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The Twenty (Major Crimes, Book 2)
The Twenty (Major Crimes, Book 2)
Sam Holland | 2023 | Crime, Thriller
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A definite 5 star read for me and one of my books of 2023 so far ... an absolute cracker!!

I read a lot of crime and psychological thrillers and the odd horror book and it takes a lot to get me going but Sam Holland most definitely got me going with The Twenty. Oh my word!! Why? I hear you ask.

Excellent and interesting characters ... check.
Excellent serial killer ... check.
Gripping story line ... check.
Fast pace ... check.
Twists and turns ... check.
Gruesome scenes that give you the chills ... check.
Tension and suspense in spades ... check.

What more is there to be said? Oh yes, this might be book 2 but don't let that put you off, it can easily be read as a standalone but I would strongly suggest you read book 1, The Echo Man, it's also a cracker!!

Highly recommended to those of you who enjoy a dark, gritty and grisly crime thriller ... you won't go far wrong with Sam Holland and I must thank HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of the brilliant The Twenty.

I can't wait to see what comes next.
  
Drive (2011)
Drive (2011)
2011 | Crime, Thriller
The performances are universally strong (4 more)
Stylish, patient direction
Understated when most films would go big
Unlike "Baby Driver", which has many similarities with this film, the central relationship is never suggested to be anything more than some casual relationship that gives the main character a chance at redemption
Carey Mulligan is as luminous as ever
It's about as deep as a puddle in a parking lot (1 more)
It is generally very overrated
A good, yet unacknowledged, remake of "The Driver"
Well, it's a remake of Walter Hill's "The Driver". Not officially, sure, but it just is. It annoys me that this was never really acknowledged, but it's a good one, so there's that.

Otherwise, it's a flimsy, but good little crime thriller that's generally overrated. Shouldn't stop anyone from seeing it though.
  
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Baz Luhrmann recommended Star 80 (1983) in Movies (curated)

 
Star 80 (1983)
Star 80 (1983)
1983 | Drama
(0 Ratings)
Movie Favorite

"Cabaret is the classic work [from director Bob Fosse], but Star 80 I think is really worth visiting, because it wasn’t a successful film and it really dealt with a kind of heinous crime. The film itself is brilliantly made, in terms of rhythm and storytelling; if you look at it you’ll see that a lot of directors of my era have been influenced by the aesthetic. Bob Fosse’s great ability with rhythmic storytelling is very alive in the movie, and what’s so intriguing is that it takes a true chapter in the history of Hugh Hefner and the world of Playboy and tells it as a kind of psychological thriller — but with a whole lot of Fosse-like theatricality. So I think that’s a kind of little off-the-radar gem."

Source
  
Black and Blue (2019)
Black and Blue (2019)
2019 | Action, Crime, Drama
Good cast (0 more)
The plot has been done better before (0 more)
Decent crime thriller
One of the films I missed as it didn't get a long release at the cinema in the UK. Naomie Harris plays a rookie cop in a rundown area of New Orleans. With corrupt cops and gangs working together in the supply of drugs. Soon she is hunted by both through the neighborhood after capturing a murder by the corrupt cops on her bodycam.
Overall it was an enjoyable watch, a little slow at the start and middle section. It had quite a low budget feel to it despite some big cast names. Worth a watch but far from the better films with a similar plotline. @21 Bridges (2019) is one example that had more action.