Pure action films are a dime-a-dozen in this day and age. Now, Hollywood’s version of an action film is a superhero film… Not that we’re complaining. However, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a pure balls-to-the-wall type of action film. Enter Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg. Their latest film, Mile 22, marks the return of this particular type of action film. But does Mile 22 mark the triumphant return of the subgenre?
When it comes to the action, the film delivers on all fronts. It’s a film that’s chock full of action and excitement. However, the film doesn’t provide anything else but action and excitement.
Mile 22 follows an elite American intelligence officer, James Silva. While in Asia, a mysterious police officer has vital information that could save hundreds of millions of people. Now, Silva and his top-secret tactical command unit must smuggle the officer out of the country while a corrupt government is set to take him down.
Although Peter Berg has been on a tear as a filmmaker lately, those films were based on real-life events. Mile 22 is not. As a result, Berg seems to revert back to some of his bad habits. There’s an ADHD quality to the editing of the film. When characters are delivering dialogue, Berg cuts from one shot to another at a rapid pace. This is so noticeable that even the average moviegoer will notice it. Now, this may have something to do with the character trait of the main character but it’s still an unnecessary distraction.
Thankfully, once the action gets going then Berg begins to settle down. Whereas most directors will quickly cut during the action scenes, Berg lets the action breathe. Thus, audiences can see just how awesome the action really is. First and foremost, Iko Uwais brings his brand of brutal martial arts to the film. If you’ve ever seen The Raid then you know exactly what kind of action he’s known for. Unfortunately, Uwais doesn’t showcase his martial arts skills a lot in this film. It’s a shame because those are some of the biggest highlights of the film. Be that as it may, the gun action is marvelous too. They’re intense, violent, and full of carnage.
But the incredible action is something that you should expect from Mile 22. After all, the storyline is set up to have a lot of crazy action scenes. Unfortunately, the script is full of outrageous dialogue. Dialogue so bad that it’ll make you cringe. Luckily, the plot isn’t as predictable as you might think. You may compare the story to other films (see: 16 Block) but this film isn’t straightforward at all. However, if you pay close attention to the film then you may be able to predict what’s going to happen.
In addition, the film is full of one-dimensional characters. With the exception of James and Alice, there isn’t much depth to the other characters. Also, James has a personality trait that gets annoying after a while. Unfortunately, Mark Wahlberg adds to this by providing his character with zero personality. Not to mention, Wahlberg doesn’t show any sort of emotion to his character. It’s just a stale performance from Wahlberg. He does deliver one hell of a rant though.
On the other hand, Lauren Cohan brings a lot of emotion to the table. Her character has a lot of things to deal with so those emotions come out quite often. As we’ve seen from “The Walking Dead,” she’s a total badass too. Once again, she shows that side off here. Iko Uwais is a big surprise here. Butt-kicking aside, his performance contains a lot of depth which is impressive to watch on-screen. It just goes to show you the kind of versatility that he has as an actor.
Overall, Mile 22 is an action-packed roller coaster ride. The film has a lot of issues but this isn’t the type of film that’s going to be perfect. Meaning this isn’t an Oscar-bait type of film. It’s a balls-to-the-wall, ass-kicking, bullets flying type of film. Therefore, you must come for the action but just don’t come for the acting.
Rating: 3/5 atoms
The post Mile 22 Review appeared first on Nerd Reactor.
from Nerd Reactor
0 comments: