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One Movie Punch


Aug 20, 2018

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to Matinee Monday! This weekend didn’t have that one movie everyone was either going to see or would end up seeing, at least not yet. So, I went with my gut and selected a straight-ahead action film, starring one of my favorite action actors. Hint: It’s not Mark Wahlberg. Like action movies? Check out “Manhunt” (Episode #133), “Hotel Artemis” (Episode #162), “Braven” (Episode #198), and “Kickboxer: Retaliation” (Episode #205). And if you have any action favorites, let me know at onemoviepunch.com or reach out to us on social media.

And now...

Today’s movie is “Mile 22” (2018), the action thriller directed by Peter Berg and written for the screen by Lea Carpenter, based on a story developed with Graham Roland. The film follows James Silva (Mark Wahlberg), a CIA Operative based with his team in a foreign country. When a large quantity of radioactive cesium goes missing, Silva and his team must extract an Indonesian police officer with the location named Li Noor (Iko Uwais) over 22 miles of dense urban areas.

Spoilers ahead.

Editing is a key element to any film. In the early days, editing allowed silent films to cut in the narrations, and eventually to combine the audio and video tracks into the talkies we enjoy today. The tools and techniques would evolve over time, moving away from mostly fixed camera shots to multiple cuts for a scene from different angles. Once film-making went digital, the painstaking film cutting process was transformed into all-in-one premium software packages literally anyone can learn how to use, producing both good and bad results. It has dramatically reduced the cost to edit a film, barring special effects. But it has also increased the number of jump cuts in editing, which can turn off many viewers, and if you are one of those folks, definitely do not see this film.

“Mile 22” struggles a great deal with editing, adopting the almost nauseating action style of the Jason Bourne films, packed with jump cuts and camera jerks between strikes in unarmed combat, and bouncing between street and aerial perspectives for armed combat in the streets. It would be enough to make the film difficult to watch, but layered over all of that is a storytelling style jumping between a post-operation briefing with Silva, and the events that take place over 22 miles. I’m willing to admit this style has the same emotional and operational intensity of actual urban combat. However, I want that kind of experience with a first-person shooter video game, not a feature-length film. The style is also a waste of the amazing fight choreography of Iko Uwais, who has very few action scenes outside of the infirmary fight seen in the trailer.

Editing aside, I’m also not a fan of James Silva as a character. He’s extremely annoying, and while an emotionally myopic sociopath may fit our intelligence services to a tee, it doesn’t make for good story-telling. Another drawback of his character is the post-operation interview. No matter what happens during the operation, we always know James Silva makes it alive, which dramatically ratchets down the tension within an action film. The rest of the cast suffers as well, rarely getting enough screen time to develop, and never enough to care as members of the team begin falling, one by one. I felt pretty unsatisfied by the end, wishing the film had taken more time and care, and being almost annoyed at the possibility of future films left wide open. I say almost, though, because if they decide to move forward with the rumored two more films, I’ll still be there. And for the same reason I went into this film in the first place: the hope of great action from Iko Uwais.

“Mile 22” (2018) is a frenetic action film, visually distracting to the viewer in a way that tarnishes the story and the action. Lea Carpenter writes a decent story, but Peter Berg overprocesses it so much that not even a good cast can save the result. Fans of black ops military films, or intense action films with a lot, and I’m talking a LOT, of jumpcuts, should definitely check out this film. And then afterwards, give your eyes a break, because damn.

Rotten Tomatoes: 20%

Metacritic: 40

One Movie Punch: 5.8/10

“Mile 22” (2018) is rated R and is currently playing in theaters.