Rawson Marshall Thurber is a cinematic underachiever. The man knows how to put a film together, and his recent collaborations with Dwayne Johnson have been a solid match-up, but it always feels like his films should be far more interesting than they actually turn out. I mean, when the film of his that has aged the best contains an entire scene aggrandising Lance Armstrong and a bi-bait finale, something is askew. So, as I look at his latest feature, know that I will probably give the guy a hard time but it’s mainly because he’s shown enough talent as a filmmaker to be doing better than he has of late.
A globe-trotting treasure hunt with a mismatched buddy duo in FBI agent John Hartley (Dwayne Johnson) and art thief Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), the film is largely driven by its own star power and lavish production values. Many a joke has been made about how badly-rendered the bullfighting scene is (and make no mistake, it still looks dreadful), but when taking everything else into account (the international locales, the opulent set design, the extensive drone shots, not to mention the eight-figure salaries of the main cast), it certainly looks like the most expensive production Netflix has been involved with. It has the glamour to make for a decent blockbuster, although such an effect is both aided and hindered by the three lead actors.
It being this front-heavy in the casting department isn’t the inherent issue; I’m not exactly going to complain about putting three of the most charismatic actors in Hollywood today in the same movie. It’s just that their presence here immediately gives away that the story they’re here for might need their help. All three are basically playing to type, with Johnson as the compelling male lead with the built-in on-screen presence, Reynolds with his plentiful pop culture quips and just as plentiful fourth-wall breaks (it’s Deadpool all over again), and Gal Gadot playing up the intrigue and pushing the buttons of the two leads as she did in Dawn Of Justice. I’m not saying they don’t fit their roles; I’m just saying that if they were filled by actors who were as capable but with less bankability, the film would flounder because no one is really playing a ‘character’ here.
The story itself is nothing all that special, with its knowing rips from Indiana Jones and other such treasure hunting fare (National Treasure, perhaps?), and while Thurber tries to be clever-clever with the confidence tricks being played and the eventual twisty reveals, there’s nothing all that jaw-dropping. Part of that is the result of the actors involved (Dwayne Johnson has done this “is he the good guy or is he just a charismatic bad guy?” routine a few times already), but the rest of it is just the bare minimum for the kind of obvious-in-hindsight twists he’s employing. It’s not nearly as clever as it insists it’s being, which isn’t a good look.
Now, on pure genre thrills, I’d argue that this is the best that Thurber has managed of late. The chase scenes, whether on-foot or on-vehicle, are well-shot and choreographed, the shootouts are alright, and the intrigue in the character interactions, while definitely leaning on who exactly is talking, at least fits with the larger aesthetic. For this brand of top-heavy blockbuster, it ostensibly provides enough things for the cast to do and have fun while doing them (and, by extension, let the audience have fun watching them), but it’s still not as compelling as it could have been.
Once again, I find myself questioning if Thurber is making the most of his skill set as a director. Maybe with a co-writer being brought in (or possibly just a Thurber-less writing team), the slickness that Thurber provides here would be more worthwhile. But instead, it’s honestly one of the worser results of an ensemble cast, where you’re not tuning in to see characters; you’re just here for the actors, regardless of what they’re actually doing. It’s cinema as thinly-disguised personal marketing, and when it’s being dressed up this expensively, and with two sequels already in the works, there’s only so much that on-screen charisma can cover up.
Not to say that this is dreadful. I mean, I publicly defended The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard; you’re in the wrong place if you’re expecting me to completely shit on this feature. It’s still fun for what it is, and I’d certainly watch another movie with these three in the lead. But with how much exposure these three already have on their own, and for doing basically the exact same thing they’re doing here, is it too much to ask for something a little more worthwhile here?
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