25 reviews
Even Throwaways can be recycled. Not to be mentioned can be used anyway. One mans trash is another mans ... You probably heard that before. And you've very likely have seen this or something like this before. The actors do their best (of their abilities) to make this as fun and tension filled as possible.
But there is no doubt, that almost every twist and turn is predictable. Having said that, the relationships between the characters are really neat and the action is decent for a low budget movie too. Love interest and beauties aside, this has an "old school" feel to it, that will either enhance your viewing pleasure or annoy you
But there is no doubt, that almost every twist and turn is predictable. Having said that, the relationships between the characters are really neat and the action is decent for a low budget movie too. Love interest and beauties aside, this has an "old school" feel to it, that will either enhance your viewing pleasure or annoy you
I was drawn into this film from the beginning when some police turn up at a hacker's (Drew Reynolds - Sam Huntington) secret hideaway and I thought he was just going to get arrested but then he nearly makes a get away on a hidden motorbike. This motorbike chase was very good to watch, because during it, the hacker uses some cool gadgets to disable some of the police cars and almost gets away. And I would have liked to have seen more gadgets like this but unfortunately after getting arrested there is only a little bit of action until the final shootout at the end of the film.
When Drew is arrested the police ask him for some help to stop another hacker who has gained access to an encryption key called Pantheon that he is using to shut down power in Chicago and he can also use it to gain access to anywhere on the internet and beyond.
Drew agrees to help them on one condition, that he chooses his own team to work with.
Like I said at the start there's not much action after the arrest, but we are kept entertained by Drew's witty one liners which reminded of some Ryan Reynold's jokes. Unfortunately though Drew also uses some complicated technical terms which made me feel lost at times. We are also kept entertained when we see that the team he chooses are a bunch of misfits that don't look likely to succeed.
The final shootout is good because it has some good sniper shots, some funny moments like when one of the team, Fisher (Kevin Dillon) tries to shoot a tank with a bazooka and misses and hits his teammate's (Dmitri - Christian Hillborg) car. And a good fight between another team member called Gloria (Katie McGarth) and a brutal villain, Bes (Amber Jean Rowan.) There is also a countdown until the bad hacker sets off a bomb and it's up to Drew to stop him. This may sound intense but actually turns out to be one of longest countdowns I've seen. And I would have also like to have seen the bad hacker put up more of a fight and look more tough but instead his character looks like a skinny teenager who smokes weed and it's actually Bes who stands out as the main villain.
Overall though I enjoyed most of the film and I'm glad I didn't throwaway the chance to watch it because I was quite lucky to come across this on Netflix when it was quite late one night and I went for it because it's only about 90 minutes long and the trailer looked good. I might also watch it again in a year or two... If I can't find anything else on Netflix.
When Drew is arrested the police ask him for some help to stop another hacker who has gained access to an encryption key called Pantheon that he is using to shut down power in Chicago and he can also use it to gain access to anywhere on the internet and beyond.
Drew agrees to help them on one condition, that he chooses his own team to work with.
Like I said at the start there's not much action after the arrest, but we are kept entertained by Drew's witty one liners which reminded of some Ryan Reynold's jokes. Unfortunately though Drew also uses some complicated technical terms which made me feel lost at times. We are also kept entertained when we see that the team he chooses are a bunch of misfits that don't look likely to succeed.
The final shootout is good because it has some good sniper shots, some funny moments like when one of the team, Fisher (Kevin Dillon) tries to shoot a tank with a bazooka and misses and hits his teammate's (Dmitri - Christian Hillborg) car. And a good fight between another team member called Gloria (Katie McGarth) and a brutal villain, Bes (Amber Jean Rowan.) There is also a countdown until the bad hacker sets off a bomb and it's up to Drew to stop him. This may sound intense but actually turns out to be one of longest countdowns I've seen. And I would have also like to have seen the bad hacker put up more of a fight and look more tough but instead his character looks like a skinny teenager who smokes weed and it's actually Bes who stands out as the main villain.
