Milla 22

After Lone Survivor, Patriots Day and Deepwater Horizon, Peter Berg had a weaker moment, which is reflected in the rather mediocre reviews, but I had fun. You can never have enough R-rated action movies at the cinema, and there's a decent cast; Mark Wahlberg plays an arrogant bastard and got on my nerves for the first time, but it's a pleasure to see John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey and the excellent Iko Uwais, schooling the Americans in a big way here. Story-wise, the film is a bit cold and doesn't really grab you, but what does grab your attention are the action scenes, which are very intense, gritty, full of contact and pretty bloody. There is some messier editing (like in Taken), which is not needed at all with Uwais, yet I enjoyed his fights and there are more than enough broken limbs again. The last half hour is tension packed and the final twist was quite a surprise. It could have turned out better, but I left the cinema satisfied. 75% (20.09.2018)

The government’s game of Risk didn’t turn out according to the wishes of one parent, so someone is going to pay dearly. American self-criticism combined with an Indonesian bloodbath movie looks great in Berg’s competent hands. Every character is essentially negative, regardless of the flag he’s waving. Wahlberg acts all the time like an arrogant bastard with a cruelly realistic view of the world, which doesn’t make for a completely traditional narrator. Uwais does a competent job in his supporting role, even though he is given room to work only in one major fight scene. It’s a shame that not a single scene or moment in the movie stands out as deserving mention. Spent cartridges rain down, dead bodies pile up, with just the sound of a death rattle hanging over the battleground. A great screenplay, just the right length. Bring on more movies like this. (04.11.2018)

Typical American spy recruitment film with noisy action, tough talk and a macho Wahlberg. Berg knows how to put together action scenes, but he should get another editor. The devices from the Bourne trilogy are not surprising, they are used too much for effect and beyond belief. There is no story to speak of, but with better characterisation and development of the protagonists, the level set-up might not have mattered so much – think of The Raid. The only one of them here is Iko Uwais, and his potential is only utilised to about 50 percent; basically the same as the potential of Berg as director. Probably some form of guilty pleasure, or a slight lapse that can happen once a decade to anyone. (28.10.2018)

It seems that the Arabs are no longer on the US radar. The Americans got tired of killing goat herders and enthusiastically returned into the arms of their time-proven enemy to warm up the Second Cold War a little. The film surprised me several times – there was hardly any pathos, the conclusion was extremely atypical and Uncle Sam's enemy did not die by the hundreds as usual. Other clichés, however, were still there – the bad guys dying after a single hit as usual, as opposed to the American Terminators, and a 110-pound Nikita gets beaten up by an ugly giant with the calm of a stoic. But who cares, I've seen worse. (07.03.2019)

"Some tough-guy talk may be hard to listen to, but within the genre, it's still a watchable film. Lovers of action shootouts will definitely find something to like here. The story has momentum, the necessary dynamics, and a rather unexpected denouement. (60%) (27.12.2021)