"No good Deed", as the DVD is entitled, tells of an off duty cop who stumbles on a house full of bad guys while looking for a lost girl and becomes their prisoner while the messy plot unfolds. Jackson plays a diabetic cop and the cello while Jovovich plays a femme fatale and the piano and their tenuous relationship becomes the only worthy thing developed by the film. Skarsgård (probably the most talented of the cast) and the rest of the core cast play silly caricatures not unlike those found in supermarket paperback novels. This poor attempt at film noir which is adrift between black comedy and shoddy drama is a heavy handed mess lacking finesse, fraught with gaping plot holes, and generally full of filler which contributes nothing to the meager story. Save this turkey (aka: The House on Turk Street) for broadcast when the surfin' is slim. (C+)

Bob Rafelson's heyday may had been the 1970s but he can still direct actors who want to perform in a film rather than make movie.

In this modern take on a Dashiell Hammett story shot like low budget pulpish crime noir. It stars Samuel L Jackson as an off duty cop looking for a lost girl as a favour and he stumbles into a house full of strange people planning a robbery and is held captive.

Stellan Skarsgard is the suave leader of this motley group, whilst Milla Jovovich is the femme fatale who is playing people off one another but also acting against her will as she longs to escape from Skarsgard.

Jackson who is diabetic and likes playing the cello bonds with Jovovich who gives him insulin and she is also a talented piano player.

However the aftermath of the robbery does not go according to plan and there are double crosses aplenty whilst Jackson needs to escape his captors.

This is a film with a disparate group of characters who are caricatures, such as a dumb hothead, an elderly couple. It has good plotting, there is also a lot of character development helped by strong acting.

This is not a fast paced thriller but can be a rewarding film.

Police detective Jack Friar (Samuel L. Jackson) does a favor for a neighbor looking for her runaway teen. All he has is Turk Street. He tries to help an old lady carry her groceries into her house and he stumbles onto a band of bank robbers. They take him hostage. Tyrone (Stellan Skarsgård) is the leader. Erin (Milla Jovovich) is his girlfriend. Hoop (Doug Hutchison) is the unstable one. The Quarres (Joss Ackland, Grace Zabriskie) are an old couple with the group. David Brewster (Jonathan Higgins) is the bank insider who has the password. The group goes off leaving Erin behind guarding the tied up Jack.

This is a tired movie. The start is somewhat interesting if a bit random. It's jarring, but at least it's not the same old same old. There is a bank robbery but not much action. It's all murky characters and back stabbing. It never has a great deal of tension. The actors try but can't breath any believability into the characters. Director Bob Rafelson doesn't necessarily have the cinematic style. It's only good for late night TV.