Serving in the army has been James Reed’s dream since childhood, and the green beret is a source of pride. But after his wounds he is out of work: there is no place for him in a peaceful society, and his health has to be maintained by medication, not always the “purest” ones. And when the opportunity arises to take up his old trade again, the former soldier does not hesitate. But now the choice of who to point the weapon at is entirely up to him.
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Sometimes it seems to me that only in the U.S. can they make truly anti-American films. And, of course, we are not talking about films that somehow denounce the American nation, but about films that denounce American politics.
Judge for yourself: ex-military man, who was thanked by the president himself, in fact nobody needs him, he is suffering in his civilian life, not knowing where to put himself, plus the health problems he got during his service make themselves felt. He is also a patriot, but a patriot also has to support his family and live on his own. Of course, he accepts a job that his friend, an unwanted ex-military man, insinuates himself into, the more so because it’s not a corporate job, but a (completely risk-free) operation to protect the national security of his own beloved country.
The film has two fat pluses and one fat minus.
Pros. The actors. Chris Pine. The blue-eyed man from Star Trek and Wonder Woman doesn’t look glossy handsome here, he plays the battered man from life, work and doubt quite convincingly. Kiefer Sutherland is always a pleasure to watch. And Eddie Marsan, the role is small, but somehow clinging.
The Story. It can be watched as a regular rank action movie, but it doesn’t put violence at the center of it, doesn’t revel in it. The action here is not an end in itself, but rather a tool. It’ll do for once. But if you ponder a bit and apply the film’s fiction to real life, you’ll probably make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up nervously.
Minus. Lack of expressiveness. The narrative lacks sophistication, zest. Even the most simple and banal story could be told in a more artful way, could bring in something non-trivial through a special director’s vision. But alas, this is not the case. And also the finale, it seems to me, put, rather, a comma, because the hero’s way lay on the above-water part of the iceberg. However, to go lower – would not have had the time, or maybe the courage.
By the way, the film is completely devoid of the so-called ‘narration’. And because of this it looks only more honest.
Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (74.4 Mb/s)
Resolution: Upscaled 4K (2160p)
HDR: HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English, English SDH, Spanish.
