Review: Just Play Dead pairs Samuel L Jackson and Eva Green in a crime caper

A new review looks at Just Play Dead, a crime caper directed by Martin Campbell and starring Samuel L Jackson and Eva Green, noting that the film follows an ageing criminal kingpin's scheme to fake his own death.

According to the review, the film is the fifth Campbell has directed since 2020, placing the 82-year-old director among a group of veteran filmmakers who have remained highly active later in their careers. Jackson stars as Jack Wolfe, a kingpin living in retirement on a Spanish-speaking Caribbean island who grows anxious that law enforcement is closing in on him.

A scheme built on deception

The plot, as described in the review, centers on Wolfe's plan with his wife Nora, played by Green, to frame her lover for his supposed murder so the couple can split an insurance payout. Wolfe protects himself by secretly recording Nora discussing the scheme, while Nora is said to pursue her own version of the plan involving her lover and a detective also connected to the story.

The review characterizes the film's tone as an "overworked" take on a Tarantino-style crime caper, pointing to what it describes as confusing plot points and reliance on familiar genre stereotypes, while crediting Jackson and Green's performances with helping to hold the film together.

Just Play Dead adds to a body of work from Campbell, whose career spans several decades and genres, and continues Jackson's prolific run of film roles in recent years.