Year of Release: 2023
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, Hugh Grant, Daisy Head, Chloe Coleman, Rege-Jean Page, Will Irvine, Nicholas Blane, Bryan Larkin, Spencer Wilding, Kyle Hixon, Georgia Landers
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
The writing/producing and directing duo of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein have made a name for themselves since they wrote Seth Gordon's "Horrible Bosses", and have since then tackled interesting projects such as Jon Watts' "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and even this year's maligned "The Flash" which was directed by Andy Muschietti. Their prior directorial effort was the well received "Game Night", featuring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is based on the game of the same name, and focuses its narrative on bard Edgin Darvis, who lives with his wife and young daughter in the Forgotten Realms. Edgin's life suffers a dramatic turnaround, which includes the death of his wife, resulting in him having to figure out a different way to make a living, which eventually finds him resorting to theft, with a series of accomplices which includes Holga, Simon the sorcerer, Forge who is a con artist, and Forge's acquaintance Sofina. While trying to steal a "Tablet of Reawakening" (which will enable him to resurrect his late wife), he and Holga are captured. After two years of imprisonment, they escape to Neverwinter, only to find out Forge has in the meantime become the Lord of the domain, and has in fact been the one responsible for Kira, Edgin's daughter. Turns out Forge who thinks he's in charge of the situation, has been a bit of a puppet for Sofina who is in reality a villainous Red Wizard. It's up to Edgin and his friends to retrieve the Tablet and stop Sofina and her master from creating another army of the undead.
"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" manages to be an unpretentious action/adventure film that though filled with character sketches, it's nonetheless smart enough to give all these character just enough charm to make them compelling and a bit more than offensive clichés. It's a film that reminds at times the better work of Richard Donner (circa "Ladyhawke" for instance), but with a more substantial comedic tone (the obese dragon is a good example). The directors smartly walk a fine line between not taking the premise very seriously, but also not making the film fall into the trappings of self mockery. It's a breezy action film, which at some point brought to mind what Michael Curtiz for instance did with the original "Robin Hood" (with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland), in the sense that it's colorful, the characters are briefly explained and given some substance, and the chemistry between all of them makes the narrative that much more palatable and engaging. The film also benefits from a solid cast, in particular the trifecta of Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant. The production team is equally solid, with highlights going to Barry Peterson's cinematography, Lorne Balfe's score, Ray Chan's production design and Amanda Monk's costume design. Worth watching.
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