Release: Victims

 

Victims

Genre: Drama

Director: Spike Lee

Writer: Jacob Jones

Based on the 1974 Iranian film, The Deer

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Donald Glover, Zoe Kravitz, Winston Duke, Wesley Snipes, Barkhad Abdi

Budget: $42,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $62,004,104

Foreign Box Office: $23,583,555

Total Profit: $4,116,310

Reaction: Victims has become the first live-action film to turn a profit for Jacob Jones since Tara's Web a couple seasons back, so I'm sure he's happy to not see any negative signs before the profit numbers.

"Victims, from a technical standpoint, is pretty good. It is well-directed and well-cast, and Jacob Jones' script works for the most part - albeit with one big flaw. That flaw is that Michael B. Jordan's Jackson is so unrelentingly unlikable that I could not make myself care about his situation. I understand that he's supposed to be angry, but the script should have had at least one small 'save the cat' moment to make him even the slightest bit sympathetic. If Jones' script and Spike Lee's direction could have figured that aspect out better, I think the film could have been great instead of just solid." - Dave Manning, Ridgefield Press

"Director Spike repeats his favorite yet familiar themes of in his latest joint, a tale of a complex friendship well-penned by Jones. Michael B. Jordan delivers strongly, but Donald Glover's performance stands out even more. Unfortunately, the joint struggles to distinguish itself within the crowded genre of social justice films, often exploring the theme of not judging by appearances." - Grozdana Marin, Vulture

"On paper, Victims seems like a sure fire hit, however, I found myself scratching my head at a few of the things happening in this film. I actually feel like it just wouldn't happen, taking me out of the film. The performances and direction were good, as should be expected but where it lets itself down is the writing, I feel like there were a few scenes missing. Scenes seemed to be cut that should've been kept and ones that were kept should've been cut. Overall not a bad film, but definitely not one of Jacob Jones' best." - J. Darrell Ellington, Behind the Camera

Rated R for violence, language, drug content and thematic material