Boss Level
Time loops are not a new concept, they are a tired and tested formula that Joe Carnahan believes he can inject a new and promising life into with his latest film Boss Level. Inevitably, his efforts are futile, as it follows the weary, trodden path set out by those before it. Special forces, charmless characters and insufficient utilisation of every putrid idea, stolen from the underwhelming minds that sellotaped pistols to Daniel Radcliffe in Guns Akimbo.
Frank Grillo, a menace to filmmaking itself, smuggles his way into a starring role, portraying a man that is unable to show emotion or skill in any scenario. With Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts making the rounds alongside him, there is an expectation of quality. What follows is a series of repetitive, cringe-inducing moments of little to no effect. There is no self-awareness to the film, the constant narration from action hero Roy Pulver (Grillo), is dictated without an ounce of whimsy or irony. Worryingly enough, this fourth wall breaking narration appears to be a choice, rather than a mishap that wormed its way into the film without any cast or crew member noticing the permanent, harrowing damage it would take to the script.
Although, that implies any solid performance could save such disgraceful penmanship. The three souls attached to this script, director included, should be ashamed of such shoddy writing. Splicing action and comedy together once more with the big expected reveal toward the end, Boss Level offers nothing that hasn’t been done before. It tries neither to improve upon the past or engage with the tropes of the future on a level that feels anything more than acceptance of its utterly futile, useless existence. A collation of killers and villains whose only personality traits are found in the weapon they use or the one article of clothing unique to them. Remove the lengthy exposition from Grillo, and the same level of relevant detail would be injected into this lifeless husk of film.
Guns Akimbo but for people who required the one positive of such a film (Daniel Radcliffe), be scrubbed from the face of the Earth. Ready Player One but without the funding necessary to have pop culture references replace a static, one-note plot. Boss Level is not a well-crafted film. Its muted colour palette and action tropes are ten a penny. Gone are the glory days, here comes the final level, sucking all the life out of big explosions, pigeonholing Ken Jeong into its place.