Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Engaging action movie has over-the-top violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Big 4
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE BIG 4, after four highly trained assassins have stopped the bad guys who have turned an orphanage into an organ harvesting ring for the rich, their boss, Petrus, decides that it's time to retire. This retirement is hastened by the fact that Petrus' daughter, Dina (Putri Marino), is now a cop. However, Petrus' retirement is short-lived, as Dina comes home to find him murdered. Three years later, Dina is a by-the-book cop, and the four assassins have disappeared. Determined to avenge her father's murder, Dina tracks the four assassins to a remote island, and must find a way to convince them to help her track down her father's killer. Soon enough, the killer himself (Martino Lio) appears, and he now has an army of goons to help him kill the assassins and anyone else who gets in his way. The battle is on, and Dina must find a way to join forces with the assassins, even though she distrusts them.
Is It Any Good?
This movie is ridiculous, absurd, and bombastic, but it's also entertaining. The Big 4 is so over the top, it makes the works of Bay and Tarantino seem subtle by comparison. At times the violence borders on slapstick, and it's not quite silly in a Three Stooges kind of way, but it isn't exactly serious either. It's in what is now a firm tradition of campy and stylized action movies in which the suspension of disbelief is pushed to the limit.
While the action is unrelenting, the movie's length does test one's patience. It could have easily been at least 30 minutes shorter instead of its too-long two hours and 21 minutes. The prologue goes on long after we've established the good and the bad guys, and you just want to get to the actual story now that we know what's what. Still, it is a very original action movie -- no small feat in a genre rife with far more clichés than other genres.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about action movies like The Big 4. How is this similar to and different from other action movies you've watched?
How was the over-the-top violence a reflection of the overall style of the movie? What are some other examples of action movies in which strong violence is part of the movie's (or perhaps even the director's) style?
How was Dina a strong female lead character, and how does this contrast with the way women have often been depicted in action movies?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 15, 2022
- Cast : Abimana Aryasatya , Putri Marino , Arie Kriting
- Director : Timo Tjahjanto
- Inclusion Information : Asian Movie Director(s) , Southeast Asian Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 141 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 30, 2022
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