The Hollow Point (2016) User Reviews

Good but should have been better

[iantrader · 6/10 · 4 January 2018]

This is a Good movie (although we could spend days debating what 'good' actually means'). It's a modern western (which I usually hate). The concept is brilliant but it lacks a bit in the execution. One reason, perhaps is that the director also edited it (thank goodness he didn't write it!) so some parts are a little obscure.

It's low budget but with an excellent cast - Patrick Wilson, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Jim Belushi - and altogether very well done. And Juan Navazo does a great job with the music.

There are more than a few twists along the way, a few high action moments and a few 'if they knew that they wouldn't do this' and 'that would never happen' moments so your suspension of disbelief goes out the window. It's sloppy writing/direction but it happens in so many movies, so maybe we're immune to it. I call it the Commando effect after the Schwarzenegger movie (love him!) where at least 100K rounds are fired at him and not one hits. You get the idea, but maybe we're just a nation (world) of un-critical, non-thinking couch potato movie watchers. I dunno.

Anyway...

I struggle to find the 'point' of the title. 'The List' might have been a better/more apt title and more could have been made of that idea (you'll understand when/if you watch it). It sort of splits the theme of the movie in two which, perhaps, is why it's not as cohesive as it could be.

It drifts off in a direction you maybe didn't think of (which is good) but the writer, Nils Lyew, needs to work on theme and plot development.

Might have been a hollow point, but it had a solid base...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 3 May 2017]

With the premise of this being a crime thriller, I must admit that I had very little expectations to the movie, especially since that particular genre is flooded with a lot of very generic movies.

However, it turned out that "The Hollow Point" was actually quite an entertaining and interesting movie to watch. Especially so, since the story was well-constructed and the acting performances really promoted the story quite well in transition from script to on-screen.

It was perhaps the brutality of the storyline that appealed to me. Because this was not your average cops against criminals story. And the storyline was really helped nicely along the way by some interesting and detailed characters.

The movie was really nicely carried by Patrick Wilson, and it was a nice surprise to see him excel at a genre like this, and that proves that he is actually quite a diverse actor. Furthermore, it was also really nice to see Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Jim Belushi in the movie as well. It was a shame, though, that John Leguizamo didn't have a bigger role, because his character could really have been so interesting to get to see more of. There were some good acting performances from everyone in the movie, which really added to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

"The Hollow Point" was indeed an entertaining movie, and it was a good surprise how nice the movie actually turned out to be.

However, while this movie is entertaining, I doubt that the movie is one that I will watch a second time, because it just didn't have enough contents to support more than a single viewing. That doesn't make it a poor movie, just that once you have seen this the first time, there is nothing to support additional viewings.

My rating for "The Hollow Point" is a solid 6 out of 10 stars.

It's beautifully shot and often makes some ballsy moves, but it's confusingly constructed from a narrative perspective and ultimately both hollow and lacking a point.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 4/10 · 21 November 2017]

'The Hollow Point (2016)', a relatively low-budget and non-descript neo-western, includes a couple of riskily ballsy surprises, relies on a few entertainingly scene-chewing performances and is absolutely beautifully shot (I seriously can't stress how staggeringly good the flick looks considering its size and stature). However, its narrative is so haphazardly constructed and lacking in almost any form of thematic through-line that it's actually quite a challenge to even understand how each element of the plot ties together, let alone become invested in any of the story's events or the characters caught up in them. Seriously, there are several core players whose importance doesn't become apparent until very late in the game. For example, the lead love interest isn't established as such before the third act and, even then, her connection with the protagonist isn't ever explored. There are also times when people are introduced in the very same scene during which they play a major part in a plot-point that asks you to either care about or previously know them. It's really this fragmented feel that kills the piece's pacing and reduces audience engagement, as it transforms the affair into an utterly passive and, at times, frankly frustratingly confusing experience. It ultimately lacks a point and is generally pretty hollow. 4/10.

A Bad Thriller and a Worse Romance

[leftbanker-1 · 2/10 · 18 December 2016]

I really, really wanted to like this movie. I'm been on sort of a reading bender these days of mostly pulp noir stuff so this fit right in. It all got just way too stupid.

