Review

With a cast which included Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, directed by the folks behind the two concluding Avengers movies and a reported 200 million budget, there was so much potential. All this produced was a poor generic action thriller which offers nothing new and struggles with some basics.

The first two action sequences were shrouded in smoke which obfuscated what was happening. The best action sequence in the movie started with an assault on our protagonist who was hand-cuffed to a park bench, then progressed to a more dynamic scene on top of a moving tram. It was an impressive action scene, but there were some very questionable visual effects towards the end. Even the best scene pales in comparison to those from Heat or The Dark Knight among others.

The backstory seemed bolted on but was necessary to add some motivation for our protagonist. The quips and monologues by the antagonist – although funny – felt out of character and out of place. There were some ideas which most brainless action movies ignore – such as "never throw a loaded gun" – which injected some realism, however it was often presented in an amusing way, which again conflicted with the overall tone of the movie.

Following on from the gratuitous use of drone footage in Michael Bay’s Ambulance, the Russo Brothers employ a similar jarring and over-use of the technique. Whereas the former combined the overtop style with an overstyled movie, the shots in this movie just felt out-of-place and never connected with the rest of the photography. They were often just randomly cut in seemingly without thought.

Stylish title cards of cities were used throughout, as the movie trotted around the globe, but unlike a James Bond movie, these locations ended up being forgettable and generic.

A rather laborious action movie which was a disappointment. There were many elements which could've elevated this movie, but everything falls completely flat.