Leofwine_draca TRACERS is another boring, kid-friendly thriller set on the bustling streets of New York. It feels like the guys who made it watched PREMIUM RUSH and decided to make their own version of that film, replacing the bike action with parkour. I love parkour, enjoy seeing it done to perfection in the likes of DISTRICT 13 and CASINO ROYALE, but it's very ordinary here. The stunts are good but the shaking camerawork in between the stunts spoils it a little. The film also suffers from the casting of the incredibly wooden and one-dimensional Taylor Lautner as the supposedly charismatic lead, as he has no depth here whatsoever. The plot involves him with the least-imposing gangster villains ever, and an interminable narrative structure that mixes in romantic dialogue and weak heist scenes. It only gets going in the final action scene, and by then it's thankfully nearly over.

snappy_matt In an age of slick polished mega-budget CGI Marvel movies, Tracers provides a refreshing antidote, with actors doing the majority of their own CGI free stunts captured by a hand held camera that injects a sense of energy into the film. Targeting a young adult audience with a grittily realistic story in a contemporary setting, Tracers lands squarely on a gap in the market and stars Taylor Lautner, who was considered one of the hottest young actors of his generation at the start of the decade.It's easy to see why Taylor was attracted to the project as it re-teams him with the producers of the multi-billion dollar franchise Twilight (that shot Lautner to global fame) and hooks Taylor up with the stunt co-ordinator behind the Bond and Bourne films, Gary Powell. Allowing Taylor (who trained in martial arts when he was a child) to showcase his natural athletic agility, as his character Cam attempts to escape a debt he owes to loan sharks by joining a Parkour gang who use their skills for dishonest ends.The film zips along at a fair pace jumping straight into the action as Cam literally falls for Nikki, the love interest of the film played by Marie Avgeropoulos, who unwittingly draws Cam into the Parkour gang. Lautner has taken some criticism in the past for his acting, particularly in Abduction, his last action movie. In Tracers Lautner answers his critics, giving his most solid dramatic performance to date. It's not a showy theatrical performance, but a restrained naturalistic one that overcomes the scripts poor dialogue and convincingly conveys young Cam's emotions throughout.Marie Avgeropoulos (best known for TV show The 100) also gives a fine performance in the film, but ultimately the chemistry between the two leads doesn't quite catch fire enough to draw the audience in. This is just one of the films flaws, which has its roots in the clunky script rather than the performances. Unfortunately the film doesn't allow enough time for their relationship to develop and nor do we truly get to understand the peril that Nikki's character is in, which makes it difficult for the audience to truly root for them.In fact the script is where this film takes most of its tumbles, along with the underwritten character development there is a sprinkling of plot holes and a lack of variety in the action sequences. All of this might in part be due to the films US PG-13 certificate which calls for some restraint, leaving some of the dangers the characters face only hinted at. However the film has no aspirations to be Citizen Kane and these shortcomings are easy to overlook.Despite its flaws the film has some nice touches. Spanish director, Daniel Benmayor, in making his Hollywood debut injects a real sense of raw energy into the film. As Miller, a Fagin-esque character played by Adam Rayner who controls the Parkour gang explains how the gang operates to Cam, the film segues beautifully into the next action set-piece. There is a creative use of the sound mix at moments of high tension and even the opening credits have a touch of a Saul Bass flourish about them. Honourable mention should also go to the film's music composer, Lucas Vidal and his energetic score for the movie.Ultimately though the film, whilst enjoyable, fails to live up to its full potential. It is only Taylor Lautner's eminently watchable performance that lifts this film up and pulls the audience through. In the process he demonstrates his leading man credentials and shows Hollywood that they are missing a trick if they don't pair him up with a decent script and an experienced director soon.

kingdio It's not as bad as I thought it wold be. It's really bad story-wise and pretty bad acting-wise, but the parkour actions scenes are entertaining. The plot involves Lautner's character being in trouble with the Chinese mafia after borrowing some money from them. He has a really tragic background as to why he needed the money, but the better question is why the the Chinese mafia let this tragic kid borrow $15,000. Seems kind of sadistic on their part. Believe it or not though that's the most credible part of the story. From there a beautiful girl he runs into in the street leads him to a group of underworld of parkour. Eventually he decides to work heist jobs with this group so he can pay back the Chinese mafia before they kill him. A predictable love triangle story, an absurd semi plot-twist about the group, and a big heist that goes terribly wrong round out the ridiculous plot. The acrobatics are cool, the the writing is awful.

Bob Rutzel Cam (Taylor Lautner) is a bike messenger who owes big money to Chen in China Town, but becomes interested in Parkour when he crashes into Nikki (Marie Avgeropoulos) and he sees an opportunity to make even more money to pay off his debt. Well, he likes Marie as well. Ahhhh…………here we go.Parkour is a style of free running that involves running, jumping, climbing, sprinting, flipping over walls and cars, and leaping over well, you name it. It's like gravity doesn't exist for them. Cam witnesses this group doing their thing around the city and is intrigued.Cam starts Parkour training with Marie who tells him, "It's like a state of mind. Don't look where the car is, look where the car isn't." as he stumbles around learning the moves and eventually he becomes good at it. Then he wants to know what this group does and why. Here's the thing: they make things disappear for big money. If there is evidence that would send someone to jail, they get rid of that evidence. Or they break into warehouses to steal valuable items for buyers who pay upon delivery. Miller (Adam Rayner) is the boss who lines up the jobs. Cam wants in as he reasons he can pay off Chen quicker and get Chen's Enforcer off his back. And, of course, he likes Nikki. Of course. These Parkour scenes are like watching monkeys run rapidly through busy city streets and it will definitely get your heart racing and pounding as you will feel like you are running with them. The choreography of this Parkour is outstanding. The music helps all this along as it should. The sub plots to this story are compelling and keep us engaged. Who is Miller and how does he know what jobs are out there? Why does Miller say they do not do jobs in China Town? Why is Nikki involved with Miller? How can Cam get Nikki away from Miller? Most jobs do not involve guns, but suddenly guns are being used. Cam realizes he is becoming a criminal but doesn't like the guns aspect. Everything climaxes in China Town. Whaaaat? Well, we just knew we would, somehow, end up in a place the group was not supposed to go. Google Parkour if you want to know more about it. If you decide to do Parkour, make sure your knees are good for it. As for me, I'll pass. Ha! (7/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No, a make-out session doesn't count. Nudity: No. Language: No. .