The story is up to its eyebrows in murders, double-cross, mutilations with a machete, and then they want to squeeze in a romance as well? I think that there are just too many passengers on this hour and a half bus ride. Because if you want to make a romance then make one and leave the drug cartels and amputations out of that movie. Because if you want to make a romance movie we'll call Jenifer Aniston or one of those actresses and you can make a romance.

I see what they are trying to do here. They're trying to "put a human face" to the horrific events that punctuate the flirty banter between the two principals. All this does is screw up the pacing and it leaves a lot less time for the story to make any sense at all.

This represents what I feel to be the greatest failing of almost every movie and TV show, at least the bad ones (and most movies these days are bad). This misuse of time ruins most films made these days, that and just plain bad writing. This had some moments of decent writing and perhaps even something of a cool story but so much time was wasted in trying to cobble together some half-arsed love angle that it crashed before it ever got off the ground.

¡¡¡¡Spoilers!!!

The guy has a huge handgun and the other guy gets the drop on him first with a damn shovel and then a machete? That's seems like some lousy police work. Why didn't he go directly to the hospital after he lost his arm? He wouldn't have made it without medical attention overnight.

The hit man has a literal list, like written down on paper and he crosses off the names like his Saturday to-do list? Too stupid for words. And then the cop somehow gets under the house when he was hiding in the closet?

Well acted crime-thriller

[Red-Barracuda · 7/10 · 26 June 2016]

The illegal arms trade between the USA and Mexico is the basis for the story in this crime-thriller. It involves world weary policemen, a shady local businessman, a professional killer and the dusty environs of a small town in the American South. It put me in mind of the recent Cold in July (2014) in its tone, feel and setting. Both films share quite well drawn characters and sudden scenes of strong violence. This one benefits quite a bit from a very fine cast, where we have Patrick Wilson and Ian McShane as a couple of police officers, both of whom have their own internal demons. McShane in particular seems to be having a lot of fun here and gives a very lively performance that is very good value. We also have John Leguizamo and James Belushi as the bad guys of the piece; the former doesn't perhaps get to do much more than exert an ominous physical presence (although he does it well), while Belushi is given his most interesting role in years in which he makes the most of.

The story-line is fairly complex at times, with a variety of characters interconnecting with each other in different ways. But I don't think the story is really the main selling point in this one. It does have some thrilling visceral moments for sure but this one ultimately is best enjoyed as a character-driven genre effort. A very solid and well-executed genre piece on the whole.

Great acting

[amesmonde · 4 January 2017]

This illegal transportation take centres around the smuggling of bullets into Mexico. A retired lawman works with a new sheriff to stop a vicious hit-man who threatens their border town.

Director Gonzalo López-Gallego offers a gritty surprisingly violent series of graphic shenanigans with plenty of blood, gunshots, burns and severed limbs. It has the feel of similar to No County for Old Men (2007). Writer Nils Lyew delivers a modern take on the High Noon story with some smart dialogue.

López-Gallego's the on location shoot gives it a realistic backdrop. The characters are all shady with Lyew throwing in a few surprise moments, Brit Ian McShane continues to build on his Hollywood reputation. Patrick Wilson is on fine form and plays against his usual good guy persona, but it's John Leguizamo that steals the show as an imposing Mexican assassin. Notably Jim Belushi in a serious role as slimy Shep Diaz is notable.

Overall, worth checking out for its meandering story and gritty graphicness.

So much potential lost in a sub-par screenplay

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 4/10 · 16 December 2016]

I really wanted to like this movie but I just couldn't.

So much potential was lost in a sub-par screenplay that just dragged on with un-necessary elements and a convoluted and omissive script.

Why the revere catch phrase "he's an as*hole" from everyone in the beginning? Why take 'some of the money' and not all of it? Way too many why's and why not's.

Had the directing and screenplay been a little tighter, this film would have been stellar.

