Rating: C-
Dir: Steven C. Miller.
Star: Mason Gooding, Dylan Sprouse, Odette Annable, Austin North.
This one crossed my radar in a clip online, showcasing some impressive moments of people getting shot through their faces in slow-motion (top). I will say, these are quite impressive and well-done. Obviously CGI, admittedly. But they are a good demonstration of how you should use CGI. They should be used to do things practical effects can’t accomplish, not for lazy replacement of things like blood squibs. Unfortunately, it’s about as good as the movie gets, and thereafter, it’s a slow decline into mediocrity. The leads are Abbott (Gooding) and Griff (Sprouse), two criminals trying to arrange a drug deal. Except, neither man knows the other is an undercover agent, working for the DEA and FBI respectively.
This leads quite quickly to a face-off in a desert valley, which goes bloodily wrong when a sniper begins picking everyone off from the hillside. [And that’s where we get the footage from the clips] Abbott and Griff are able to survive, although they are pinned down behind their vehicle, while the sniper (North) waits for a chance to finish his job. A convenient walkie-talkie opens up a line of communication, and our heroes eventually figure out this is to do with the suitcase of drugs they were supposed to be purchasing. Turns out, drugs were not the only thing it contained. Can they figure out how to escape the killing box in which they find themselves confined?
Probably no real surprise as to the answer there. Though it’s only managed through plot convolutions which would leave a pretzel in need of a physiotherapist. The sniper, for example, barely misses a shot when aiming at the supporting characters. But when he fixes his sights on our heroes, he suddenly turns into an Imperial Stormtrooper. Or the vehicle which goes from dead in the water with multiple flat tyres, to being able to drive away without any issue. Or the improvised bullet-proof suit, made out of… I’m not sure what. Or the ending, which notably fails to resolve anything beyond the most basic question of the leads’ survival. It always seems rather arrogant and presumptive of movie makers to assume there will be a sequel. Tell a complete story: let the audience decide.
The first half, at least, leaves me not averse to the idea in theory. The two lead actors are engaging, and their inter-agency bickering is entertaining. The central idea, of being pinned down by a sniper, has been done a few times lately. This isn’t as good as Take Cover, though at least avoids the political soap-boxing which sunk Night of the Hunted. The problems are elsewhere. It feels the writers painted themselves into a corner, and couldn’t be arsed to figure a proper way out. They finally resorted to something at the level of, “With one bound, they were free.” By the end, I couldn’t care less as to whether or not the necessary sequel comes to pass.