Overall though I enjoyed most of the film and I'm glad I didn't throwaway the chance to watch it because I was quite lucky to come across this on Netflix when it was quite late one night and I went for it because it's only about 90 minutes long and the trailer looked good. I might also watch it again in a year or two... If I can't find anything else on Netflix.
- mrdanielkanewilliams
- Jun 13, 2024
- Permalink
- filmtvandlife
- Jan 31, 2015
- Permalink
A mildly entertaining action flick, no more no less. Rather bloodless in the action scenes and many of the jokes have been done before in better films...
Looks like a pilot for a network US TV show, only a couple of f-words would put it apart from any show on CBS or whatever. To be honest, I only bothered with it thanks to the gorgeous Katie Mcgrath being in it (I'm a big fan of Merlin... damn, why can't anyone put this lovely and talented actress in a BIG film, and no, JURASSIC WORLD doesn't count because she was in it for about five minutes... ;o))
It's an OK watch if you're feeling a bit undemanding...
Looks like a pilot for a network US TV show, only a couple of f-words would put it apart from any show on CBS or whatever. To be honest, I only bothered with it thanks to the gorgeous Katie Mcgrath being in it (I'm a big fan of Merlin... damn, why can't anyone put this lovely and talented actress in a BIG film, and no, JURASSIC WORLD doesn't count because she was in it for about five minutes... ;o))
It's an OK watch if you're feeling a bit undemanding...
As you might guess, I'm not on any payroll from the movie makers. Bad acting, bad plot, bad photography, bad cutting and actually, bad picture quality. Use HD cams next time, guys. This must be a re-cut TV-pilot that got caned by obvious reasons.
It's like watching a really bad rerun of A-Team, but without the charm, action or the comparatively amazing FX. If you really need to see how an action/hacker movie should not be done, this is for you. The computer graphics look like they were made on a low-priced early 1990's computer with a Win 95 OS. Shall I go on? Please refrain from making any more movie attempts.
It's like watching a really bad rerun of A-Team, but without the charm, action or the comparatively amazing FX. If you really need to see how an action/hacker movie should not be done, this is for you. The computer graphics look like they were made on a low-priced early 1990's computer with a Win 95 OS. Shall I go on? Please refrain from making any more movie attempts.
- Marcus_Rehnberg
- Jan 31, 2015
- Permalink
Movies use ironic titles like The Expendables or The Losers to a varying degree of success, The Throwaways however, is a tragic commentary of how bad it is. Every aspect lacks any tact or poise, it's a near parody of itself and it would've probably worked better that way. However, it still has jarring shift of tone and excessive hacking mumbo jumbo delivered by sloppy acting from just about everyone involved.
This is an example of how espionage thriller can go wrong. The story is fixed and rigid, a hacker creates a team of misfits to intercept some plan of some device. It's all hazy and produced in such underwhelming fashion that none of the urgency is believable. These guys might just be some random people from street who accidentally stumble with one another. Safe to say, there's no chemistry to speak of.
Acting is terribly poor, everyone has one expression which they do repeatedly. The main character seems distraught and his trademark sigh becomes repelling after thirty minutes. Plenty of hacking slangs are mentioned although audience who wants to see a realistic approach on technology will be disappointed when seeing the crude interface from the 80s beeps erratically as the on screen characters pretend to hit buttons and know what they are doing.
It also tries to set up any human drama, which seems more like a blooper if one is being kind. The visual utilizes shaky cams for nearly the entirety of the time, colors are drab and uninspiring as well. Furthermore, some scenes are looking as though they are haphazardly slapped together from other cheap movies, only done in inferior manner. It's an exhausting undertaking to keep watching this debacle.
If anything good comes from this, it's probably puns of its title. Just throw it away.
This is an example of how espionage thriller can go wrong. The story is fixed and rigid, a hacker creates a team of misfits to intercept some plan of some device. It's all hazy and produced in such underwhelming fashion that none of the urgency is believable. These guys might just be some random people from street who accidentally stumble with one another. Safe to say, there's no chemistry to speak of.