The only impressive aspects of this film was the acting (although sometimes felt a little too melodramatic), the grandeur set location, and the score was decent.

Poor Man's No Country for Old Men

[blueheaven101 · 6/10 · 18 January 2017]

I'm giving this movie a 6 because I really like Patrick Wilson. I'd watch him in anything.

Being from Arizona, I'm always amused that movies set here are full of people who have ridiculous southern drawls. Evidently we always live in squalor, and it's usually squalor in trailer parks. It's so primitive in Arizona border towns that there is no backup for police, or even ambulances for transport for the wounded.

This movie reminded me a lot of No Country for Old Men, except that it's not nearly as good. Granted, there were some subtle differences. None of the characters were in any way likable, and a few of the bad guys did get killed.

In real life the Cartels probably just buy ammo from Sweden.

I hope that the hospitals in Arizona border towns take better care of their patients than this one did. I fully expected Patrick Wilson's character to keel over at any time from Gangrene. It was a shame that they were too lazy to go look for his severed hand.

There was one great line in the movie when Patrick Wilson told his ex-wife to skedaddle. He says, "I always said you deserved better, but I never said that I love you...." What a guy.

That being said, I'd watch it again, just to enjoy his acting.

Huh?

[CromeRose · 4/10 · 1 July 2017]

I'm giving it 4 because it has some of my favorite actors in it, even if the roles given to them were not so great. Beyond that, the movie was ridiculous in my opinion. From the get go, it's a wtf is going on sort of thing, and from there, it gets even less comprehensible. These characters seem to exist in a world where wounds that would kill a normal person living in the real world don't have any effect whatsoever. I thought the scene where Patrick Wilson loses his hand was about as dumb as this movie was going to get. I mean, his hand is lopped off by a machete, he runs off into the night, and next morning is found slumped outside the retired sheriff's house still alive. What world are these people in? Then we get a scene where John Leguizamo is in an SUV that gets slammed by two other vehicles, then has a smoke grenade tossed in, then gets sprayed with bullets from a handgun and an automatic rifle, and yet when the cops open it up they find a bullet-riddled body of a deputized hillbilly and yet Leguizamo has somehow gotten out (he must've teleported) and is behind them with his machete, unharmed and ready to kill. And then, the now one-handed cop is hiding in a closet when the invincible normal human hit man enters the house, but when robo-hit-man opens the closet one-handed-cop has somehow magically gotten himself under the house (he must've used that teleportation trick Leguizamo used to get out of the SUV). It goes on, and gets sillier and I can't believe I watched it to the ludicrous end, where, after part of the credits, we have a scene in which Ian McShane has tracked down Jim Belushi to a restaurant in another magical world where you can walk in, sit down at someone's table, chat with them and then pull an oversized revolver and blast them without having to worry about legal consequences. It's like the director decided that if this happens right as the movie ends n one will think that it matters that it's the stupidest scene yet because hey, the movie's over so naturally the character got away with the murder. Yeah, right. Okay.

Lurid & Violent...But Lazy Storytelling Amost Sinks Well Acted Neo-Noir

[LeonLouisRicci · 7/10 · 19 March 2017]

We are Once Again at the American-Mexican Border where Cartels make the already Living Hell Environment more of a Living Hell, Employing Soulless Killers and Corrupting the Weak and Dying that have Lost Their Hope and Dreams of an Existence with God By Their Side.

This is an Above Average DTV with a First-Rate Noir Cast Featuring Patrick Wilson, Ian McShane, Jim Belushi, and John Leguizamo.

The Violence is Brutal and an Urgency is Felt as the Townsfolk Duck and Cover from the Flying Bullets and Nastiness all around. The Movie is Shot in a Dusty, Sun Drenched Landscape of Endless Horizons, Trailer Parks, Sleazy Environs, and Unfinished, Abandoned Home Constructions.

It Wears its Neo-Noir Bona-Fides with Pride and if it wasn't for the Incomprehensible Script and Sloppy, Lazy Montage it would Rank as one of the Better in the Genre.

