This slick and stylish thriller marked the American theatrical debut of Niels Arden Oplev, director of the original The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, What we get here is the story of Victor- a Hungarian immigrant who makes his living as a hired killer for crime lord Alphonse Hoyt. While doing Hoyt's bidding, he is also planning a a crusade of revenge for wrongs done to him in the past. At the same time, he becomes involved with his neighbor Beatrice- a scarred woman who blackmails him into helping her with her own plan of revenge for wrongs done to her. The stories become intertwined, which really raises the stakes, tension and suspense. I had some pretty high hopes for this one. The trailer is what got me hooked, and it is absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately the film isn't quite as good, but it's still slightly better than average. I think the main issues here are that the film is weighed down by some hammy twists, muddled plotting and story lines, and a sluggish pace. I think it could have also been a tad shorter as well. The action is decently well done though, and there are some good sequences. The reasons for the various acts of revenge are decent, but the way the film goes about them are pretty messy. Colin Farrell is decent as Victor, Noomi Rapace is effective as Beatrice, and they have some okay chemistry with one another. Terrence Howard is fine as Alphonse, and then we get some appearances from Dominic Cooper, Isabelle Huppert, Armand Assante, and even F. Murray Abraham. For wrestling fans, there's also an appearance from Wade Barrett as a henchman named Killroy. It should be noted that this film is also from WWE Studios, hence why Barrett is likely here. All in all, this is okay, but it could have been a lot better. I like that WWE Studios is trying for some less ridiculous action, and something more serious. It's not a great neo-noir thriller, but it does have it's moments. So yeah, it's a slight misstep for Oplev, but here's to hoping his next American film is even better.