So I saw 'The Wolfman'

One reason why werewolf movies work so well is because you know what to expect. The only true mystery in a werewolf movie is after all: who'll turn into a big, bad wolf come full moon? But once that's established, there's plenty more suspense to be had around the campfire.

In a werewolf movie, the first act sets up the story, the second act sets up the conflict... and proceeds to seep into the third act. As a result, werewolf movies lack a distinct third act, i.e. the part where things get tied up, and which you practically sit out waiting for the credits to roll.

The Wolfman, set in 19th century England, is of course a werewolf movie and all the above apply, though it also boasts an absurd level of star power: Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt. Compare this to Dog Soldiers (2002) and its dogs-of-war cast.

It is a treat, though, but if you must compare, I reckon Dog to be superior still.

(Running time: 102 minutes)

So I saw 'From Paris with Love'

John Travolta plays a gung-ho, trigger-happy US secret agent on the job in Paris. The movie's tonal feel is that of tongue-in-cheek in the vein of Shoot 'Em Up (2007), though it's nowhere near as witty. Ditto for its effort to be Tarantinoesque in the dialog department.

But, it's nice to see Travolta swagger on the screen; I root for the guy, mainly because he gave us Grease (1978). You can tell that he's having a ball. Speaking of balls, he shaved his head completely bald to play his character in the movie, who also wears a goatee-plus-moustache and earrings to complete the image in an effort, subconsciously or otherwise, to emulate Ving Rhames.

And he doesn't pull off one single dance routine. Which means that he's finally managed to shed, or let go of, his image as king of the dance floor. Instead, he may or may not have started to build a new image around the Pulp Fiction (1994) legacy.

Oh well, time will tell.

(Running time: 92 minutes)

So I saw 'Edge of Darkness'

It's been a while since Mel Gibson headlined an action flick and so I was intrigued when Edge of Darkness came to town.

Alcohol-fuelled antics be damned, you can't help but feel for the man, for he's cool, if not mad. Face it, nobody metes out righteous retribution as spectacular – and as bloody and violent – as Mel does, or breaks down as heartfelt as Mel does. And that's exactly what Edge of Darkness, a thriller taking place in a sleepy town in Massachusetts with a nod or two to Braveheart (1995), has to offer.

Mel Gibson plays Thomas Craven, a cop character as far removed as can be from Mel's Martin Riggs of the Lethal Weapon films. Or perhaps not. Perhaps Craven is just an aged version of Riggs. The tight jeans and cowboy boots may be gone, as is the long hair, but the madness remains; the sort of madness that's triggered when a Mel character is visited upon with a particular traumatic event that would launch him on the warpath.

And a Mel character on the warpath is something to see. It's a cinematic experience in and by itself, run-of-the-mill scripting be damned, which is the movie's bane, fast-paced or not.

The script calls for most of the good guys to act hyper-paranoid as they fear for their lives after having gotten on the wrong side of a shady corporation of sorts. They hold up well to Mel, though there is an instance or two where you would expect him, prankster that he is, to cross his eyes or something in the face of his opposing player-in-distress. The script also calls for cardboard bad guys: there you have the evil corporate master of puppets, there the corrupt politician, and, hey, there's Ray Winstone too.

But on a positive note, the film does have a happy ending: Mel styly. Take that as you want.

(Running time: 117 minutes)