Black Butterfly 2017

     This film is based on the 2008 French film Papillon Noir.  Paul is a writer and he lives in the woods 2 hours away from Seattle, Washington.  He goes into a small town to pick up supplies and he’s under a lot of pressure!!  He can’t seem to get over his writer’s block?  There is a semi ahead of him and the driver doesn’t want to let Paul pass in his Jeep?  Paul almost hits a motorcyclist when he tries to pass but he does get around the semi.  Paul is also meeting a real estate agent at the market/diner in town.  He'd like to sell his house and property because he’s running out of money.  The driver in the semi starts comes into the diner, he's giving Paul and Laura a hard time.  Jack is also in the diner and he takes the semi driver outside for a near beating!!  When Paul is back on the road, he sees Jack walking and offers him a ride.  They go to Paul’s house and Jack stays a while for room and board in exchange for doing handyman jobs on the house.

     There are two big surprises that you don’t see coming in this film?  I think this film needs to be restructured?  I didn’t know what was going to happen and how this was going to end and that’s OK.  What happens previously doesn’t necessarily go along with the big changes in the surprises?  It is all explained in the short ending but it seems like a big ‘duh’ instead??  3* (This movie is OK)  

93 min, Thriller directed by Brian Goodman with Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Piper Perabo, Vincent Riotta, Brian Goodmkan, Katie McGovern, Jake Daley, Craig Peritz, RandallPaul, Cristina Moglia, Abel Ferrara, Nicholas Aaron, Nathalie Rapti Gomez, Gioia Libardoni, Tracy Green.

Note:  Imdb 6.1 out of 10, 44% critic 42% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 1*, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 23 reviews, Metacritic 43 out of 100 with 7 critics 5 out of 10 with 12 ratings, Slant Magazine ½* out of 4*, Common Sense Media 3* out of 5*, no positive messages, no positive role models and representations, lots of language, drinking, drugs, smoking.  Threats, yelling, fighting, punching, kicking, choking!!

Special Note:  Filmed in Rome, Monte Livata, Campaegli, Lazio and Campo di Giove, Abruzzo, Italy.  I didn’t know this was filmed in Italy?  The black butterfly is seen in many different parts of the world as a symbol of misfortune or an omen of death.  Director Abel Ferrara has also worked on Driller Killer and Ms. 45.  He has a cameo as the store owner Pat.  There are other films with the same title from 2006, 2010 and 2012.