Plot: What’s it about?
One question arose in my mind as I watched Everly. How could a movie starring Salma Hayek fending off hit-men sent by her ex who is also a mob boss be so downright boring? Well, you’d just have to see the film to get that answer. Actually, don’t. It’s a film where I kept waiting for it to get more interesting or better as it went along. That never happened. Hayek plays the title character who is holed up in her apartment throughout the majority of the film. Her ex didn’t take it so well when Everly left him, and in turn, he threatens her daughter. Admittedly, the R rated blood splatter is fun to see for a while, but quickly loses steam as the film progresses. It’s not just that, but the film keeps stalling fairly often without accomplishing much of anything. This became one of the longest 92 minutes I’ve spent watching a film, especially more recently.
I’m totally in favor of watching a bad ass female lead in an action film of this sort, but it’s not so much Hayek here as it is the script and weak direction. Angelina Jolie could do a role like this in her sleep, but both Wanted and even (to a lesser degree) Salt proved much more successful than this mess of a film. I think part of the problem is that Everly isn’t a skilled assassin of any sort, and in turn is much more vulnerable than a leading lady should be in a film like this. I don’t expect them to all be superheroes, but they should at least look like they could hold their own. There are far too many scenes of Everly fumbling around, often clueless and trying to collect herself. There’s a lot of redundancy found here. There’s also a wounded character that finds himself stranded on Everly’s couch. We see far too much of him, but his character is more annoying than anything else. Do yourself a favor and skip this mess of a film. The potential was there, but the execution (pardon the pun) is where the film fails.
Video: How’s it look?
The film might suck, but at least the transfer is passable. While never top of the line, fans of the film (I suppose there are some out there) should be pleased. Colors seemed nice and smooth, the print didn’t display any problems either. The image is AVC encoded with a 2.39:1 ratio.
Audio: How’s it sound?
We get a solid DTS HD track that more than gets the job done. It’s the action scenes that’ll impress the most here, with constant use from all the channels. The vocals were still impressive as well. There’s a nice clarity to a lot of what’s heard as well. It gets the job done, and won’t disappoint those who check this out.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentaries – We get 2 tracks here. One features the Director, editor and Co-Producer. The other is with the Director and Cinematographer. Take your pick. I am simply mentioning their inclusion. I opted to not listen to either two because the thought of spending even one more minute with this film than I have to would potentially lead to my death. Ok, not really, but you get the idea.
- Music Video – “Silent Night” by Raya Yarborough.
- Previews
The Bottom Line
A failure on multiple levels, Everly doesn’t even get by as a guilty pleasure. Boring and slow is not something you want from an action film. Avoid this mess of a film at all cost.
