Survivor (2015) Online

2015 Milla Jovovich Pierce Brosnan Dylan McDermott James McTeigue

Original Title :: Survivor
Genre :: Movie / Action / Crime / Thriller
Year :: 2015
Directror :: James McTeigue
Cast :: Milla Jovovich,Pierce Brosnan,Dylan McDermott
Writer :: Philip Shelby
Budget :: $20,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 36min
Rating :: 5.6/10

A Foreign Service Officer in London tries to prevent a terrorist attack set to hit New York City, but is forced to go on the run when she is framed for crimes she did not commit.

Survivor (2015) Online

A State Department employee newly posted to the American embassy in London is charged with stopping terrorists from getting into the U.S. That puts her right in the line of fire and she is targeted for death and framed for crimes. Discredited, she is forced to go on the run while she tries to clear her name and stop a large-scale terrorist attack set for New Year's Eve in Times Square.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Paddy Wallace	-	Johnny Talbot
	Parker Sawyers	-	Ray
	Bashar Rahal	-	Militiaman #2
	Royce Pierreson	-	Range Finder
	Ben Starr	-	Sniper
	Sean Teale	-	Alvin Murdock
	Regé-Jean Page	-	Robert Purvell (as Rege-Jean Page)
	Jing Lusi	-	Joyce Su
	Antonia Thomas	-	Naomi Rosenbaum
	Milla Jovovich	-	Kate Abbott
	Dylan McDermott	-	Sam Parker
	Frances de la Tour	-	Sally
	Robert Forster	-	Bill Talbot
	Jerry-Jane Pears	-	Nymphet (as Jerry Jane Pears)
	Roger Rees	-	Emil Balan

British independent watchmaker Peter Speake-Marin was asked to be a consultant for the scenes where Pierce Brosnan is at a workbench. Upon meeting, Brosnan was so impressed by Peter, that he purchased one of his watches, and subsequently, Speake-Marin asked Brosnan to become a brand ambassador, to which he agreed. Pierce Brosnan is possibly the most high-profile celebrity to become an ambassador for any independent watchmaker. Prior to his official role as ambassador, Pierce can be seen wearing a Speake-Marin "Piccadilly" wristwatch during filming, in candid photographs, post-production, and a pink gold model during his 2015 Super Bowl commercial for Kia. In the movie, the store, located at 29 Bruton Street, is labelled "PSM Bespoke Watchmakers", "PSM" is an abbreviation commonly used by Peter Speake-Marin. In 2017, he left the company to focus on an educational enterprise.

Final theatrical feature film of Roger Rees (Emil Balan).

The opening sequence of the film is set in war torn Afghanístan and the production team utilized a vast, unused metal factory in Sofia, Bulgaria. Kremikovtzi A.D. was once Bulgaria's largest metalworking company. The factory took three years to build, and was first put into operation in 1963, producing cast iron and coke (fuel), and employing just under seven thousand people. Having once been a thriving company, exporting to other European countries, the U.S., and China, the company fell into severe debt, and by 2006, investors were nervous for the factory's future. In 2008, when Kremikovtzi's owner withdrew from the company, the Socialist government attempted to keep the plant afloat while looking for a new investor, but was unable to save it. Kremikovtzi is now completely non-functioning as a metal working factory, but has found a niche as a diverse and dramatic film location.

The view through the magnifying lens in the Watchmaker's secret lab, shows the Watchmaker simply adding a blob of solder to a standard micro SIM card.

The climax of the movie was shot over two days on Stage 2 at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich) is described as a Foreign Service Officer and State Department employee in the synopsis, and as a member of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security in the dialogue. This context indicates that she is a Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent. All Special Agents are considered to be Foreign Service Officers. Diplomatic Security is the same agency for which Lucas Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) works in The Fast and the Furious franchise.

When her friend holding the art show tells Kate, "I know you have a thing for the underworld", it could be an oblique reference to Milla Jovovich's band's work on the Underworld soundtrack. as well as Milla starring in the Resident Evil film franchise, a franchise compared to the Underworld film franchise, in that they are both supernatural franchises produced by Sony, with a tough female battling evil. As a further oblique reference, in 1999, there was a book in the Resident Evil series called "Underworld".

Overlooking Tower Bridge and the River Thames, Sugar Quay, London was the shooting location of Sam Parker's (Dylan McDermott's) office, where Kate (Milla Jovovich) is reprimanded for blocking Dr. Emil Balan's (Roger Rees') passport request. The place was also the location of the Embassy Bubble, where Sally (Frances de la Tour) tracks Kate's progress when she goes on the run.

The picture was filmed in and around central London, England for five weeks, before relocating to Bulgaria to shoot on-location, and at Boyana Studios in Sofia.

Dylan McDermott and Angela Bassett appeared in Ameerika õudukas (2011).

Angela Bassett and Dylan McDermott appeared in Olümpos on langenud (2013).

The film crew worked through the night at London's iconic St. Pancras Station, filming the scenes in which Kate meets her friend to pick up clothes and money, narrowly avoiding Nash, and the American Embassy officials hot on her trail.

