Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I don't know what it is about cool Los Angeles movies, with the main protagonist being a lost soul who comes to some epiphany at the end of the movie, however small or minuscule it may be. They somehow give me, as a LA native, something to strive for, or comfort in being exactly who I am. Like Malick's Knight of Cups or Sofia Coppola's Somewhere, Mojave hits all the right spots for this movie addict.The story is philosophical in many places, and highlights the highs and lows of man. The film ends with the protagonist reading a book to his daughter, reflecting whether the good or the bad of a man's character is examined by others throughout their lives. A great way to end a story of murder and manipulation.I am not a reviewer to really discuss the plot lines of a movie. But I can say that the same writer for The Departed, William Monahan, had written and directed this, giving it credibility in my book. I am eager to check out his other work as well.I give this an 8, but in my mind it deserves more. It was a great watch on a random night. Forget what the other critics say, it's a terrific ride, another story about the City of Angels.8 Stars

I do not understand the synopsis or certain reviews from severals. Mojave is being described as a unique and suspense thriller tale, though as watched, the film is not that in anyway. And the potential of the lead actors are being wasted. Mojave follows broody star- turned-filmmaker Thomas (Garrett Hedlund) as he heads into the titular desert to booze, breaks down and be macho. In the desert he faces off with possible serial killer Jack (Oscar Isaac), who smirks like a pick-up artist and rolls off quips about the devil before following Thomas back to his mansion in the Hollywood hills. But is he real, or just a figment of Thomas's imagination? The film appears to have everything going for it. It's written and directed by William Monahan (Oscar winner for The Departed). The two leads are greatly cast. Hedlund is a natural as the self-absorbed former teen idol and Isaac is an unsettling presence. The contrast between the cinematic beauty of the desert with the clinical urban sprawl of LA works beautifully. We also see Mark Wahlberg in a very small role (less than 10 minutes of screen time) as he is a film producer bragging and playing his typical over-the-top characters full of cursing. As watching more of Mojave, it did remind myself of an episode of 'Entourage', but as a full-length feature it misses the mark. Mojave is quite disappointing and could have been something great, but it is nowhere near suspenseful or even thrilling in the least. The end is all too predictable.

Random is a term that gets bandied about quite a bit in this day and age but it's certainly the perfect word to describe The Departed and Kingdom of Heaven scribe William Monahan's second directional effort Mojave, a film that feels lost in its own self-worth and finds itself wondering along aimlessly through its 90 minute runtime to a conclusion that neither justifies or explains why we've been mistreated to this wannabe exposition of fame, internal demons and hamming it up Mark Wahlberg's.It's particularly random that Monaghan convinced one of the industry's current brightest stars in the form of Oscar Isaac to appear in this deranged cautionary tale and after a string of memorable films in the likes of A Most Violent Year and the excellent Ex_Machina, this is Isaacs first outright failure in sometime even though he certainly gives it his all as the menacing drifter Jack who haunts Garrett Hedlund's lead Tom from the dry plains to the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles.There was clearly hope here that Monahan could hide the implausibility's of his story that never delivers a realistic blow behind the one/two team up of Isaac and Hedlund going head to head and saying "brother" far too often but with Isaac relegated to a few brief moments of genuine menace and intrigue Hedlund's Hollywood big shot is a hard protagonist to get on board with and it's another lacking turn from the young actor that showed such great promise in early ventures like Friday Night Lights and Troy.The problem found within this central battle of Mojave isn't its only huge hurdle as the film also suffers from an identity crisis not unlike the one Hedlund's Tom is suffering within the narrative. Is the film a sombre examination of tormented artists? A dark comedy skewering the Hollywood lifestyle? There questions Monahan and his team no doubt pondered but didn't have the skill set to answer and the films blurred vision is something that will deter many a viewer from enjoying what's laid before them.An extremely disappointing experience that wastes the considerable talents of Isaac in a try hard plot that wants to say a lot and ends up saying nothing, Mojave is an utterly forgettable film that no one deserves to be put through and a career low point for the usually trustworthy Monahan.1 "brother" out of 5

Poor thriller reuniting Garrett Hedlund and Oscar Isaac a few years after they drove to Chicago together with John Goodman in Inside Llewyn Davis. Both are more or less on equal footing here, though. Hedlund plays a screenwriter who goes out to the Mojave to commit suicide. Instead, he meets up with dangerous drifter Isaac who pops into camp obviously just to kill him. Instinctively he resists death, but in the process angers the drifter. When Hedlund returns to civilization, Isaac follows him, hoping to continue their game of death. Not much about this works. Hedlund is a boring actor, and Isaac gives his worst performance ever, at least since he's been a star. You'd think the script must have looked great on paper, but the dialogue comes off as silly and desperately trying to be cool. Walton Goggins and Mark Wahlberg also waste their time in this. It does look good, and it has a few good moments, but, in general, it's just bad.