‘The Painter’ Review: By-the-Numbers Action With Charlie Weber and Jon Voight
variety.comDennis Harvey Film Critic Awkwardly arriving the very same day as “The Bricklayer,” with Aaron Eckhart as an ex-CIA agent with the titular dayjob, “The Painter” has Charlie Weber as ex-CIA agent who has taken up … well, you can guess.
This more humbly scaled actioner likewise finds its uber-tough erstwhile operative reluctantly forced back into activity amid a conspiratorial hail of bullets.
From that shared starting point, Brian Buccellato’s script finds its own path. But neither he nor director Kimani Ray Smith locate much credibility or suspense in an uninspired tale that also features Jon Voight, as well as Madison Bailey from the Netflix series “The Outer Banks.” Lacking in most departments beyond decent pacing and adequate technical polish, this forgettable thriller launches in limited U.S.
theaters Jan. 5, and on digital platforms Jan. 9. Weber plays Peter Barrett, who quit the CIA for the solitary life of an artist in the Pacific Northwest after his wife Elena (Rryla McIntosh) left him in the wake of an accidental shooting that terminated her pregnancy.
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