But its Pulpy Style is Burdened with God-Awful Storytelling that leaves the Viewer in a constant state of Confusion trying Desperately to Figure What the Hell is Going On most of the time.

What is Going On is Visceral and Engaging for B-Movie Fans that Love the Style and don't give much of a Damn about Substance. For those Folks Kick Back and Enjoy the Sleaze. For Others, it is just too Befuddling to give a High Recommendation. It's Definitely Worth a Watch for the Lead Actors, Violence, and Style.

The Movie, however, Never quite Comes Together and the Love Interest Scenes, along with the general Storytelling are Woefully Weak and just Awful.

Violence by numbers

[Groverdox · 5/10 · 14 January 2017]

"The Hollow Point" is a movie that feels lazily and cynically assembled by a committee. It looks good, has some really violent moments, and some dependable stars. Who cares if it doesn't make sense, or you don't care about any of the characters?

It becomes clear early on that you don't need to make any investment into the characters not only because the movie doesn't adequately explain who they are or what they want, but also because you know they are going to get maimed and mutilated in some pretty gruesome and graphic ways, that only the special effects people seem to understand the repercussions of.

Case in point: early on, our hero, if that's who he is, is attacked by a madman wielding a machete, who hacks off one of his limbs. This is depicted every bit as violently as you might expect. Does he go into shock, pass out from blood loss, and die? Does he manage to get help, go to hospital, recover, learn to live without the limb, quit the police force, because I'm pretty sure a one-armed-man would be ineligible for service, and live out his days on disability?

No.

He apparently drags himself to the house of his partner - if that's who he is - bleeds on the guy's walls, and waits politely until sun up.

When he finally goes to hospital, he asks wryly about the chance of the limb being found and reattached, to which the doctor or nurse makes an almost cruelly flippant response.

It's a grim-dark, bleak, nihilistic thriller, see?

See?

Except you couldn't really blame her, because it was an idiotic question, but nowhere near the idiocy he showed by not going to a hospital right away. She should have found the limb and slapped him with it.

Wonderfuly Demented, always Engaging, Thriller

[A_Different_Drummer · 8/10 · 16 December 2016]

If you watch a lot of movies -- please check out my 1250+ reviews -- you tend to have low expectations for Indies. On the other, die-hard movie buffs are a lot like the story of the little boy who finds a room full of manure and smiles ... because he figures, with so much manure, there has to be a pony around somewhere...? And the truth is, it is Indies just like this one that make reviewers feel like that little boy ... finally something new, refreshing and interesting that somehow managed to swim upstream to the viewer, defying all odds, and avoiding the Hollywood cookie-cutter franchise and deal-making system.

Superficially, this is a police procedural about a deal gone wrong in a small border town that no one has ever heard of.

But, it in fact, it is no such thing. And if you approach Hollow Point purely on the basis of the story, you might end up disappointed.

What it actually offers is a fun ride through a series of almost-disconnected events, events that only have in common the skill of the director and the art of his actors constantly trying to keep you interested and entertained.

For example (one of many, to make the point) there is a scene where the local sheriff forthrightly is questioning a local car dealer who, presumably, he knows and has no fear of. The car dealer, sitting behind his desk, offers the sheriff a drink, and then makes an offhand, ambiguous, comment along the lines of "I can see you have already made up your mind" -- and next proceeds to shotgun said sheriff with a hidden (trick) weapon built into the desk. The camera then switches to the POV of the victim, the sheriff, and slowly fades to black. The viewer ASSUMES the character is gone to his greater reward ... until the same character pops up in a later scene unharmed, and the viewer has to put the pieces together and deduce the character had a bullet proof vest all along.

IT IS THAT KIND OF FILM. A film more interested in entertaining the viewer than in preaching or making a point or even in telling a story. And it works.

Director Gonzalo López-Gallego has a great career ahead, his work is flawless. Ditto for the cinematography. Patrick Wilson and Ian McShane are both mainly character actors here elevated to starring roles -- and they are more than up to the challenge.

THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION.

Fun. Entertaining. Recommended.

