Familiar & boring

The film takes its title from an obscure game, but the connection ends there. The story is merely an excuse for an all-out actioner. Kyrah (Kerry Washington) and Isaac (Omar Sy) are former mercenaries who separated after their romantic entanglement led them to exit the deadly ‘Shadow Force’, a government programme that recruited the best killers to eliminate ruthless criminals. Now in hiding, they live to protect their son.

Once a killer for hire, Isaac is now a caring and concerned father to Ky (Kahleel Kamara), a Lionel Richie-obsessed kid.

But when a bank heist goes awry and Ky is nearly kidnapped, Isaac is forced into action, exposing his location to their old boss, Jack Cinder.

Cinder is the type of villain who slaps around his crew and orders women to serve him whiskey neat, an intimidating presence. Mark Strong plays him as an over-the-top action villain.

Though estranged, Kyrah has clearly been keeping tabs on Isaac and Ky. Once she gets wind of Isaac’s bank face-off with gun-toting thugs trying to pull off a heist, she knows that they can no longer remain hidden and will be forced back on the grid.

Director Joe Carnahan, who has helmed actioners like ‘The A-Team’, ‘The Grey’ and ‘Boss Level’, tries to make this outing cheesy and entertaining, but genre afflictions spoil the broth. The plot relies heavily on coincidence and the narrative hijinks include standard double-cross and excessive gun battles.

‘Shadow Force’ is far from a solid action thriller. Even with decent strong performances and some violence, the narrative doesn’t pick steam. Carnahan’s helming of the lethargic done-to-death story doesn’t pass muster either. Carnahan recycles some moves from his 2006 film ‘Smokin’ Aces’, but sustained action is missing. As a helmer, he can only dream up stray clashes and chases, which are lacklustre at best.

Washington is good as an action heroine and Sy’s hulking frame brings brawn to the table. Smith and Randolph are having a true ball here, but their humour feels misplaced. This machismo- fuelled actioner could have done well with some lighter moments but alas, the humour here is not enough to sustain interest.

There’s no freshness in the story and the plotting is strictly by the numbers. It is the kind of film you can easily skip. Cheap marketing and uninspired posters mark it as a theatre extravagance, but it lacks exciting action, strong performances and a fervent pace. Familiar and boring are the words that describe this experience.10

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