The City of Westminister College was the location used for several of the Embassy rooms and offices; specifically, the Embassy Conference Room where Parker addresses the visa crew and introduces Kate Abbott as their go-to woman for all suspicious visa applications; the visa bullpen where Kate interrogates Dr. Emil Balan; Ambassador Crane's office, and Kate's office wíth a crucial view over the bullpen.

This movie was partially filmed on-location in Bulgaria. The production found a warehouse in Ihtiman, Bulgaria to film scenes. lhtiman is a town located in the lhtimanska Sredna Gora mountains, and lies in a valley approximately fifty kilometers (thirty-one miles) outside of Sofia, Bulgaria. Formally a Roman defensive station, guarding the important roads that run alongside of it, Ihtiman was then called "Stipon". Following the Ottoman domination in the fourteenth century, the town's name became lhtiman, which is thought to be of Ottoman Turkish origin.

Robert Forster and Dylan McDermott appeared in Olümpos on langenud (2013), Autómata (2014), and The Grid (2004)

The rooftop of the notorious Heygate Estate in South London was used for the scenes in which Nash (Pierce Brosnan), Balan (Roger Rees), and Pavlou (Benno Fürmann) discuss their plan. The Heygate Estate is a large housing estate in Eiephant anci eastie, Southwark, South London. Built in 1975, the concept was to link all of the areas of the estate via concrete bridges, so there was no need for residents to walk on pavement, or along roads. The estate was once a popular place to live, housing over three thousand people, but it later developed a reputation for crime, poverty, and dilapidation. Despite currently being demolished as part of the regeneration of Elephant and Castle, the Heygate Estate is regularly used for filming.

Paul Anderson (James D'Arcy) has the same name as Milla Jovovich's real-life husband.

Principal photography began in London, England on January 21, 2014.

The British Airways Flight Training Centre, in Hounslow, England, was the location used for the interior of the airplane Kate Abbott takes to New York City. The flight training centre houses full motion and fixed base símulators, which allow students to practice a full range of realistic scenarios in cabin and flight deck environments.

The Institute of Education in London doubled as the exterior of the American Embassy in London. This is where we first see Kate Abbott arriving on her motorcycle, and are introduced to the ill-fated visa crew.

The dank and grimy tunnels of underground London were built on Stage 1 at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 in London was the location used for Kate's departure to New York City. Terminal 5 was opened in 2008. The main building in the complex is the largest free-standing structure in the UK. Designed to handle thirty-five million passengers a year, the terminal building cost four billion British pounds to build, and took nineteen years from conception to completion, including the longest public inquiry in British history.

According to the Wikipedia website, "Emma Thompson was cast, and appeared in promotional material for the film, but she pulled out at the last minute."

This movie was released in the same year as numerous other spy, espionage, intelligence, and secret agent movies, with a couple of them also comedies. The movies include Spioon (2015) (a Bond spoof); 007: Spectre (2015); Sicario (2015) (F.B.I.; which has a title which is almost an anagram of Ian Fleming's "Risico" (1960) James Bond short story, bar the letter "A"); Survivor (2015) starring Pierce Brosnan; Must missa (2015) (F.B.I.); Mortdecai (2015) (has an MI5 Agent lead character); Queen of the Desert (2015) (central character was a World War I attaché to the British Secret Service); the Bondian Furious Seven (2015); Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015); Steven Spielberg's Spioonide sild (2015) (a cold war espionage thriller); Koodnimi U.N.C.L.E. (2015) (Ian Fleming was an original co-creator); MI-5 (2015); and Kingsman: Salateenistus (2014) (a Bondesque homage), a 2014 film, but which was mostly widely theatrically released in 2015. Also in theaters in 2015 from 2014, was Pierce Brosnan and 007: Veidi lohutust (2008)'s Olga Kurylenko in Novembrimees (2014); and the heavily Oscar nominated World War II espionage film, Imiteerimismäng (2014). First released in 2014, were 3 Days to Kill (2014) and Jack Ryan: Variagent (2014).

The production utilized the exterior spaces at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, and several of its stages for the set builds. London's Shepherd's Market was replicated on the backlot.

Kate's apartment was built on Stage 5 at the Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria for one day's filming, before it was struck and rebuilt into Pavlou's Landmark Penthouse office.

Stage 6 at Nu Boyana Studios was used for the set build of the Watchmaker's shop, a testament to time, where Pavlou visits Nash to alert him of Kate Abbott's existence. The soundstage was then transformed into Bill Talbot's apartment, where Kate and Parker discover a vital piece of the missing puzzle.

Stage 6 at Nu Boyana Studios was used for the set build of the Watchmaker's shop, it being a testament to time. This soundstage was then transformed into Bill Talbot's (Robert Forster's) apartment.

The name of the intelligence agency, for which Kate (Milla Jovovich) worked, at the U.S. Embassy in London, was the American Diplomatic Security Service, a.k.a. the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, which is abbreviated as D.S. or D.S.S.