Great acting - tough story

[nick-615-60770 · 6/10 · 2 October 2019]

Great to see Jim Belushi again, Ian McShane as a good as ever. Film, ok. There is a good story in there somewhere but I could not satisfyingly work it out. Shame as the acting, look and feel is spot on. Too much left unsaid.

Bullets over Arizona

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 14 June 2017]

This film wants to be No Country for Old Men if it was directed by a second rate Robert Rodriguez.

A Mexican cartel arms deal goes wrong leaving several dead and some money missing. Ian McShane is a wily but ageing small town lawman in Arizona, Patrick Wilson is his straight laced replacement, the new sheriff in town. They both join forces as a mysterious cartel hit-man (John Leguizamo) arrives with a literal hit-list, the trouble he is also a police officer. John Belushi is a sleazy used car salesman who seems to be doing the Cartel's dirty work.

This is a gritty neo noir B film, convoluted and viscerally violent, at one point Wilson loses his hand in a machete attack but it also comes across as confusing, hollow and silly at times.

Bland

[StarInspector · 4/10 · 18 December 2021]

A cast filled with wonderful character actors is wasted in this somewhat confused and dull thriller. To its credit there are a few scenes with a good energy, especially the end. But no matter how great an actor Patrick Wilson is, this one isn't worth your time.

Could have been better

[bettycjung · 20 June 2018]

6/19/18. I thought it would be all right because Patrick Wilson was in it. But, I guess everyone is entitled to making a dud every once in awhile. Could have been better.

Brutal

[NateWatchesCoolMovies · 7/10 · 8 April 2017]

The Hollow Point has taken the action/crime genre by storm in the first few months of the year, and it's a shame it wasn't released with a little more fanfare or marketing, as I only happened to stumble upon it while browsing shaw on demand. It's bleak, vicious and frequently quite funny, and while doesn't quite possess the near mythic, philosophical properties of something along the lines of No Country For Old Men, which it is clearly influenced by, it makes up for that in pure bloody spectacle, showing in demented detail just how far the cartels will go to ensure their business thrives, and just how determined the grizzled American lawmen are to protect what's theirs, and weed out corruption bullet by bullet. Bullets are the case in point here, and we see how the manufacturing and smuggling of cheap ammunition across the border to Mexico has taken its toll on the now ravaged, bankrupt southern US towns. Two sheriffs preside over one such town, each with a different set of morals that get wonderfully upturned in honest to god character arcs. Violent, jaded Leland (Ian McShane) deals out justice excessively with a bitter hand and no qualms about bending the rules. Upright, idealistic Wallace (Patrick Wilson) believes in the rule of law, until things get so out of hand that he's force to realize that no such thing actually exists, at least anymore. Following a deal gone wrong, the cartels dispatch a terrifying assassin (John Leguizamo in terminator mode) to work his way through a list of targets. Wallace and Leland are forced to contend with this beast and smoke out the local liaison to the cartels, in the form of sleazy used car salesman Shep (Jim Belushi has never been this good). Shootouts, heated arguments, severed limbs, betrayals and conflicting morals ensue, and it's one nicely balanced display of a classic ethical drama and a gory shoot em up that work hand in hand. Each character is hurting in some way, even Leguizamo, who's ice cold, thinly written ultimate badass gets surprisingly fleshed out in a third act that slows down just enough for us to care about these people. Wilson is the epitome of cool without even trying to be, always exuding vulnerability and grit at the same time, no easy task but one he has consistently been doing for years now, making any work he does instantly memorable. McShane is simply one of the best living actors out there, no argument. He's curiously underused in Hollywood, or perhaps prefers to keep a low profile, but it's always great to see him do work worth his talent, and he's the heart of this film, using salty comic relief and world bitterness to turn Leland from a callous, hard bitten piece of work into a believable and relatable human being, all the while kicking ass with a gigantic desert eagle cannon that is probably way over state regulations. As nasty and violent as it is, there's heart, in smaller doses, and the filmmakers use beautiful cinematography, terrific editing and a lived in, business-like yet ponderous script to convey the futility and tragedy of the illegal arms race that poisons these areas, while always keeping up the action and intensity of a genre piece. One of the best I've seen so far this year.

