Movie Reviews

Movie Review: Marky Mark Spits Bullets & Talks A Mile A Second In Franchise Wannabe “Mile 22”

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

An elite American intelligence officer, aided by a top-secret tactical command unit, tries to smuggle a mysterious police officer with sensitive information out of the country.

Mark Wahlberg’s 4th collaboration with Peter Berg is very American indeed. It valiantly tries to criticize the country’s penchant for violence and lack of morals while adhering to the very same values with glorified violence and misplaced principles. It follows a very American-action-movie structure, with a twist that blares its arrival at the 20-minute mark. It’s big and dumb and… kinda fun. Just like “Lone Survivor”, “Deepwater Horizon,” and “Patriots Day” were before it.

The bond between Wahlberg and Berg (WahlBerg?) seems to only strengthen with time. With “Mile 22” they allegedly wanted to introduce a “character-driven franchise” (“Mile 222?”), sort of like Bourne I guess, but with a more radical, militaristic antihero. Problem is, Marky Mark’s character is so deliberately unlikeable and the film is such a hodgepodge of sermonizing and gouge-your-eyes-out editing, I doubt this earnest thriller will gather the same sort of traction Matt Damon’s warmer, smarter, cooler franchise did.

Wahlberg plays James Silva, a motormouthed, thick-skinned leader of a command unit, which consists of the similarly thick-skinned Sam (Ronda Rousey) and the slightly thinner-skinned moral compass of the film, Alice (Lauren Cohan). William answers to Bishop (John Malkovich’s wig), an aging government hack who wears oversized suits and sneakers, and observes the team on giant monitors.

After a boom-bang introduction, wherein Silva and his gang kill off a bunch of Russian spies, among them an 18-year-old boy, we flash-forward many months to Southeast Asia. Silva and his gang are now on another mission: escort a rogue agent, Li (Iko Uwais), the titular 22 miles to safety. Of course, there is more than that: Li has the code to a self-destroying weapon of mass destruction, there are double-crosses and triple-crosses – and it’s all told with a scowling intensity – this shit is SERIOUS, folks. That lack of humor renders it all somewhat anticlimactic, if not laughable.

Not that there is zero merit to “Mile 22.” While Berg may benefit from slowing down during the aggravating fight scenes (just let me watch Uwais’ ballet of violence, don’t yank my eyes in all directions, dammit!), he’s getting quite good at building suspense. Some of the action is intense. Mark Wahlberg acts like he’s on cocaine, as if to keep up with the mental editing – but his shrill performance almost becomes endearing at about the halfway Mark. And Uwais truly brings gravitas to his role. It could’ve easily been a rote performance, but he imbues it with depth and a quiet intelligence. He’s also a hell of a fighter – if you can glimpse him in action, that is.

Nothing is original. It’s all anticlimactic. Whose idea was it to cast Rhonda Rousey for her acting chops? The professional wrestler barely swings a fist, and her acting leaves much to be desired. The frenetic editing mixed in with all the pseudo-intellectual speechifying grates, as if we’re subjected to an ADD-addled 16-year-old’s analysis of contemporary politics.

The film managed to feel overstuffed at a trim 95 minutes. It would’ve been better if it just focused on the actual mission, which doesn’t really start until about an hour into the film. As it stands, it’s like “16 Blocks” and “Sicario” cross-bred with “Swordfish” in an attempt to birth “The Raid.” Its box office will ultimately decide whether “Mile 22” becomes a franchise, but if it does, I guess I’ll reluctantly go the extra mile to see the sequel.

In theaters Friday, August 17th

 

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Alex Saveliev

Alex graduated from Emerson College in Boston with a BA in Film & Media Arts and studied journalism at the Northwestern University in Chicago. While there, he got acquainted with the late Roger Ebert, who supported and inspired Alex in his career as a screenwriter and film critic. Alex has produced, written and directed a short zombie film, “Parched,” which is being distributed internationally and he is developing a series for a TV network, and is in pre-production on a major motion picture.