Care A Lot is a enjoyable twist on the usual "Mob vs Questionable Lawyer" thriller we've seen spun numerous times before. Just be prepared to endure an infuriating introduction, and to not really have anyone to root for throughout the entire runtime. If you can deal with having no defined "hero", this is some really solid stuff.

Some movies are terrible because of bad acting or directing. You can even enjoy some of them for that. This movie commits a cardinal sin: its lead character is taking on a Russian Mafia boss, and yet if you are normal, you will hate her guts the entire time. She is the least likable character I have seen in a while, with absolutely no redeeming quality. Of course she is a man-hating lesbian, which for some will qualify, for an added dose of woke-ism, typical of Netflix production. At the very least the ending is satisfying, with every normal viewer getting being granted their wish. But really this terrible at time sickening movie does not deserve 2 hours of your time