The production notes say of Pierce Brosnan's former film career as famous British Secret Agent James Bond: "ln the 1990s, Brosnan reinvigorated the popularity of the Bond legacy in box-office blockbusters 007: Kuldsilm (1995), 007: Igavene homne (1997), 007: Liiga kitsas maailm (1999), and 007: Surra veel üks päev (2002). Brosnan's first three Bond films earned over a billion dollars at the international box-office, and 007: Surra veel üks päev (2002) alone garnered almost a half-billion dollars worldwide."

The nickname of Nash (Pierce Brosnan) was "The Watchmaker".

The picture filmed on-location, as well as at Nu Boyana Studios in Bulgaria.

Some of the New York City New Year's Eve street scenes, at the end of the film, were filmed on the South Colonnade at Canary Wharf, London, in front of the One Canada Square and Citibank buildings.

The dank and grimy tunnels of underground London were built on Stage 1 at the Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria for the scenes where Nash chases Kate through the catacombs.

The picture filmed on-location in Bulgaria. The production found a warehouse in Ihtiman to film the scene in which Kate Abbott discovers the dead bodies of four scientists who worked for Dr. Emil Balan at a secret location in New York City.

The climax of the movie was shot over two days on Stage 2, filming the desperate fight between Nash and Kate on a New York City rooftop, as the New Year's Eve countdown begins.

User reviews

BeatHoWin

I couldn't even finish the movie. She is supposed to be a security expert and doesn't know anything about keeping herself safe. I'm certainly not a security expert by any means but I do have some common sense. She doesn't put the scarf around her head to mask her face, she knows cameras are there but looks straight into them. She goes to predictable places, finds her friends to help her making them targets. She doesn't get rid of the tracking chip that's in her ID. She doesn't show an ounce of actual emotion throughout any of the movie. After running from the Ambassador, almost getting shot and then almost getting killed by the Pierce's character, she runs home and then cuddles with Sam. She seeks him get killed and barely reacts other than running away. Sure she can make the phone jiggle when she's "scared" but that's as believable as it gets. Yikes.

Tygralbine

No one ever said that a film has to be Nolan era cryptic to be appreciated. But that doesn't mean there should be a critical lapse in logic either. In the wake of increasing terror attacks around the world, Survivor might have timing on its side but precious little else when viewed as a straight-up action thriller.

A bulk of that problem lies with the severely disjointed story of a girl that cried wolf. That girl is Foreign Service Officer Kate Abbott (Mila Jovovich), newly stationed at the American Embassy in London. Abbott comes with an impressive resume but despite her commendable experience in profiling terror suspects, can't seem to convince her boss and Ambassador to the UK (Angela Bassett) that certain visa applicants to the United States have diabolical motives. One such applicant is a Romanian doctor who calls The Watchmaker (Pierce Brosnan), an accomplice and hit-man, to eliminate Abbott. Their plan – bomb a restaurant she's dinning at. Of course, Abbott survives, and just minutes later, appears to have killed an embassy official thanks to social media. It's the first of several laughable face-palm moments. Now going from the frying pan into the fire, Abbott is targeted by British authorities, American authorities and The Watchmaker himself, before trying to single-handedly foil a massive terror attack on US soil.

By now you must have noticed a string of inconsistencies that are not only illogical but absurd. Why would a skilled hit-man blow up a restaurant just to kill an unarmed office worker with no field experience? With CCTV coverage at every nook and cranny in London, why would the US Embassy implicate one of its own without a shred of evidence? As an Embassy officer with diplomatic immunity, why is Abbott hiding? Even if there are justifiable theories to those questions, nothing can prepare you for the ludicrous nature of how the entire story is penned. Pacing is an even bigger issue coming from James McTeigue, the same director responsible for the fantastic V For Vendetta. Except for Abbott's unbelievable escapes every time The Watchmaker strikes, the rest of the film comprises of time filling goose chases from one plot point to another. It doesn't register and neither does Brosnan's villain who goes from brutal to clumsy in direct reference to the title.

Documenting a movie experience is never easy when you have certain expectations, only to be let down by poor execution, lazy scripting and wooden performances. At best, Survivor is a film with a bunch of talented actors struggling to bring out an honorable tribute to law enforcement agencies thwarting terror attacks since 9/11. Although that message is intrepid, the film isn't and anyone watching this film won't remember what it stands for.

Zetadda

It's difficult to put time into writing a review of a movie that the writer/ director didn't put time into doing basic research. My first hint that this would be incredulous was the very first scene which was a pre-dawn raid in Afghanistan at '05.02 UTC'. Well, that's actually 9:32 Afghan time and the sun has long been up. The next scene took place sometime in the morning in London and gave the 'GMT' timezone. Hmmm.. GMT and UTC are the same thing for practical purposes. OK, enough about timezones... However, the rest of the movie was full of the same type of nonsense - it would have been enjoyable if the writer/ director had at least some sort of clue about government protocols and procedures (I'm no expert, but I at least have a clue): Visa clerks are relatively low-level employees that don't warrant expert international terrorists to try to kill them because they denied a visa to someone. Senior embassy staff don't give the OK to host countries to kill their staff because of shallow and questionable evidence. Host nationals cannot demand that a US embassy gives a visa to anyone. Ah... enough already. I didn't finish the movie it was so bad.

