“Mile 22” (R)
Despite its tried-and-true actor-director tandem of Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg, “Mile 22” runs short of expectations following the team’s impressive previous efforts including “Lone Survivor,” “Deepwater Horizon” and “Patriots Day.” That’s not to say “Mile 22” is a bad film, just one that loses its way with an overdose of hyperkinetic action scenes that results in sensory overload.
Wahlberg stars as James Silva, a brilliant CIA operative whose complete lack of social skills allows him to complete his assignments with searing precision that’s uninhibited by emotion. Silva is exactly the man the CIA needs in charge of an off-the-books mission in Southeast Asia where his team needs to transport Li Noor (Iko Uwais) – a highly-valuable government asset who holds the key to saving the lives of millions – 22 miles to the pickup point where he can be safely escorted out of the country.
AUDIO: Hear Tim’s review of “Mile 22” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show.”
However, since the information Noor has is so sensitive, the country he betrayed to get it wants him dead, turning his 22-mile route to safety into a war zone. Making matters worse, the plane that will extract Noor can only be on the ground for a 10-minute window to get the asset out of the country.
Ultimately, “Mile 22” is just another entry in the race against the clock action genre, with lots of non-stop if not relentless action, ultra-violent deaths of the good and bad guys, and a plotline held together with slender threads. Wahlberg is good as usual, but the character he plays, a brilliant operative with no social skills, will test your patience.
The film also stars Lauren Cohan, who shows tremendous promise outside of her role as Maggie in “The Walking Dead,” John Malkovich, who delivers as usual as the overseer of the mission, and former MMA star Ronda Rousey, who surprisingly doesn’t have any martial arts scenes. Instead, Uwais (of “The Raid” films) gets a spotlight to strut his martial arts prowess with several scenes that aren’t for the squeamish.
In an odd bit of timing, “Mile 22” comes out almost a year to the day after the 2017 hit comedy “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” which features a similar premise of a highly-valuable government asset (Samuel L. Jackson) being escorted across an urban war zone by a former CIA operative (Ryan Reynolds). Because the stakes are much higher, and the tone is heavier, “Mile 22” isn’t exactly a repeat of that film, but the groundwork is definitely the same. The big difference, of course, is that “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” also starring Elodie Yung, is a lot more entertaining and ultimately, hilarious, and would be a good substitute for those looking for a good chase thriller this weekend.
Lammometer: 6 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
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