Director
Brian
A.
Miller's
latest
action-thriller
"The
Prince" fails
to
rise
in
stature
beyond
the
first
frame.
With
an
A-list
star
cast
and
an
intriguing
montage
that
rolls
in
the
beginning
of
the
film,
which
promises
to
deliver
something
exciting
and
unusual,
the
film
ends
on
a
disappointing
note.
The
premise
of
the
film
is
similar
to
the
2009
released,
Lian
Neeson-starrer
film,
"Taken".
Unspooling
a
revenge
drama,
"The
Prince" is
the
story
of
a
reformed
hit-man's
search
for
his
missing
daughter.
Based
in
Mississippi,
the
long-distant
single
parent,
Paul
(Jason
Patric)
discovers
that
something
is
amiss
with
his
daughter
Beth
(Gia
Mategna),
who
is
studying
in
college
in
New
Orleans,
after
he
fails
to
connect
with
her
on
her
phone.
So
after
landing
at
her
place
and
breaking
into
her
apartment,
he
seeks
assistance
from
one
of
her
school
friends
Angela
(Jessica
Lowndes)
to
help
him
track
her
down.
Paul's
trail
leads
him
to
a
drug
dealer
known
as
'The
Pharmacy'
(Curtis
Jackson),
who
has
been
supplying
heroin
to
his
daughter.
He
soon
realises
that
his
daughter
is
not
an
addict
out
of
choice,
but
is
held
hostage
under
the
instructions
of
another
vicious
crime-lord,
Omar
(Bruce
Willis),
who
is
seeking
revenge
for
an
act
Paul
did
twenty
years
ago.
With
a
wafer
thin
plot-line
and
an
equally
slim
instigating
moment,
the
narration
lacks
depth.
The
characters
are
sketchily
etched
and
the
film
is
laden
with
plot-holes.
The
script,
by
Andre
Fabrizio
and
Jeremy
Passmore,
hardly
has
any
surprise
elements
and
often
resorts
to
repeating
scenes.
The
film
belongs
to
Jason
Patric,
who,
with
his
rugged
appearance
and
steely
determination,
offers
an
intense
act.
Bruce
Willis
as
Omar,
is
stoic,
mechanical
and
offers
a
half-hearted
performance.
Curtis
Jackson
hardly
has
any
meaningful
moment
on
screen.
Jung
Ji-Hoon,
the
popular
Korean
pop
star
plays
the
cold
calculating
henchman
to
Omar.
He
displays
some
of
his
martial
arts
expertise
and
is
the
surprise
package
in
the
film.
Cusack
as
Paul's
former
colleague
Sam,
who
runs
a
luxury
hotel
offers
some
intriguing
moments,
but
unfortunately
his
character
is
not
written
well
enough
to
support
his
talent.
With
tight
frames
oscillating
between
mid-shots
and
wide,
the
film
has
traits
of
a
home-video-film.
The
production
quality
too,
is
of
an
average
tight
budget
film,
with
no
frills.
The
only
extravaganza
noticed
is
the
splurge
on
ammunition
during
the
shootout
scenes.
The
action
scenes;
be
it
the
shootouts,
exchange
of
blows
during
the
scuffle
or
the
car
chase,
are
mechanical
and
obviously
imbalanced
and
unrealistic.
This
is
very
obvious
in
the
scene
where
Paul
carries
his
drugged
daughter
out
of
the
drug
lord's
lair.
Overall,
the
film
falls
short
on
the
directorial
front
and
what
adds
to
the
disappointing
fare
is
the
bleeping
of
the
cuss
words
in
the
dialogues
owning
to
the
censor
board's
diktat.
Watch
it
only
if
you
have
nothing
better
to
do.