Acting is terribly poor, everyone has one expression which they do repeatedly. The main character seems distraught and his trademark sigh becomes repelling after thirty minutes. Plenty of hacking slangs are mentioned although audience who wants to see a realistic approach on technology will be disappointed when seeing the crude interface from the 80s beeps erratically as the on screen characters pretend to hit buttons and know what they are doing.
It also tries to set up any human drama, which seems more like a blooper if one is being kind. The visual utilizes shaky cams for nearly the entirety of the time, colors are drab and uninspiring as well. Furthermore, some scenes are looking as though they are haphazardly slapped together from other cheap movies, only done in inferior manner. It's an exhausting undertaking to keep watching this debacle.
If anything good comes from this, it's probably puns of its title. Just throw it away.
- quincytheodore
- Jan 14, 2016
- Permalink
This is your typical movie like "Fast and Furious" or XXX where the rebellious youths end up working for the government. It feeds the pathetic and immature desires to "fit in" and "be liked" by those more powerful than you. I'd love to see one of these types of movies go full out Rebellion for a change instead of groveling to the government for their table scraps. The pace of the movie is good and makes this an acceptable watch if you are sick one day and need a dozen movies you've never seen yet. The actors were skilled, especially the lead. The director is not responsible for the story-line either so he gets credit for making the movie a passable watch.
- shinyhalo-1
- Jan 5, 2016
- Permalink
This movie isn't worth the time it took me to download. For a start with the exception of the initial opening scene which had some entertaining moments there are few redeeming features. Its so bad I decided to post my first review. Borrowed plot - not an original idea in the whole movie. Scenes ripped almost completely from other movies. Borrowed characters - cardboard characters which seemed like rip-offs from other genres (Dirty Dozen) minus the acting skills. Unlikely outcomes - someone needs to explain to America that typing rapidly on a keyboard with 18 windows open isn't how the real hackers do it?Cracking serious encryption by guessing passwords and similar techniques was a gag in the 90's - doesn't really stand up in 2015. Plastic acting - for the most part the acting was poor. I got about 30 minutes in and wished I hadn't bothered. I cant tell you about the end - I didn't get that far. I'm willing to bet though that it was a cliché ending - when will the US take a leaf out of Britain's movie industry and learn to write a good ending - all the US movies seem to be more concerned that there be an opportunity for a sequel. Don't waste your time.
- owenharris
- Jan 11, 2016
- Permalink
Let's be clear: this is an ugly film. Many things (too many to list them) are under the common standard so I don't expect you to like it.
I personally enjoyed it, however: it's ironic (so ironic that I wondered if it were made ugly on purpose). It's full of great artists, starting from James Caan and ending with Jeremy Renner (movie's executive producer). It has a good plot (it could have been a very nice graphic novel), dumb enough to not be taken too seriously
But above all it transmits a special kind of fun, as if the cast (which was made of very well known actors such as Noel Clarke, Sam Huntington, Katie McGrath or Matt Dillon's brother, Kevin) had a really good time playing bad and good guys in one of the cheapest locations you could imagine, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
I personally enjoyed it, however: it's ironic (so ironic that I wondered if it were made ugly on purpose). It's full of great artists, starting from James Caan and ending with Jeremy Renner (movie's executive producer). It has a good plot (it could have been a very nice graphic novel), dumb enough to not be taken too seriously
But above all it transmits a special kind of fun, as if the cast (which was made of very well known actors such as Noel Clarke, Sam Huntington, Katie McGrath or Matt Dillon's brother, Kevin) had a really good time playing bad and good guys in one of the cheapest locations you could imagine, in Sofia, Bulgaria.
- niutta-enrico
- Jan 9, 2016
- Permalink
B movie story with B movie acting, B movie special effects and B movie production values. You should not expect anything of quality. I've seen many worse films and this has nothing to recommend it other than I made it to the end which beats some of the aforementioned worse films. James Caan stands out not for anything he did but simply for being in such a low rent effort. I can only assume he needs the money. He came down to the level of the rest of the film and blended in with the rest. Only watch it if you really can't find anything better.