About two cops who caught in a messed up illegal arms deal.

[Reno-Rangan · 5/10 · 24 January 2017]

It is a cop film that's set in in a small US town along the Mexican Border. Focused on the illegal arms supply, the two cops, one is an honest and the other one a controversial get into a deep trouble after something went wrong among the smugglers while dealing it. So one of their men was sent to eliminate those involved in it and that's where these two cops are caught in a crossfire. They have left no choice but to fight for the peace in the town.

The Idea for the film was inspired from real, but I kind of felt it was unrealistic. Mainly because I'm not from that part of the world, so it was more an entertaining film than learning anything about all the illegal activities or the heroism from the cops. The actors were decent, including Patrick Wilson, but Ian McShane looked much better than anybody in the film for his daring role.

It was a simple story that takes place like within 2-3 days. Some parts of the film were unexpected, but those scenes did not save the film. Because it was entirely 'a series of event' based film than properly developed storyline. Overall the setting was good and once watchable with a low anticipation. So for those who are choosy, can be skipped it, because not worthy, other than that it's not that bad film in my opinion.

5/10

Intriguing but sloppy

[pbayle3 · 6/10 · 7 February 2017]

Like many other indie films, this one features excellent acting by its leads, but is deeply flawed in other respects. Patrick Wilson (Wallace) gives one of his best performances as a sheriff trying to break out of arrested development and Ian McShane (Lee) is hugely entertaining as his brutal predecessor. Lynn Collins (Marla), John Belushi (Shep), and John Leguizamo (Atticus)are also fine in smaller roles. The music is appropriately spare but haunting. The tone is unrelentingly gruesome and nihilistic.

Unfortunately the film's dramaturgy is such a mess that it could serve as a classic example of the ill-made play . We are repeatedly told that Wallace is an "asshole" but we don't see him act as such until more than halfway through. Characters move from place to place like chess pieces and have knowledge of key plot points seemingly by magic. There are conspicuous gaps in continuity. Wallace hides in a mobile home from the killer Atticus; we are never shown how he escapes. How does Wallace know there is a gun in Lilly's/Atticus's toilet? In the climactic scene, Lee's attitude toward Wallace's killing of Atticus changes diametrically in seconds. I don't believe Wallace and Marla can simply drive off into the sunset. The bloody stump that is Wallace's arm will become infected, and the murder he committed will come out once he is hospitalized.

In sum, while "The Hollow Point" has effective acting and music, it falls short of providing a satisfying experience due to sloppy plotting and characterization.

Irony vs violence

[oscarschrover-77373 · 5/10 · 5 January 2017]

This is an interesting picture, with heaps of violence and a cinematographic mindfulness that is wonderful. The looks of the scenes? Great, the contents of the story however shaking and rambling, it sounds like a an old car and the recipe is a pinch of Peckinpah cross-pollinated with Schwarzenegger. Too little irony and the end is scruffy though s smile worth. BUT?... The equalizer had more functional violence. A missed opportunity. The acting is at times not convincing, apart from McShane whose role could have been bigger. A little bit more of the grand vistas in the picture and a better storyboard would have helped considerably.

Violent and thrilling movie with good cast and professionally made by Spanish director Gonzalo López Gallego

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 8 April 2022]

A lurid and exciting film dealing with a sheriff : Patrick Wilson investigating a drug cartel deal and a brutal, psychopathic killer : John Leguizamo who is carrying out a criminal spree. As the latter dispassionally murders nearly every rival, bystanders and others in his implacable pursuit. As violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon a deal goes wrong and while a valuable cash is attempted to retrieve near the border. Good men can do bad things ! You can't stop what's coming. One opportunity can change your life, one mistake can destroy it! . There are lo laws left!