Mr.Bean

I was really looking forward to this film, Director James McTeigue had made me an instant fan with "V for Vendetta".

Pierce Brosnan did an admirable job with the material that he was given, evoking the same ice cold villain persona that he had perfected in such films as "The Fourth Protocol" and "Don't Talk to Strangers".

Milla Jovovich is a decent actress but much of her role involves reacting to situations with close ups of shock/surprise. It was not a good fit.

Supporting actors including Robert Forster and Angela Basset round out the impressive cast but they are largely wasted.

I see 2 main issues with this film:

1) The storyline is very clichéd, especially the predictable 3rd act and much of the dialogue is very stilted. 2) The CGI in many parts is sub par and takes you out of your suspension of disbelief.

Having said all this, I still found it to be a competent thriller worth watching with these caveats.

heart of sky

Under the guardianship of the Wachowski siblings, director James McTeigue made the excellent V for Vendetta and the very entertaining Ninja Assassin. However, on his own, his career considerably decreased with the mediocre The Raven, and more recently, the awful Survivor. And the worst thing of all is that Survivor counted with some ingredients for a solid action film: good actors and enough money to shoot in various countries and bring a cosmopolitan atmosphere to the film. Unfortunately, those elements are wasted due to a bad screenplay with no rhyme or reason. Or maybe, the fault was mine for having expected a dynamic and stylized film from McTeigue, supported by two solid actors (Pierce Brosnan and Milla Jovovich) in the leading roles. Instead of that, I found a bad episode of Covert Affairs (I even feel I'm insulting it; my apologies to the fans of that series). It wasn't a bad idea to focus on the proceedings of an embassy; however, the logic of the screenplay of Survivor (let's not even talk about credibility) immediately crumbles when the affair of the visa unleashes a major assault whose only result is drawing the attention to the terrorists' plan. And things go from bad to worse when we find out the fact that said plan makes no sense, besides of the fact it could easily be avoided if the heroin didn't make such absurd decisions while she tries to solve everything on her own. On the other hand, we have "the best assassin in the world" with an awful aiming and null physical aptitude. And the least I say about the "tense" conclusion developed in a huge public event with one million of people, the better. And don't expect to find the attractive visual style displayed by McTeigue in V for Vendetta and Ninja Assassin; Survivor never overcomes the appearance of a TV movie. I wish McTeigue better luck with his next film; I just hope he hasn't missed the telephone number of the Wachowski siblings.

Vishura

From the cliché ridden 1-dimensional plot to the 2-dimensional cardboard cutout non-characters, this movie amazingly lacks even a single redeeming feature. Should come with a disclaimer - "the presence of well known actors in no way implies that any skill or talent was involved in the making of this movie." There are many ways to approach this kind of story - lone protagonist wrongly accused and hunted by the authorities, and by the bad guys, who is the only one who can prevent Something Bad Happening. This movie approaches it by lazy scripting, indifference to any kind of realism, not bothering with dialog or scenes that might have added a touch of individuality to any of the characters. Each character is a cliché to him/herself, and does/says nothing to personalise the role. Each scene either directly furthers the single-track plot, or fills time until the next plot point is reached. Without these empty scenes, the whole movie would be over in about 15 minutes.

Now, if it had a seriously agile kick-ass protagonist and an endless supply of kung-fu baddie henchmen instead of one tired looking former 007, then it could have been a wonderful Jacky Chan movie, despite the lack of plot and characters, just get the director to plant cameras on tripods and let the fight scenes unfold before our astonished eyes, and make sure the editor goes easy on the cuts. That way you could have 75 minutes of action and 15 minutes of obligatory (but don't take it seriously) plot to frame it, and everyone would have been happy.

Ah, maybe that's what it was. They found a script for a martial arts vehicle and thought they could skip the martial arts, too hard, too expensive, can't be bothered. In a word, lazy.

As a film-school assignment, it would earn an F.

Some nice shots of London, I suppose.

Hucama

Good actors with an absolutely moronic script.. !!!!!! After the first 30 minutes you want to pull your hair out. Professional people who can't seem to put an coherent sentence together to explain what they are doing.or why. People who are in high places who want to risk it all to kill someone who actually no longer can hurt them ?? The entire plot starts to feel like a three stooges adventure on steroids.. Everyone becomes either incoherent, non functional, or just an out right idiot. Love Milla's acting and I usually think highly of Pierce Bronson's work but he seems as if he's uninterested and on Valium throughout this film.. I've seen worse films but when you expect at least an effective thriller and all you get is an insult to your intelligence, well it can anger you.

Winawel

what a horrible, unrealistic movie...

So Pierce is supposed to be The Watchmaker, one of the top assassins in the world, BUT it's just toooooo hard to catch Milla, a worker in the embassy issuing visas lmao...

of course all the British cops, NYPD, and the US Marines are retarded and can't catch her either...but then again cops all over the world are portrayed in every movie as idiots and can never catch anyone...