- verminhater
- Feb 20, 2020
- Permalink
Again I'm astonished by low ratings assigned to a movie here on imdb. More and more, I'm seeking out movies that are not 'blockbusters' or 'important' or 'hard-hitting action', 'cause those movies are fine for what they are, but don't offer much more. I am so often weary of the weight, the baggage that such movies carry. That baggage is tiring and tiresome, and so often can't be made up for with 'style' (which not many of them have, in any case). I'm feeling that people who rate good films so badly can only be satisfied by movies of that type.
On to the film. It's fun, it's entertaining, it's silly and light-hearted. It's kinda like a fun heist movie, it moves along smoothly and quickly. The cast is experienced, all good actors. The locale is interesting, and different. It's a fun watch.
Ignore the bad reviews. Unless you *want* to watch a blockbuster, or an important movie, or hard-hitting action, dragged down by the weight of all the apparently necessary self-important morality, cookie-cutter characterizations and paint-by-numbers plotting. But don't listen to me - I'm the only woman on the planet who hated Titanic ;>
- bitbucketchip
- Nov 9, 2021
- Permalink
Predictable and cliched, with an ample serving of jingoism. If you are into this sort of stuff it's right up your street, if not you might find it laughably similar to a thousand other films.
If you have nothing to do and your waiting for your plan that's been delayed for a few hours THEN this film will kill a bit of that time....
- phrsmith51
- Feb 14, 2020
- Permalink
...the directing is dreadful and the actors look as though they gave up caring long ago.
- Dtaylor1970
- Jan 10, 2020
- Permalink
Although I've rated this film as 4*, some parts were much better and others not so good. The characters are ok but their scripts were terrible. Most of the jokes were lame and stupid. This had the potential to be a really good, off the hinge espionage spoof. ☹
- matthewtruscottelectrical
- Jan 1, 2020
- Permalink
This is my first experience of viewing a made for online movie and was skeptical until reading the reviews. It is many notches above the made for TV assembly line trash so prevalent today.
Yes, it is an oft used plot and has the time worn action scenes but it works. The storyline is for the most part fast paced. The characters are fairly well developed and the actors are well cast. Sam Worthington and James Caan are excellent. The bottom tier agents, the "throwaways," are a little over the top but still enjoyable to watch. Katie McGrath is wonderful and lovely to look at. I am really surprised that mainstream Hollywood is so late in noticing her.
The only thing that really bothered me was when Dan and Dmitri kept referring to an RPG as a bazooka. (Hey, I had to find some fault with this movie)! Forget the low budget and just immerse yourself into an entertaining bit of film making.
Would I watch it again? You bet! Would I recommend it to a friend? I already have!
Yes, it is an oft used plot and has the time worn action scenes but it works. The storyline is for the most part fast paced. The characters are fairly well developed and the actors are well cast. Sam Worthington and James Caan are excellent. The bottom tier agents, the "throwaways," are a little over the top but still enjoyable to watch. Katie McGrath is wonderful and lovely to look at. I am really surprised that mainstream Hollywood is so late in noticing her.
The only thing that really bothered me was when Dan and Dmitri kept referring to an RPG as a bazooka. (Hey, I had to find some fault with this movie)! Forget the low budget and just immerse yourself into an entertaining bit of film making.
Would I watch it again? You bet! Would I recommend it to a friend? I already have!
- ronbrushbender-755-977273
- Aug 3, 2015
- Permalink
Expectations are usually pretty low for online film--it just hasn't been done with much success yet. So it is with great surprise and general reluctance after precondemning the movie to failure that I admit this film was actually pretty entertaining. Overall--Clever, self- aware, even charming at parts. It is tongue-in-cheek from the start and works as a parody of modern action films about as well as it functions as an intentionally messy action/comedy romp.