This is a brutally entertaining thriller with intrigue , suspense, plot twists and lots of violence . Concerning a merciless manhunt, as a cop desperately attempts to keep one step ahead, but the unstopped chase from this bloody hunt starts to flow more and more behind him with relentless intensity as the contract killer closes in. Set in Los Reyes County Arizona where returns a patrolman well played by Patrick Wilson - he replaced Timothy Olyphant- as the officer in law tracks down a cruel murderer committing grisly killings, being stunningly performed by John Leguizano in a similar role to Javier Bardem's No Country for Old Men. Remaining cast are pretty good with notorious actors giving acceptable interpretations, such as : Ian McShane, Lynn Collins, Jim Belushi, David Stevens, Michael Flynn, among others.

It contains atmospheric and evocative cinematography by cameraman Jose David Montero, shot on location in Los Ángeles, California. As well as thrilling and enjoyable musical score by Juan Navazo, including some songs in Mexican style. The motion picture was well directed by Gonzalo López Gallego . This Spanish director is a good professional who has made some nice films as Nomads , Sobre Arco Iris , Rey de montaña, Backdraft 2 and two hits : Apollo 18 and Open Grave . Rating : 6/10. Acceptable and passable. The flick will appeal to Patrick Wilson fans and thriller enthusiasts.

"The Hollow Point" is Pointless

[lavatch · 1/10 · 18 January 2017]

This film had to have included some of the most unpleasant characters in recent memory. The gist of the story is that a decent sheriff in a small border town tries to bring law, order, and decency to a community that is beset by crime and anarchy.

Patrick Wilson has the unenviable task of trying to develop the character of Sheriff Wallace and interact with the repellent townspeople. Marla, the woman he loves and whose life he is attempting to save from a ruthless Mexican cartel, is demanding and insensitive. The lack of basic human values is apparent throughout the film. Even when Wallace loses his hand in a scuffle, Marla's callous reaction is to say that now, "you can't even write a ticket"!!!

Most of characters appear to reside in the town's trailer park, which is the seat of criminal activity in the transportation of much-needed ammunition for the guns of the Mexican cartel. The local ringleader of the crime syndicate appears to be a used car salesman named Shep (Jim Belushi). John Leguizamo plays the role of "Atticus," who has two look-alikes (doubles) who figure in the convoluted and unbelievable plot.

It is difficult to imagine how this film could be any worse than it is. As if to add insult to injury, the filmmakers tack on a ridiculous short scene before the closing credits that makes the story and character developments even more preposterous.

This was was filmmaking at its worst with a nasty agglomeration of characters.

"Takes a willing hand to punish powerful men."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 16 June 2017]

It amazes me how reviewers here on IMDb can watch the same movie and come to wildly differing opinions. I get it that someone may or may not like a particular film, that's fine. But when you have those who enjoy a film for it's story telling and others who state they couldn't follow it, I just have to wonder if paying attention might have solved that problem.

So I guess that's what is at issue for this finely constructed tale. It's about a couple of law enforcement officers attempting to curb the trade in ammunition to a violent Mexican cartel that won't stop at anything to insure receipt of their bullets, or exact revenge on those who stand in their way.

Right out of the gate, any film with Ian McShane is going to hold my interest. After seeing him for the first time as the violent saloon owner Al Swearingen in the HBO series "Deadwood", I've been a loyal fan. His character, aging sheriff Leland Kilbaught calls to mind the role of Tommy Lee Jones in "No Country for Old Men", the difference being that Kilbaught hasn't become the wistful lawman regretting the way times have changed and passed him by. He's still whaling away in the thick of things, even after a new sheriff is assigned to replace him when he takes out a drug mule working for Shep Diaz (Jim Belushi) and Ken Mercey (David H. Stevens).

We never actually see the Mexican cartel gun lords calling the shots in the small, unnamed Arizona town where the story takes place. The tension is provided, again, in similar fashion to 'No Country's' relentless hit-man Javier Bardem, by the similarly motivated assassin called Atticus, forcefully portrayed by John Leguizamo. What was a bit convoluted though, was the idea that he was seeing a local woman named Lilly (Karli Hall), thus making him a known commodity in Los Reyes County. One would expect a villain like Atticus to be dispatched by his employers as someone who would remain largely anonymous.

