Byzantine plot wieghs down ‘Dead Man Down’

Yes, I loved David Fincher’s English-language version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” but I liked the original Swedish thriller by Niels Arden Oplev slightly better. Now, Oplev makes his U.S. debut with a neo-noir crime film titled “Dead Man Down.”

REVIEW CONTINUES BELOW

Colin Farrell (the Irish actor with those caterpillar eyebrows and lady’s man charm) stars as a man hell-bent on getting revenge for the death of his wife and daughter. He’s joined in this pursuit by Noomi Rapace (who played Lisbeth Salander in Oplev’s “Dragon Tattoo”), a mysterious woman who has a revenge motive of her own. Their target is a New York crime lord (Terrence Howard).

Farrell infiltrates the crime lord’s empire by saving his life. Rapace blackmails Farrell with a video. Howard sets a trap. Farrell kidnaps someone but blames it on Howard. Rapace saves Farrell. Farrell shoots it out. The crime lords shoot it out. Everybody shoots it out. Et cetera.

Rotten Tomatoes (a website that aggregates reviews such as this one) sums it up thusly: “While the fine cast keeps ‘Dead Man Down’ watchable throughout, the film is weighted down by absurd plot twists.”

Hmm, I wonder if David Fincher could be persuaded to do a remake of this one?

Shirrel Rhoades is the movie reviewer for Cooke Communications North Carolina. He can be reached at srhoades@aol.com.