Hostile Takeover

Fun movie with great action. This is a cool film format. Great way t9 make large scale films cost effectively. I lived Michael's acting diversity and ability to show a friendlier side. The action was amazing with incredible stunt work! There is a fight scene with some bat work that was mind blowing.

This isnt one of Michael Jai wights movies that follows the normal format for an action moive. This is pseudo comedy light hearted look at a hitman who loves his job but comes across some problems because of his decision to join a self help group. I don't want to give away the plot so thats as far as I will go with reveals.

I think the move suffers from this approach because it restricts itself in not maximising the comedy aspect. Some of the nuances that are employed... say with Wights character, and the curious relationships he has with other characters, just don't really work in the manner they are trying to portray. There are some amusing moments sure, but no laugh-out-loud or even chuckle moments to really appreciate.

White really gives his all here. You can see he's putting eveyrthing into rendering this character, but it's sort of a waste really. I just didn't feel the mood the movie was going for. To be honest it was barely watchable, not because it was done necessarily badly, though that's not to say it was particularly interesting or entertaining, but becasue it was flat and rather boring.

The fight scenes were almost a slow-mo version or what were used to seeing with White. I get the impression this was done deliberately, again, as variation of the normally fast moving electric coreography were used to, and I think this was to offset the style of the movie, but again, it doesn't really work.

I laboured through it but mostly it falls flat, and doesn't deliver. If your a Wight fan, as I am, you sould probably watch it anyway, so judge for yourself.

I didn't like it and can only manage a 3/10.

Sure it isn't a big Hollywood movie, but then that's exactly why it's actually funny, with far, FAR better crafted fight choreography. There are a couple questionable spots, but since the action coming out of Hollywood is generally blends together into one long groan, they're pretty easy to get over.

It seems like there's an 80's action movie homage influencing the movie. The constant joking is a little over the top, but oh well, still funny.

I've always been a Michael Jai White fan since Spawn and Universal Soldier 2. He's actually a talented and humble (relatively) martial artist a who never fails to produce a good performance. His comedic timing apparently isn't bad either.

I was actually very disheartened when it looked like Mikey was going the way of Steven Seagal, getting to fat to lift his legs and kick properly, but then I realized it was entirely because he was wearing modern style tapered super tight jeans. No one can kick in those. He must have known and was doing it to illustrate how stupid and dangerous it is to wear jeans like that. A+

It's a bit sad that, apart from a few independent productions, film studios have so little to offer in terms of plot.

After about 10 minutes, I felt like I was watching the 1997 classic thriller "The Game" with Michael Douglas, reworked into a strange, grotesque compilation of fight scenes, in which every act is highly mannered. The longer I watched, the more bored I became... Yes, the film is a kind of middle-of-the-road entertainment, but it's neither too funny nor too serious; it's probably the least balanced film of its kind I've seen in recent years. Good for a get-together with a beer and the TV humming in the background.

It's a bit like the mush that generative AI would produce.

Honestly, this felt like a waste of time. Not terrible enough to be entertaining in a "so bad it's good" way, but not good in any area either. It just sits in that boring middle ground. All the characters are one-dimensional, like they walked straight out of a generic superhero cartoon, and the plot is about as deep as a puddle.

The story? A guy is suspected of betraying his master... for no real reason. There's nothing clever or layered about it - just a lazy setup that never goes anywhere interesting. The tone tries to mix humor with action, but the jokes never land, and any attempts to develop the main character fall completely flat.

Visually, it's as generic as any low-effort action movie. The fight scenes mostly involve people who clearly don't know how to fight - except for Michael Jai White, who actually can, but for some reason tones himself down to match the rest of the cast. The blood effects are laughably bad, and the cinematography is forgettable.

The music? Fine. Just background filler - nothing memorable. My "favorite" scene (if I had to pick one) was the fight in his ex-apartment, but even that was painfully mediocre. The worst part was simply the time I wasted watching it.

Final verdict: I'd honestly recommend watching paint dry instead - at least then you won't be disappointed.