That the movie offers it's fair share of gory violence shouldn't come as a surprise, it's something one would expect with the attendant story line. The machete business on the part of Atticus is particularly nasty as new sheriff Wallace would remorsefully attest. The one painful scene that tickled me was when Marla (Lynn Collins) took the sledge hammer to Shep's foot. Before it happened, I was thinking to myself that she should go with it, and if I saw it coming, Shep should have too. I bet that hurt like hell.

The thought I had to ponder when Wallace eventually put down Atticus had to do with Leland begging him to hand the gun over and not reduce himself to the level of the bad guys. My version of the story would have that happen so Leland could do the honors, thereby allowing Wallace to make a getaway without the killing on his conscience. Leland seemed to be the kind of guy who wouldn't have cared one way or the other. At least Leland got some measure of revenge with the final scene, but for that you'll have to catch the movie.

You know, as a big Johnny Cash fan, I was surprised that the song played over the closing credits was one I never heard before - 'God's Gonna Cut You Down'. It fit well enough, probably even better than the one I would have picked - 'When The Man Comes Around'.

Good flick minus Leguizamo

[joeyford-55342 · 6/10 · 4 September 2023]

Any time John Leguizamo is a star in your movie, that is going cost you a star or two. Bad actor and worse comedian. The other three stars did an outstanding job. Also, at the end you realize the cop will be in jail so that was a cool twist. And I guess the hidden scene just says you can shoot an unarmed man in Mexico and walk right away. Overall a good idea, kindof sloppy implementation. I liked the girl, same one that was in WOLVERINE. She just drips sexy. I had never heard about the bullet smuggling problem along the border but that makes sense. News says coyotes are armed and border is wide open. Good flick.

Spoilers? Not possible Here

[neko1962 · 2/10 · 17 December 2016]

I understand that to review a movie one cannot give away facts about the film...therefore 'spoiling' it for others whom have not seen it (yet). The Hollow Point is impossible to spoil. It should be titled, 'A Hollow Point'. No, that's way to kind. A Hollow Point hints that it may actually have a point , which The Hollow Point undoubtedly does not.

I love movies you see. My wife could not comprehend why I went raving mad while watching this mess. She says, "Oh, it's only a movie". Nope, not to us true movie lovers who want to escape into another world, another place, and forget about everything else. You know, like HGTV does for her I suppose..... The Hollow point will not give you that escape people. It is beyond hollow. It will not, could not, because it does not mean anything. It's not action, not drama, and although it tries very hard to be a crime thriller, it reminds me of a black comedy minus the laugh track. Perhaps you're acquainted with that old Japanese crime drama Woody Allen changed the words on and made it into a comedy. What's Up Tiger Lily?..... Now that was funny stuff. But this Hollow Point had none of that magic. Perhaps it was meant to be serious. A grim crime tragedy (maybe) about Mexican cartel guns, no......no....about leaving or coming home or needing to leave that dead-end small town.. Or was it corruption in small town America?

I honestly couldn't tell you. But by the end of the movie you think it may actually be a comedy. A comedy hiding behind unrealistic premises in the brief gloom of an impossible plot so full of holes it made the German battleship, Bismarck, look better than a royal Caribbean cruise liner off Key West. Yes Florida. That statement has more logic than giving each movie character a total lack of good judgment. In other words, NOT doing things like we would do. Us......the public.

I read that Timothy Olyphant was to play the lead role but backed out. Assuming that he took a few minutes to view this screen gem, he must have been thanking his lucky stars ole Patrick Wilson landed the role. Oh yes....yup....he was pleased. One final hollow point, by the end of the movie I began drifting off.....(you know, watching but thinking about something else)......wondering if I had made the right choice. At first I thought about shaving, but then I thought...hell, tomorrows Sunday. It's OK. Then it hit me, did I make the right choice? The right choice in forking over seven dollars and ninety nine cents for this masterpiece instead of watching The Property Brothers on HGTV.

At least that show has a point..