Capsule reviews for Dec. 7

All the Devil’s Men

Some potentially intriguing concepts are overwhelmed by clichés in this espionage thriller most noteworthy for its intense lead performance by Milo Gibson (Gangster Land), son of Mel. He plays a troubled former Navy SEAL now working overseas as a bounty hunter under contract with the CIA. Cynical and hot-headed, he teams up with a colleague (William Fichtner) whose latest assignment in London involves weeding out internal corruption and stopping weapons traffickers aligned with the Taliban. It all sets the stage for a series of action set pieces that are capably handled, except that the film buries any moral complexity beneath its bloody barrage of bullets. (Rated R, 99 minutes).

Asher

You can appreciate the character-driven approach of this crime drama from Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy), while also wishing the titular protagonist had a more compelling movie in which to inhabit. Asher (Ron Perlman) is an aging New York hitman whose latest assignment accidentally steers him toward a romance with a ballet instructor (Famke Janssen) who can’t know anything about his true identity. Perlman generates sympathy for an intriguing character trying to settle down and start over, but who can’t escape his past. The material is too familiar, however, to make a meaningful impact. The supporting cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Facinelli, and Jacqueline Bisset. (Rated R, 117 minutes).

Back Roads

In addition to his powerfully understated performance, Alex Pettyfer makes a sharp directorial debut with this bleak drama, adapted from a Tawni O’Dell novel, about how the cycle of abuse passes through the generations. Specifically, Pettyfer plays Harley, who’s struggling to make ends meet while caring for his three younger sisters as their defiant mother (Juliette Lewis) is in prison for killing their abusive father. As he begins an affair with a neighbor (Jennifer Morrison), Harley realizes the difficulty of escaping the troubled family legacy. Although it tends to wallow in lurid melodrama, the film deserves credit for not softening its difficult subject matter. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

Divide and Conquer: The Roger Ailes Story

The longtime Republican media strategist and creator of Fox News Channel died last year, but as this compelling rise-and-fall documentary illustrates, his legacy definitely endures. The approach of filmmaker Alexis Bloom is admirably even-handed given the myriad reasons to detest Ailes, from his bullying ways to his unscrupulous methods of public manipulation to his delusions of grandeur to his misogynistic treatment of women, which led to his ouster from Fox in 2016. The film assembles archival footage and interviews — though none with current Fox personalities — to effectively show how Ailes became so good at what he did, and how bad that is for everyone else. (Not rated, 107 minutes).

Swimming With Men

Apparently all-male synchronized swimming is a thing. Such a novelty isn’t very compelling, however, in the case of this quirky comedy from director Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband) that plays like a cut-rate Full Monty wannabe. Eric (Rob Brydon) is an accountant whose job and marriage are both crumbling. The resulting midlife crisis steers him toward a ragtag group of swimmers at the local pool who need another man for their synchro squad. When they decide to enter an international competition, the competitors subject themselves to the inevitable ridicule. Between the shallow characters and the waterlogged script, the result is neither consistently amusing nor charming. (Not rated, 97 minutes).