When it comes to intense, action-heavy cinema swirling with a war backdrop, half are brutal and unrelenting, while the other half hone in on characters and can be a bit of a drag to invest in emotionally. Land of Bad falls somewhere in the middle of this mix. Hailing from co-writer/director William Eubank (The Signal, Underwater), the gripping thriller blends two disparate storylines to somewhat successful results. It is not that seeing two sides to the tale dulls either end, but one definitely outshines the other in both stakes and excitement. Sporting an ensemble cast including Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Russell Crowe (Gladiator), Ricky Whittle (CW’s The 100), Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), and Milo Ventimiglia (This is Us), Land of Bad puts in the work in crafting a watchable, often brutal Philippines-set race against the clock.
Beginning with a clump of text about extremist groups in Southern Asia, Land of Bad wastes no time in clueing in its audience about a supposedly secret war taking place in the Philippines. Our window into its atrocities comes by way of rookie Delta Force officer Kinney (Liam Hemsworth). As his day begins, deciding between Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes may be the least complicated decision he gets forced to make. Team captain Sugar (Ventimiglia) soon divulges the specifics of the group’s mission: attempt to extract a CIA asset with minimal casualties, a potential rescue operation. It all sounds simple enough until malfunctioning systems mean a whole lot of improvisation, and unspeakable carnage.
Back at the air force base in Las Vegas, drone pilot vet Reaper (Crowe) fights an uphill battle at getting anyone to answer the phones while he is at his station. He gets so up in arms about people monopolizing the television, gathering there without doing any work, that the emphasis about communication importance hammers in over and over again. Is it any surprise that this eventually evolves into a major plot point? Reaper provides support to Delta Force, but as their situation spins dangerously out of control, how will he be able to help?
Land of Bad thoroughly details both of these stories, devoting much more time to the air force base than one would reasonably expect. When one has Crowe, why waste him? It certainly feels like an active effort was made to develop his portion, but I would have preferred less of him and more of Delta Force. There eventually is a surprisingly satisfying payoff to the TV situation, and a pulse-pounding finale that feels layered thanks to the dual nature of the narrative. However, Reaper’s side never feels as essential as the movie needs it to be.
The real attraction here, of course, is Hemsworth in action mode, rippling abs and unforeseen strength supercharging him from rookie to determined hero. That transition feels essential, if predictable, given the focus on his character and the way it’s developed. Brawls and action scenes are filmed with energy, a small miracle considering just ten years prior they would probably have been riddled with shaky cam. A ticking clock element elevates the stealth mission into a movie that dads the world over will be instantly obsessed with. Land of Bad does what it says on the tin, both for better and for worse.
Escape from the Land of Bad, exclusively in theaters on Friday, February 16th.