Personally I didn't know that Pierce was playing a bad guy in this movie otherwise I might not have watched it... I prefer him playing the hero since I think he is much more suited in that role than as the antagonist... still that wasn't the reason why I rooted for Pierce to kill Milla throughout the movie. It's that Pierce Brosnan and Dylan Mcdermott were the only 2 believable, or even likable, characters in this movie...

I only felt bad for her coworkers who were killed in the beginning of the movie in the restaurant, but, never once, did I feel bad for Milla's character.. She was practically Jason Bourne in this movie anyways... Never mind that she doesn't have any sort of training or background in this movie to make that even remotely believable in the storyline...

The fight near the end of the movie is, of course, once again, ridiculous... Pierce Brosnan, as the Watchmaker, one of the most wanted assassins in the world, couldn't beat Milla in a 1 on 1 physical combat... I mean why should he win? He's only the top assassin while she is a super embassy worker....

so yeah the movie can be described in pretty much one word...

"WHATEVER"

Hasirri

I was expecting too low from this movie because it's ratings and reviews weren't colorful. But I developed a different perception after watching the movie. It's worth the time at-least.

I dislike how countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and other Islamic countries are portrayed in cinemas. Can't Americans, Europeans Mongols or Aryans be terrorist? Big head movie makers- knowingly- unknowingly- around the globe are promoting that Islam oriented citizens are dangerous. I don't understand, are we trying to shape a culture here?

This is not just about this movie, instead, I hate it every time when one offends or accuses the other no matter in what direction it flows.

If I keep aside those feeling, I will have to state that I liked all other aspects of this movie. But maybe bonding a little more between the viewer and Abbott (Milla Jovovich) would have had made the movie even better.

Peras

It is the first time that I am officially writing a review on a medium.

Had a lot of expectations due to Pierce coming in as a villain and that too with a deadly look. Milla is a delight in action or thriller, I hoped this would be a slick story of surviving.

Alas, this was painful, depressing and utterly stupid. Logic just doesn't seem to be taken into account at any point of time. We have seen such types of movies previously, wherein the protagonist becomes the target. So, no surprises, why Milla keeps hiding and trying to survive assassination. Multiple time - So, it is titled survivor. It becomes boring as heck. Simply pathetic.

At the climax, which I was eagerly waiting for, so this could just get over. As everyone would know what the climax is, if you dare to watch, I was rooting someone would freaking kill Milla and get the BOMB to explode. That would have been something of this nothing of a movie.

To sum up, Pierce was good but his character just didn't get anything worth mentioning. Milla for one was absolutely cast wrong. She was acting so dumb and clueless even a 5 year old would be able to solve the puzzle.

Hope they work on getting a better director and writer, next time.

Mitars Riders

Like most, I decided to read the reviews on this site.

For me, the review was one telling me to give it a miss. I am happy to say I ignored that bad review. Really, this film is worth a watch, great story which could be hard to follow for some. As you do need to pay attention, to what is going on, otherwise you will not understand the story at all.

This could be the reason, why some have said it is not worth the look. Because unlike most of the films out today. This one has you doing some mental work, which I found refreshing.

A good line up of stars in this, and the way it was put together made me give it 9 out of 10. I would have given it 10 out of 10, because I wanted to see what happened afterwards.

Worth a watch, full of action and will keep you wanting more all through the film. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Bludworm

I am shocked at some of the reviews. The movie grabs you from the start and keeps you involved and waiting for the next action packed scene. Brosnan is truly believable in his role and so are all of the other cast members. Yes it does have some..well in real life it might not happen this way..but overall a cliff hanger..Demonstrates the corruption that can lead to terrorist attacks in our system. And how easily the person who is the most patriotic can be turns on and condemned and sees as a problem instead. I was on the edge of my seat..great acting and a great script. Okay I'm a Brosnan fan and loved the fact that he could play this role with such conviction and good acting..Obviously he should still be James Bond instead of you know who.

Kea

The header says it all and there is not much to add. I was honestly interested and therefore gave it all the chances but it did not deliver. Not many films with such a potentially good cast, an interesting premise and a decent exposition are so incredibly disappointing. As the film enters the second act, it becomes less plausible by the minute, while characters seem to evolve "backwards" and lose their credibility with every single scene they play, including protagonists. Then the finale is the peak of nothingness, non-tension and absolutely not worthy of a political thriller. No, this is an accumulation of bad writing in the first place, clumsy staging / directing in the second place and mediocre acting by some thespians who usually don't disappoint, while here they do. Often visibly second-rate CGI does not do well either (the first three minutes have the look and feel of a 1990s fan movie). While Pierce Brosnan has some interesting moments in his icy interpretation of an otherwise unmotivated villain, the great Angela Bassett is totally wasted with the flat character of US ambassador. No development, no second level, no nothing. Ah, and Milla Jovovic is what is she, playing dumb, following her instincts because the director left her no other choice, trying to make her character a little more less bi-dimensional? Whatever she does, it doesn't really work: she's unable to build a credible protagonist with this writing material.

Sorry but whoever green-lit this did not read the script or was in a hurry to get production go ahead too early. And whoever gave this film to THIS director also did not read the script, otherwise he/she would have known that only a good (at least decent) director could perhaps have saved the miserable writing. Overall one huge disappointment that fails to deliver almost everywhere..

