Brief Story Line
After experiencing a car accident while on holiday in Greece, Beckett (John David Washington - Tenet, BlacKkKlansman etc) an American tourist was suddenly chased by a group of people without knowing the reason. While on the run, he met with few people who helped him along the way, including an activist named Lena (Vicky Krieps - Phantom Thread etc).
With nowhere else to go, Beckett had no choice but to go to the US Embassy in Athens where he would be assisted by an employee named Stephen Tynan (Boyd Holbrook - The Predator, Narcos TV series etc). So what would happen to Beckett and what was the reason for him being chased by unknown people? You can find them all in this film.
End of Brief Story Line
I said above that I was interested by the trailer of this movie which hinted suspenseful and also some nice action of person on the run. So when I watched this film, I was anticipating a quick paced story. But the first 10 minutes or so was pretty dull and the opposite of exciting. I don't know what the problem was but I just felt the chemistry between Beckett and his girlfriend April (Alicia Vikander - Tomb Raider, Ex Machina etc) was not convincing at all. It was so boring looking at them that I even dozed off once or twice. Luckily the story got a bit more interesting later on.
The movie got to the exciting part once Beckett started being chased. However, even during this chasing, I still have the sense that the intensity was a bit inconsistent. Man on the run type of movie usually would be continuously intense and suspenseful with nonstop chasing and using the wit or whatever capability the lead cast had to escape. Somehow in this movie, there were times where the pace really slowed down and the suspense was shown only briefly. There were a bit more "action" towards the end which understandably not very spectacular (and frankly a bit unrealistic), but I thought it was still a fitting finale and quite satisfying.
John David Washington was actually not bad in here. He was quite convincing as a normal guy who was suddenly in a difficult position of having to run for his life. And because his character was written as a normal guy, it was also logical that he would not be having the extreme survival skill like in other similar type of movies. Which is why I was a bit surprised when the movie maker decided to give more action during the climax as it felt a bit inconsistent. The rest of the cast did not really have enough screen time to impress and my personal disappointment would be for Alicia Vikander who seemed out of place.
In term of story, I did not feel it to be extremely good or bad, just average. The political part was fine though it did not make an interesting reason. There was one unique thing in the movie as it showed Greece not only the lovely tourist spots, but also the smaller towns and remote locations, making me feel the scenery to be quite realistic. It has duration of 108 minutes and did not have any mid or post end credit scene. Btw, there was no mention that the film was adapted from anything. So credit to Ferdinando Cito Filomarino who served as director and writer (together with Kevin A. Rice for the screenplay) for their creativity.
Overall this was not a really impressive man-on-the run movie for me. Though it has a unique story but the intensity was inconsistent and the pace was not fast enough to make me excited during the entire film. I like John David Washington's performance and Boyd Holbrook who seemed fitting for his role. So if you are looking for this type of film, there are a lot out there which I think is better. But if you like the lead actor (perhaps because you were impressed by him in Tenet), maybe you would enjoy this film better.
Mike's movie moments rating: 3 out of 5 stars
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