Capsule reviews for Feb. 12

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong

The titular city is showcased in all of its colorful cosmopolitan splendor in this otherwise innocuous trifle that borrows from the Before Sunrise playbook. It follows Josh (Bryan Greenberg) and Ruby (Jamie Chung) who meet as flirtatious strangers and spend a few hours together one night, only to say their goodbyes. A year later, fate leads to another encounter and the spark is rekindled, except that both of them are otherwise attached. Both performances are charming, but the unsubstantial screenplay by director Emily Ting is driven by cutesy coincidences. As it rambles on, moviegoers aren’t given much incentive to care about their ultimate relationship status. (Not rated, 78 minutes).

Bad Hurt

Good intentions alone cannot rescue this earnest holiday drama about Todd (Theo Rossi), a Staten Island bus driver trying to survive an extremely dysfunctional family that includes a mentally challenged sister (Iris Gilad) prone to manic outbursts, a war-veteran brother (Johnny Whitworth) who’s become a drug-addicted recluse, a beleaguered father (Michael Harney) and a reluctantly enabling mother (Karen Allen). Rookie director Mark Kemble’s overwrought adaptation of his own stage play treats those afflictions with an approach that’s more heartfelt than exploitative. But despite some powerful moments as the characters work through various demons and secrets, the film feels more contrived than authentic, compromising the emotional impact. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

Standoff

The generic title is appropriate for this pedestrian thriller featuring a battle of wits and weaponry between two troubled men in a rural farmhouse. Carter (Thomas Jane) is the homeowner, a grieving war veteran whose chance at redemption comes in the form of a preteen girl (Ella Ballentine) desperately trying to escape from a sadistic hitman (Laurence Fishburne) after witnessing a murder. There are some stylish touches, but overall the concept might have worked better as a short, where the bookend action sequences would have had more impact and the extended middle stretch wouldn’t have included so many silly twists and misguided stabs at moral complexity. (Rated R, 84 minutes).

Touched With Fire

Maybe they’re just crazy in love. That’s one way to describe the two manic depressives who must navigate a unique set of relationship challenges in this low-budget romance. Carla (Katie Holmes) and Marco (Luke Kirby) are artistic types who meet while institutionalized and ignore the advice of doctors and family members in their impetuous and erratic quest for love. The semiautobiographical screenplay by rookie director Paul Dalio obviously is heartfelt, and it navigates tricky territory without exploitation, thanks in part to its committed lead performances. Yet the powerful moments are compromised by an underlying predictability and a mechanical structure that emphasizes the didactic melodrama. (Rated R, 110 minutes).

A War

That simple title gives way to various moral and sociopolitical complexities in this taut drama from Denmark, which uses the story of Danish soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan in 2003 as a springboard to examine various facets of international conflict. It focuses on an army commander (Pilou Asbaek) who oversees a unit on the front lines while his wife and children try to maintain hope on the home front. Then an unexpected tragedy causes a scandal and forces him to reconsider his involvement in the conflict. Although the territory is familiar, director Tobias Lindholm (A Hijacking) offers a fresh approach that’s both gritty and provocative. (Rated R, 115 minutes).