Fani

"Survivor" is a 2015 film starring Pierce Brosnan, Milla Jovovich, Dylan McDermott, Robert Forster, Angela Bassett, and 'Vicious' star Frances de la Tour.

In London, a new State Department employee, Kate Abbott (Jovovich) has the assignment of examining all visas and keeping terrorists out of the U.K. There is a traitor in their midst, and her refusal to back down makes her a target for death, and she is framed for explosions and murders.

Kate goes on the run and soon learns of an attack to take place in New York City. She is being trailed by one of the most successful and ruthless assassins of all time, Nash (Brosnan), known as the Watchmaker.

Everyone in her office has turned against her except for Sam (McDermott) and Sally (de la Tour) who know she is innocent. In fact, one of the big bosses (Angela Bassett) wants her shot on sight.

Kate must get out of the country and go to New York and stop the attack. Will it be possible with the Watchmaker after her?

This is a very exciting film, especially the finale, but the story is absurd. First of all, why is it that the notorious Watchmaker can't seem to shoot this slip of a girl but he manages to kill everyone else he meets? And her escapes, particularly underneath the subway -- unreal.

Second - this woman is supposedly excellent at profiling terrorist subjects, so how come no one wants her to do her job and wants her to let people in she isn't sure about?

Also, anyone who watches modern British mystery or suspense films knows that the Brits have CCTV - so why can't they find her when she's above ground?

Another thing - her friend brings her money. She must have brought her an absolute fortune. I wish I had friends who had thousands of dollars hanging around their apartments. Kate manages to get the money and buys a London to New York ticket, and somehow gets her hands on a laptop - I must have missed that scene. And she didn't shop around for it either - she probably just grabbed it and paid full price.

When she gets to New York to singlehandedly stop this terrorist attack, she offers a driver $500 for the evening. She was rolling in dough.

I will admit the film was both scary and thrilling, with some remarkable chase scenes, and good London locations. And the last part is top-notch.

The acting is quite good. I have seen Milla Jovovich in films before, but frankly I wouldn't know her if I fell over her. I never remember who she is or recognize her. That's either a good or a bad thing, I don't know which. At any rate, she was excellent here except for a small thing.

Her fear, her terror, her horror was real in the chase scenes, and you felt it. One would think when she wasn't running she'd act a little traumatized, but she didn't. I put that down to Kate's training, but I'm not sure Kate was trained to be shot at and chased.

I kept remembering Genevieve Bujold in Coma coming home and telling Michael Douglas, "Someone is putting people into comas" and gradually becoming more and more hysterical. More realistic.

Pierce Brosnan is probably the only Hollywood leading man who hasn't had a face lift or dyed his hair. He looks every second of his sixty years. And mean as he was and good as he was in the role, it's time for him to put his gun and running shoes away.

I still don't understand why he, Harrison Ford, and Clint Eastwood get to keep doing these leads and most women their age are put out to pasture.

"Survivor" is a good rental. If you saw it in the theater, I think you would have been disappointed.

Xmatarryto

'Get me the trackers on the satellite...NOW!!!' (Cut to scene of dashingly handsome square-jawed actor in a suit his character could never afford while standing next to product placed Pepsi can.) 'That's a breach of diplomatic protocols and you damn well know it Bill!' (Cut to scene of drop dead gorgeous actress using product placed Samsung.) 'You can't touch her...she has diplomatic immunity!' (Cut to scene of most picturesque tourist view of London.) 'The President is expecting answers damn it!!' (Cut to scene of underground bunker full of beep-beeping computers and hi-tech screens while someone types away furiously without ever looking at what's appearing on the monitor.) Get the picture yet? Sure you do...This is a movie so riddled with clichés and hackneyed dialogue that the viewer really can predict what will happen in each and every scene. And straight down that path of total predictability it goes without ever touching the sides.

To my surprise, there are some big name actors in this drivel - not one of whom needed the money so, we must simply surmise that they participated in this movie...well, for the money, obviously. Roger Rees is a very fine actor but his extremely dodgy middle European accent here is frankly comical. Frances De La Tour, consummate professional that she is, manages to keep her face straight while spouting non-sensical garbage. Dylan What-his-face just provides eye candy for the girls because his lines are so corny as to merit an award from the Wheat Farmers' Society. Mila Jovovich strides around London (which is portrayed as being about as big as a Hicksville instead of the largest city in Europe) in flowing open top blouses in the depths of a rainy winter and evades the (stereotypically) inept British police about 20 times, all in the most ludicrous of circumstances. And as for Pierce Brosnan, well dear old Pierce is just about the only saving grace in this twaddle. Because he consistently acts as if he believes what he's saying...even if he's the only one who knows it's all totally unbelievable. So, I'll give him full credit for making the best of a truly bad lot. I'm sure as he stands on the terrace of the beautiful Italian villa he bought with the money from this rubbish film he'll allow himself a little giggle as he reaches for another glass of Oltre Pavese Bianco to have with his Spaghetti Frutti di Mare as the sun sets over the Med. Good on you Pierce. Nice work if you can get it.