As for cast, Sam Huntington steals every scene as the main protagonist. Haven't liked him this much since Fanboys. Dillion is priceless too, and plays a character who just gets better and better the further the film progresses. He, by far, has the best bit, played towards the end. I had never heard of McGrath before, but she was game and very beautiful. Their action sequences are both humorous and suspenseful, in that order.
Honestly this probably would've worked best as a TV show, and I wouldn't mind it if they continued as such. My main issue is just the tone--are we supposed to take this serious? Is this the way my movies are going to reach me now? Is this supposed to be as good as a film Id see in a theater? I felt like at some points the cast/crew were asking themselves the same thing (esp Caan, in his most disappointing and detached performance to date). Given (again) the lack of comparisons to other online-film, I'm going to give the tonal confusion a pass, but if they ever make a sequel or show to this, I hope they take it a bit more seriously. It's a solid concept and a cast with chemistry in a medium that works, but that undoubtedly works best when everyone knows what kind of film they're trying to make.
Overall, I definitely recommend it.
As for cast, Sam Huntington steals every scene as the main protagonist. Haven't liked him this much since Fanboys. Dillion is priceless too, and plays a character who just gets better and better the further the film progresses. He, by far, has the best bit, played towards the end. I had never heard of McGrath before, but she was game and very beautiful. Their action sequences are both humorous and suspenseful, in that order.
Honestly this probably would've worked best as a TV show, and I wouldn't mind it if they continued as such. My main issue is just the tone--are we supposed to take this serious? Is this the way my movies are going to reach me now? Is this supposed to be as good as a film Id see in a theater? I felt like at some points the cast/crew were asking themselves the same thing (esp Caan, in his most disappointing and detached performance to date). Given (again) the lack of comparisons to other online-film, I'm going to give the tonal confusion a pass, but if they ever make a sequel or show to this, I hope they take it a bit more seriously. It's a solid concept and a cast with chemistry in a medium that works, but that undoubtedly works best when everyone knows what kind of film they're trying to make.
Overall, I definitely recommend it.
- Thisgoesupto11
- Jan 31, 2015
- Permalink
I do think the people viewing this as a parody are onto something. It's at the very least tongue in cheek.
Yes the plot is full of such dumb ideas you could see reading it as a high school kid's short story assignment. Gas main explosions do not work like that. Hacking does not work like that. But it's just a lark, why should it have to be plausible? Do we want movies that give viable terrorism ideas? The doomsday device isn't the point of the show anyway, the redemption of the characters is. And it's enjoyable enough. The casting is good, the acting is fine. I'm not sure whether I liked this movie enough to convince someone else to watch it and rewatch it with them, but maybe. I definitely don't regret the first watch of it. Yeah it's goofy but often times that's what I want. It's not one of those movies that's dumb in a frustrating or boring way. It's farcical, shallow, but that's not the same as being badly made.
I guess the bottom line is, does laughing and rolling your eyes enhance an adventure flick for you or do you need them to be serious?
Yes the plot is full of such dumb ideas you could see reading it as a high school kid's short story assignment. Gas main explosions do not work like that. Hacking does not work like that. But it's just a lark, why should it have to be plausible? Do we want movies that give viable terrorism ideas? The doomsday device isn't the point of the show anyway, the redemption of the characters is. And it's enjoyable enough. The casting is good, the acting is fine. I'm not sure whether I liked this movie enough to convince someone else to watch it and rewatch it with them, but maybe. I definitely don't regret the first watch of it. Yeah it's goofy but often times that's what I want. It's not one of those movies that's dumb in a frustrating or boring way. It's farcical, shallow, but that's not the same as being badly made.
I guess the bottom line is, does laughing and rolling your eyes enhance an adventure flick for you or do you need them to be serious?
- katherinemch
- Nov 19, 2024
- Permalink
Based on the reviews, I decided to give this film 20 minutes and then decide. I ended up watching it completely and I frankly don't know what everyone's on about with the criticism.
