Push ** (2009, Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou) – Classic Movie Review 12,544

Scottish film director Paul McGuigan’s stylish if baffling 2009 American science fiction superhero thriller film Push stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou.

In the screenplay, which is written by David Bourla, a group of people with superhuman abilities unite to take down a secret government agency out to enhance their powers by using a dangerous drug that is genetically transforming normal citizens into an army of super soldiers. Chris Evans stars as Nick Gant, an untrained Mover hiding in Hong Kong from the Division. When he was a child he witnessed his father being murdered by Agent Carver and now he has difficulty controlling his power. Dakota Fanning also stars as Cassie Holmes, a 13-year-old Watcher and the daughter of the most powerful Watcher that the Division has encountered. Cassie’s abilities are not fully developed and she is sometimes confused by her premonitions.

Push (2009, Chris Evans).

It is not your usual superhero thriller film and there is hardly a dull moment in its brisk-moving 111 minutes. If the script is unfathomable, there is certainly always plenty going on, and there is much evidence of intelligence at work, with plenty of panache in Peter Sova’s cinematography. It is oddly likeable and a bit of a style object.

Principal photography took place in Hong Kong, where Evans suffered bruises doing his own fight scenes.

It is made by Icon Productions and Summit Entertainment released the film on 6 February 2009.

The film grossed $48,858,618 worldwide on a budget cost of $38 million. But there were also DVD sales of $16,285,488 in the US alone making it a moderate success.

American actor Scott Evans (born September 21, 1983) is the younger brother of Chris Evans.

The cast are Chris Evans as Nick Gant, Colin Ford as young Nick, Dakota Fanning as Cassie Holmes, Sarah Frank as Cassie’s mother, Camilla Belle as Kira Hudson/ Hollis, Djimon Hounsou as Division Agent Henry Carver, Joel Gretsch as Jonah Gant, Ming-Na Wen as Emily Wu, Cliff Curtis as Hook Waters, Nate Mooney as Pinky Stein, Corey Stoll as Sniffer Agent Mack, Scott Michael Campbell as Sniffer Agent Holden, Neil Jackson as Victor Budarin, Maggie Siff as Teresa Stowe.

The films of Paul McGuigan: The Acid House (1998), Gangster No 1 (2000), The Reckoning (2003), Wicker Park (2004), Lucky Number Slevin (2006), Push (2009), Victor Frankenstein (2015), and Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (2017).

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,544

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