Everyone else involved had best shut up and never mention that they had any association with this nonsense. It will soon be forgotten anyway...very, very soon.

DarK-LiGht

With way more holes in in than Swiss cheese this hokum is trite trash at best. The film squanders a great cast with a script that should never have been green lighted and then proceeds to go to some laughably illogical places.

The performances are fine and I even watched the whole thing - but honestly, it was tough going when half the time your brain is going "What? Why? How?"

The theme of thwarting the terrorist mega-plot is a good one, but making it into a bad episode of CSI/24 is not.

Honestly? Only worth your time if you absolutely will watch any spy film.

Blueshaper

I have to say that I feel that the reviews of this film have been a bit harsh. I've seen many movies that I've enjoyed a whole lot more and I've also seen many others that I've enjoyed a whole lot less. Perhaps our anticipation plays a big part in our assessment of a movie? Survivor has a simple plot and if taken as a simple action movie then it's an acceptable, if easily forgettable, piece of cinematic entertainment.

If you go to see this movie on the basis of its trailer or the 'starry' cast and expect a solid well-planned action movie you will be very disappointed: the scriptwriting and direction are not sub-par, they are downright abysmal and the plot can only aspire to be abysmal but I've enjoyed a lot of 'B' movies over the decades that suffered from the same issues.

Bottom Line? The movie should have been sold as a medium burger with a bit of dressing and not a six or eight course meal. Accept is as such and I don't think you'll come away feeling cheated.

Golkis

So many stars in this film then it just has to be amazing. Oh how wrong I was. My only guess is that they are doing this film as a favour to someone.

The story is so non-sensical it just leaves you gobsmacked that they had the nerve to write it. The story is one long cliché after another and relies heavily on coincidence, chance and one hell of a lot of luck.

If you choose to watch this then I guarantee you will talk all the way through it. You will constantly repeat that it doesn't make sense. That would never happen. They could never do that. That is too convenient. Why is the ambassador now a security expert?

I'm sorry but there is no way I can recommend this. I gave it four stars well, just for the stars that were in it. They are all top actors. But they have sold out on this one. It is a dud : (

santa

I went along with the memories of Pierce Brosnan doing dodgy running and wave scenes from Bond but these are quickly forgotten as you soon find the he has in a way matured and like a wine got better with age. However I can't help thinking that they would of been better sticking to the Olympus has Fallen stable and just used Gerard Butler as the villain! The whole film is clearly made by the OHF team all with a slightly different rolls but with an unexpected appearance Frances de la Tour.

For those who love films set in London this a gem, all set in the West End and Mayfair finally ending up New York. The film gets going right away and there is hardly a moment that dulls your attention. Milla plays her part well and with a physique she can certainly pack a punch. It does take a bit of time to work out what is going in the beginning but as you get going you realise someone in the production team has done a bit research into Embassy and SiS protocols. There are clearly nods to Bourne films as well. Only moan was that ending was a bit lacklustre and could of been stretched out a bit. I appears they ran out of time and budget and just wanted to go home. Definitely worth a watch....

Rko

When A Foreign Service Officer Played By The Irresistible Lady (Milla Jovovich) gets mixed up in a terror attack, she becomes the target and the center of an international manhunt. Now she must urgently avoid all the men who want to kill her and get rid off her while clearing her name by tracking down "The Watchmaker" (Pierce Brosnan), one of the world's most deadly assassins.

This movie deserves to win 5 Oscars: for best story,best acting,best direction,best action and best movie of 2015.

I really loved the great acting of the sweet lady (Milla Jovovich). This movie is Milla's best role.

I advise everyone not to skip this terrific movie!.

Kalrajas

I am pretty sure that if you have seen your share of thrillers, you will have a great feeling of deja vu while watching "Survivor". The same basic plot has been done many times before. To be fair, there are a few fresh touches, like the fact that the heroine of the movie is not a superwoman, just very smart. And Milla Jovovich does do pretty well in this role. And for what was just reportedly just a $20 million budget, the movie generally looks pretty good. Anyway, I wouldn't have minded that fairly predictable script had the main problem I had with the movie not existed, and that problem is that the movie isn't very exciting or tense enough. There's almost a matter-of-fact feeling throughout. We don't sense that the heroine is in real danger or that something very bad is brewing that could bring a major disaster. Maybe had the budget been higher, the production could have not only put in a few more action sequences, but made them more elaborate, which might have gotten the blood really pumping. This movie really isn't bad, but it's without much needed bite. By the way, fans of Angela Bassett and/or Robert Forster should be warned that they are given precious little to do.

Natety

The beginning of Survivior is very good. I was excited, and caught myself thinking this is gonna be one of the really good ones.. Unfortunately, it sloped downwards a little bit after a while and towards the end. Not that it was bad at the end, but it didn't keep me that entertained through-out the whole thing.

Not that it is bad in any way, really, it is pretty exciting, but for some reason the second half is just a little less entertaining than the beginning. Real shame. This could have been an 8, maybe even a 9!

