A story that pits the ruggedly handsome and capable Liam Hemsworth against a horde of insurgents deep in the jungles and caves of the Philippines. Liam is excellent as the untested JTAC officer - who gets his first taste of combat when his extraction mission goes badly wrong. Basically, it's "Behind Enemy Lines" meets "Lone Survivor."
The action is loud, graphic - and despite the multitude of drone-kills - fairly intimate, too. Director William Eubank strategically uses short bursts of slow-motion to emphasize key moments in the frantic battle scenes, and the results are pretty awesome. "Land of Bad" earns its hard-R rating and then some.
Meanwhile, Academy Award winner Russell Crowe is amusing and believable as the "guy in the chair" - helping the youngest Hemsworth brother navigate the hostile terrain via a drone he's piloting overhead. This parallel plot delivers a lot of realistic levity to the otherwise serious script. I found myself particularly invested in Crowe's passionate dedication to this young solider he's never met. Which is good, because outside of their comms-only relationship, we learn exceedingly little about their backstories - only that one like Fruit Loops, the other is on his fourth marriage, and they're both from Ohio.
There's some nail-biting set pieces loaded with huge fiery explosions and blistering fire-fights: which should please all audiences looking for a audiovisual rush. But outside of a surprisingly wholesome moment in the film's final scene - this is not a particularly deep or affecting film.
A solid, by-the-numbers tactical adventure dads everywhere are sure to love, I thought "Land of Bad" was a rather COOL film. One of the better #RegalMysteryMovie selections!
The action is loud, graphic - and despite the multitude of drone-kills - fairly intimate, too. Director William Eubank strategically uses short bursts of slow-motion to emphasize key moments in the frantic battle scenes, and the results are pretty awesome. "Land of Bad" earns its hard-R rating and then some.
Meanwhile, Academy Award winner Russell Crowe is amusing and believable as the "guy in the chair" - helping the youngest Hemsworth brother navigate the hostile terrain via a drone he's piloting overhead. This parallel plot delivers a lot of realistic levity to the otherwise serious script. I found myself particularly invested in Crowe's passionate dedication to this young solider he's never met. Which is good, because outside of their comms-only relationship, we learn exceedingly little about their backstories - only that one like Fruit Loops, the other is on his fourth marriage, and they're both from Ohio.
There's some nail-biting set pieces loaded with huge fiery explosions and blistering fire-fights: which should please all audiences looking for a audiovisual rush. But outside of a surprisingly wholesome moment in the film's final scene - this is not a particularly deep or affecting film.
A solid, by-the-numbers tactical adventure dads everywhere are sure to love, I thought "Land of Bad" was a rather COOL film. One of the better #RegalMysteryMovie selections!