In the span of five years, director Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have built a strong professional relationship. From 2013’s “Lone Survivor” to 2016’s “Patriots Day,” the duo have created some pretty good films that have critically done well. It seems that Berg has not gotten enough of Wahlberg yet and with three good films under their belt, it’s safe to say that their professional relationship still has some longevity. Enter “Mile 22,” the latest film from the duo that advertises action, espionage, and a bit of a star-studded cast. As a fan of their work (and of another’s work that I’ll get to later), I decided to see what their latest collaboration had to offer.
What I got, as a result, was a story and script that were...odd to say that least. The story is like a more grounded, rougher “Mission: Impossible” scenario: a deadly weapon has been spread across the globe and it’s up to Wahlberg’s Jimmy Silva to lead his top-secret group on a mission that could reveal that to them. Their mission is simple: transport a corrupt police officer (played by Iko Uwais) to an airfield so he can leave the country safely and give them the code they need to unlock a hard drive with all the information Wahlberg’s team wants. That all becomes more difficult when it seems that the local government, and the Russians themselves, want the police officer dead. This leads to a deadly scenario as Wahlberg’s team risk their lives in order to traverse the twenty-two miles they need to save the world from devastating chemical attacks.
The story, at face value, doesn’t seem odd. That is until you see the movie and realize that the film has a difficulty of progressing through the plot without their characters yelling it as fast as they can physically manage it. Mark Wahlberg even gets two instances in the film to basically explain the plot to the audience and he squanders it almost immediately by speaking so quickly that you can’t genuinely understand what he’s trying to convey. The execution of the script is absolutely bizarre, usually mixing aggressive yelling and forced, passive aggressive witty banter in place of what should be good character moments or easy-to-understand plot details. I’m pretty sure it was when Ronda Rousey scoffed and dismissively said, “Nerds…” to the computer team that I realized how rough the film might get as it progressed.
Speaking of Rousey, the film has a surprisingly star-studded cast that is overall squandered. Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan from “The Walking Dead,” John Malkovich, and Ronda Rousey round out a cast that isn’t horrible but is certainly not given much. Mark Wahlberg’s performance ranges between his stoic boredom in “Max Payne” to his unexpectedly goofy performance in the later “Transformers” films. Lauren Cohan, on the other hand, is angry for almost the majority of the film, giving her a character that is super confident in her abilities yet never gives her the chance to prove them when the time comes. Everyone else is pretty much useless, giving us a cast that has potential yet is mostly never given the chance to shine.
It also doesn’t help that the film’s camerawork is ridiculously shaky. Every action scenario is hindered by the handheld camera, resulting in a film that constantly makes you question who got thrown, what did they just do, and how many bad guys are there. Thankfully, the sound design picks up the slack from the annoying cinematography, filling the gaps in the fights without ever feeling overbearing or poorly mixed in. Plus, the film’s pacing is consistent throughout so you never feel like a fight scene goes on for too long. After a few instances of shaky-cam, that certainly helps.
Thankfully, it’s not just the consistent pacing or sound design that help the film. The shining star in this disappointing action film is Iko Uwais himself. The man has already proven himself to be a fantastic fighter in the incredibly game-changing “The Raid” films. He’s elevated himself one step further in my book by killing it in every scene he’s in. His acting is surprisingly really good (especially for a role that he mainly speaks in English) and he actually rivals Wahlberg when it comes to commanding a room. The shaky camerawork can’t even stop him as all of his fight scenes lead to some of the best shots in the entire film. He’s truly the main reason why I went to see the film so I was ecstatic to see him work his magic for Peter Berg flawlessly.
Uwais isn’t the only aspect of the film I like. For such a straightforward premise, the film’s ending is quite surprising and fresh. It ends on a note that I didn’t even catch on, thinking it was gonna end closer to something like a “Mission: Impossible” film or even 2006’s “16 Blocks.” However, it decided to take a turn in the completely opposite direction than what I expected. Because of that, I was extremely glad that the film could still surprise me, even after such a predictable plot up until that point.
In the end, without the saving grace of Iko Uwais and its ending, “Mile 22” ends up being a film that’s been done better in the past. At its core, it’s a poor hybrid of “Mission: Impossible” and “Sicario.” It’s the type of film that reminds you of great films rather than creating its own great moments for audiences to enjoy. If you’re interested in the film, I’d say wait a few months because by the twenty-second mile, anyone could see that the film is a better last minute Netflix pick than a full-price, Friday night event. If you’re looking to see a new film this weekend, go see “Crazy Rich Asians” instead.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CVV8X01824]