Milla Jovovich is pretty good, although she does this weird thing with her mouth at times, which I can't remember her doing before. Maybe it is just more noticeable now that she is a bit older. (my eyes are drawn to peoples mouths, so that's why I see stuff like that) Anyway, she did a pretty good job. Same with Pierce Brosnan, he was convincing. A little unlikable, actually, but I think he was supposed to be.

The action is pretty good, it's not excellent, but good enough. There are some minor plot holes, er things that don't quite add up, didn't bother me though.

There are a couple of explosions, and one of them was kind of unpleasant to watch. Not that it was graphic, but it just made an impact on me. The scene really got through the raw power of an explosion. I like stuff like that, stuff that stick with you. I have seen hundreds of explosions in movies, and very seldom do they stick with me.

Survivior is a pretty solid, entertaining thriller, keeps you entertained for the most part. Also I like seeing a woman in a part like this, because we have seen it with men just about a squadrillion times.

Jorius

"Survivor" is a classic "wrong man" movie – a wrongly-accused hero, generally being chased and/or shot at for most of the movie – Hitchcock made a number of them.

This particular genre of suspenser is hard to bring off successfully, as it requires the actor, director and writer(s) to develop a central character with whom ALL audience members will empathise, regardless of their individual personalities – and sexes.

In the case of "Survivor" the sex is female; Milla Jovovich. Although many release posters suggest the psychotic hit-man who spends most of the film chasing and shooting at her – Pierce Brosnan – is actually the central character. I wonder why – NOT.

But apart from a minor editing screwup in the final dénouement (which I cannot describe, as it will constitute a "spoiler") this was the only cloud over a hugely entertaining film.

Although if you read the critiques – both professional and amateur – of this piece, you could be forgiven for thinking it a major turkey. Which it certainly is not. Perhaps a diet of comic-book movies has softened the brains of said critics.

However, I must mention a CURIOUS thing about this film – its GROSS.

After more than half-an-hour of exhaustive research on the Interweb, I could NOT find the movie's "domestic" (American) or most of the Rest Of The World's BOX-OFFICE (half of which ends up as the net).

All I know is that despite most of the film being shot in London (by whom gawdnose – the film's credits gloss OVER those details) with exteriors in New York and interiors in Bulgaria, the budget was surprisingly small for such a production – just 20 million USD.

And that it took half a mill in China, a few grand elsewhere and a couple of mill from DVDs, TV and so on. In fact, I myself saw it on HBO, screened just six months after its theatrical release.

But of its all-important US and UK gross, I could find ZIP (and believe me, I tried). Those figures are being kept as secret as the formula for Coke.

The only clue came from Wiki, who said the movie had been released in both markets – but in The States, only as a LIMITED release. HOW limited? Five hundred screens? Just FIVE? We do not know.

Furthermore, after the critical mauling it received, it appears to have had NO backing from its distributors.

Which is sad, because an INVOLVING film like "Survivor" is RARE these days, in a business now geared primarily for mindless CGI blockbusters for KIDS.

Also sad is the fact that Welsh actor Roger Rees made this film while suffering from brain cancer – he died shortly after.

I am only glad that I discovered all of the above AFTER I had watched this EXCELLENT film. Catch it if you can.

Waiso

I was a little leery after reading so many negative reviews but decided to give it a chance. I am so very glad I did. All the actors, many I am sure you've loved in other works, were excellent in this action thriller. I have always been a fan of Pierce Brosnan, and he has delivered once again. Milla Jovovich is as talented as ever, and the list of great stars is huge! Please, don't listen to all the haters who have bashed this film. I think that many of the negative reviewers must not have watched the same piece of art that I did. If you are an action thriller fan you will not be disappointed. Watch it. Judge for yourself. I promise you will at least like if not love this movie.

Bad Sunny

Where do they get the ideas for such nonsense.

Security chief at the US Embassy in London Milla Jovovich discovers something fishy and as a result the worlds most feared hit man for no sensible reason is sent to kill her and makes a horses arse out of himself blowing up a restaurant and then showing how useless he was at shooting at her from about 10 yards away.

The acting is poor and the script laughable. One nonsensical scene has Dylan McDermott walk up to a major crime scene and simply says 'American Embassy' to a policeman, as if that would magically grant him access. But of course it does without the copper even bothering to ask for some form of ID. And the policeman in charge is referred to as 'inspector' rather than detective inspector or detective chief inspector which are real police ranks here. Does America know anything about the real world? It seems not!

Then Milla becomes the worlds most wanted after 'killing' traitor Robert Forster in a public place. Then after discovering a dastardly plot to blow up Times Square instead of telling her bosses she impossibly is able to just wander onto a flight to New York on New Years Eve. Followed by the now worlds most useless assassin Pierce Brosnan who has had so many attempts to kill her fail he should have just gave up and had a cup of Horlicks.

Then some other stuff happens and the worlds most, by now, inept assassin gets his ass kicked, by what is just another bureaucrat regardless of her fancy title, and falls off a tall building.

Milla vindicated her boss tells her he had faith in her judgement and all's well that ends well.

As we say here in England. 'What a load of b#llocks'. Giving it 1 is too kind. If you want to see how to do this really well take a look at Dirty War (2004) from BBC and HBO.

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