Matt Damon as the leader of the team Lt. Dumars is good if not particularly surprising or doing anything much beyond what we've seen him do in the past, he is no doubt a movie star and he is no doubt servicable in the role. Ben Affleck as Sgt. Byrne is more electric, is having more fun, and it is genuinely great to see the two of them share scenes together again, their chemistry is undeniable. And if the movie itself is semi-standard cop-fair it is well made, the script is tight, the action is compelling, it works. The supporting cast is full of some solid talent- Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Kyle Chandler- who all round out the film and give it depth and texture. Is this Heat? No. But it's a world beyond Netflix's typical offerings in this genre like Havoc and Extraction.
Visually the film is dark and thick evoking the close humidity of southern Florida, the locations are limited, the action, when it comes, explosive and potent. The score subtle and suspenseful. It's a pro production. When the script veers into the obvious or the cliche the presence of the actors weathers those bumps relatively easily. In a feature landscape where regular action movies(without superheroes or magic or aliens) are in shorter and shorter supply this is kind of treat. The logic of not distributing it theatrical is increasingly silly given this is the kind of movie that would be a sleeper January hit, the kind of decent money maker Gerard Butler and Jason Statham have had a monopoly on the past several years.
A solid piece of popcorn entertainment.
Currently streaming on Netflix.
See It.
