Having put Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker through their paces in the Rush Hour franchise, helmer Brett Ratner went from a double act to a gangshow in 2011's Tower Heist. Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Téa Leoni and Casey Affleck toplined the tower block mayhem. The script was a typical Hollywood response to the US financial crisis, as a team of disgruntled skyscraper maintainers turned to crime as payback against crusty banker Alan Alda, who'd frittered away their pensions. Cue the wisecracking and elaborate stunts. Ratner doesn't do things by half measures, so you got plenty of bang for your bricks and mortar. Highlights included Murphy's role as a thief who advised the group and Kate Upton making a boob as a trophy girlfriend.
I am a journalist and comedian who enjoys American movies of the 70s, Amicus horror compendiums, Doctor Who, Twin Peaks, Naomi Watts and sitting down. My short fiction has been published as part of the Iris Wildthyme range from Obverse Books.
