This is not terrible. It's just that I'd expected so much more from talented writer-director John Michael McDonagh. His third feature film seems to lack all of the ingenuity and writing skills that impressed so greatly in his previous works.

The lead actors delivered very cavalier, and at times self-satisfied performances of material that begged to be delivered with a dry and dark British sensibility (and in the interest of fairness I thought Theo James was bas too. Totally miscast as the tough baddie). Getting the performances he needed from his stars was the Writer/Director John Michael McDonough's job, so he shoulders the blame for this poor movie right alongside it's stars Michael Pena and Alexander Skarsgard. It's a shame too, because the elements were there on paper and to be honest, the films not poorly written or shot (Though some of the humor crossed the line into bad taste).The one bright spot in this movie was Caleb Landry Jones, who delivered a really fun performance as a foppish strip club owner (I believe) who I think was connected to Theo James' bad guy.So unless you're a John Michael McDonough fan I think this is a film you can skip.

Back in 2014, U.K based director John Michael McDonagh gave us Calvary.A follow-up to his well-regarded, if little seen dark comedy The Guard, Calvary saw McDonagh reteaming with his leading man Brendan Gleeson to deliver a refreshingly unique and utterly captivating experience that had many justifiably excited for what the promising director would dish up next.Taking his time before treating us to his next feature length experience, it's with great disappointment that McDonagh's Calvary follow-up is War on Everyone, a film that wants you to desperately like its politically incorrect and unashamedly seedy "comedic" look at Michael Pena's and Alexander Skarsgard's loose unit police officers Bob Balano and Terry Monroe as they traverse a barely their story of criminals and corrupt cops, filled with Glen Campbell classics, sprinklings of hard-core violence and a script that wishes it was written by Quintin Tarantino.Both The Guard and Calvary found a great balance between dramatic ticks, storyline and comedic moments (most darkly morbid and totally politically incorrect) but War on Everyone never once nails it's convoluted components and it really feels as though McDonagh is clutching at straws in his first Hollywood picture, rather than walking his own beat like he did with his impressive one-two debut films.There are moments within the film where characters ramble about the importance of scripts in films and how they're the making or breaking of what makes a great film so it's clear McDonagh knows the importance of a good script (although he is responsible for writing the 2003 misfire Ned Kelly) and it's something we know his capable of but the failings of War on Everyone are never more evident in how experienced and well regarded actors like Pena and Skarsgard deliver their lines without energy or life as they meander about McDonagh's shady story.Both these characters are neither likable, nor are they interesting enough to make us dislike them, they're just not appealing in general. Perhaps had the film included a story with any form of mystery or villains that steal the show we might've cared more but trying to enliven the film with misguided romantic sub-plots or bizarrely towards the end of proceedings a child exploitation plot device, McDonagh doesn't seem comfortable in his world, a facet that was certainly not the case in his early works.Final Say – If you've ever thought that the idea of two deadbeat cops running down a mime in their patrol car, taking drugs with informants or talking about cinematic auteur Steven Soderbergh is the stuff of movie magic then the War on Everyone might just be your new favourite comedy but for the rest of us, McDonagh's extremely disappointing and criminally unfunny film is cause for concern for a filmmaker that has the talent to be anything, both great or bad.1 Icelandic getaway out of 5

The only reason for the high score is for the cinematography. This was a total waste of $1.50 at Red Box. Could not even get through the 2nd track. Acting was dry and stiff, poor direction, poor editing. Comedic timing was off by miles. If this was given to a talented director ( Tim Miller, Deadpool )and a decent editor, I might have finished watching.