But even the filmвЂ™s own characters eventually acknowledge theyвЂ™re in an вЂњover-elaborate schemeвЂќ concocted by somebody who likes to have all his toys lined up tidily on the shelf.

The pastiche and pretentiousness would be forgivable if there were something human underlying it all. Somewhere in here, the script goes crazy with Lewis Carroll allusions, which at least shakes things up.

Then the men go off to their dingy stakeout, returning us to Bill and his discourse on the literary device called the pathetic fallacy. Stein piles up the femme-fatale indicators, all but hanging a вЂњsteer clearвЂќ sign around AnnieвЂ™s neck, but Alf falls for her, calling her вЂњsugarplumвЂќ and scolding Vince when he uses less respectful nicknames. So the suicidal English prof drags himself to the terminalвЂ™s sole diner (dubbed End of the Line), where Annie has no other customers to keep her company.ДЄs the two discuss BillвЂ™s plight and AnnieвЂ™s excitement about helping him end it, the movie bounces back to watch her manipulate Vince and Alf both in the diner and in the strip club. But itвЂ™s the middle of the night, and a station janitor (Myers) informs him there wonвЂ™t be another train for hours. The film warms a bit with the arrival of PeggвЂ™s Bill, who is standing on a platform waiting sadly for a train he can throw himself under. But his direction quickly becomes less distracting.

That scene is an inauspicious start for the pic, as Stein keeps bouncing between extreme close-ups of RobbieвЂ™s eyes and lips, unsure what to do next. F that sheвЂ™d kill all his go-to hit men so heвЂ™d have no choice but to hire her instead. They get testy with each other during the wait, but they have other problems theyвЂ™re not aware of: At the filmвЂ™s start, we saw Annie (hiding her identity under a Mia Wallace wig) promise Mr. (When his identity is finally revealed, itвЂ™s via a gag straight out of The Usual Suspects.) Franklin has instructed the fellas to camp out in a hotel room for days, waiting to shoot someone who will appear in a room across the street. Franklin, who puts out contracts anonymously via voice-modulated phone calls, briefcases stashed in train terminal storage lockers and other tricks you may be able to imagine for yourself. The two are working for the mysterious Mr. (He recreates QTвЂ™s signature trunk-opening shot he has Robbie plotting вЂњbloody revengeвЂќ and brainstorming ways for PeggвЂ™s Bill to killвЂ¦Bill.) In addition to RobbieвЂ™s revenge-minded diner waitress Annie (who goes by вЂњBunnyвЂќ when sheвЂ™s stripping at a nearby club), Stein offers two talkative hit men (Dexter Fletcher and Max IronsвЂ™ Vince and Alfred, respectively) whose chemistry and banter will not push Pulp FictionвЂs Vincent and Jules from any fanвЂ™s mind. One of those roles (just officially announced) will be that of Sharon Tate in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, whose writer-director Quentin Tarantino has an influence here that is obvious long before Stein starts nodding cutely at him. Attention will be paid thanks to star Margot Robbie (one of many producers here) and supporting players Simon Pegg and Mike Myers, but the box office will quickly forget this outing for the I, Tonya actress in anticipation of more sturdy vehicles to come. An airless debut that says much about its writer-directorвЂ™s cultural diet and little about anything else in the world, Vaughn SteinвЂ™s Terminal blends tropes from several sorts of crime flicks into a soundstagey affair thatвЂ™s more brittle than hard-boiled.

The terminal movie review