Sure, it's not a blockbuster or deep movie, the action scenes are more of a caricature and the plot is a little predictable. But if you are up for a little light and unpretentious entertainment it's actually a perfectly fine b-movie would decent acting and a few silly moments.
Normally I would not have given it an eight as it's more of a 6.5, but I just wanted to balance the negative reviews a bit.
So switch off your brain and give it a try 🙂
Sure, it's not a blockbuster or deep movie, the action scenes are more of a caricature and the plot is a little predictable. But if you are up for a little light and unpretentious entertainment it's actually a perfectly fine b-movie would decent acting and a few silly moments.
Normally I would not have given it an eight as it's more of a 6.5, but I just wanted to balance the negative reviews a bit.
So switch off your brain and give it a try 🙂
This is a fun action movie. It's not John Le Carre, come home from the pub with a curry and a few mate's and it is entertaining and engaging.
Not every espionage film has to be "The Constant Gardener', which I think is great. Some just entertain.
- jdhunter13
- Mar 2, 2020
- Permalink
From start to finish this movie really delivered. I was blown away in fact at how much I enjoyed it. A surprise really given I didn't know too much about the movie going in.
The cast, aside from James Caan and Kevin Dillon, are relatively unknown which actually made the movie even more interesting and fun given how well they all did. I'm a huge Dillon fan though from his Entourage days so he really stole the show for me, especially with his character reminding me of a character Johnny 'Drama' Chase might play. He was hilarious throughout.
The movie overall moved along at a lightning pace and was packed with action, suspense, fun and laughs. One scene in particular blew me out of my chair it was so funny. I even watched it over again and laughed just as hard. Speaking of watching it over again, I may just watch this one over again from the start. It's just that kind of movie. A potential cult classic even.
The cast, aside from James Caan and Kevin Dillon, are relatively unknown which actually made the movie even more interesting and fun given how well they all did. I'm a huge Dillon fan though from his Entourage days so he really stole the show for me, especially with his character reminding me of a character Johnny 'Drama' Chase might play. He was hilarious throughout.
The movie overall moved along at a lightning pace and was packed with action, suspense, fun and laughs. One scene in particular blew me out of my chair it was so funny. I even watched it over again and laughed just as hard. Speaking of watching it over again, I may just watch this one over again from the start. It's just that kind of movie. A potential cult classic even.
- randymcbeast
- Jan 3, 2016
- Permalink
- nogodnomasters
- May 16, 2018
- Permalink
Maybe some of the reviewers just didn't get the nerd stuff. I just don't see any other reason why they'd underrate this entertaining, and brilliantly different, spy story.
From the start it captures your attention. The characters are believable in a comic way--this is a rare mix of comedy and thriller. And it was easy to root for the 'throwaways.' Take my word for it, it is a fun film.
From the start it captures your attention. The characters are believable in a comic way--this is a rare mix of comedy and thriller. And it was easy to root for the 'throwaways.' Take my word for it, it is a fun film.
"The throwaways" is well acted, this is a popcorn movie so it's not Oscar deep acting, but professional in this context. Screen writing is unbelievably difficult and the script behind this movie is really good.
I can only guess that this movie is a victim of our streaming culture where in order to get any respect or consideration from your average consumer you have to spend buckets of cash telling everybody what a wonderful movie it is. The cost of releasing a movie is a significant part of the total cost of the movie. That should give you some idea of what could happen if you had no money out there hawking your film.
It kind of breaks my heart to see this level of creativity completely despised by 80% of the people who look at it simply because they think it must be worthless because it's free.
I can only guess that this movie is a victim of our streaming culture where in order to get any respect or consideration from your average consumer you have to spend buckets of cash telling everybody what a wonderful movie it is. The cost of releasing a movie is a significant part of the total cost of the movie. That should give you some idea of what could happen if you had no money out there hawking your film.
It kind of breaks my heart to see this level of creativity completely despised by 80% of the people who look at it simply because they think it must be worthless because it's free.