Land of Bad may look and sound like your average combat action flick, but it’s actually much more thrilling and intricate than that surface assumption.

Director William Eubank (Underwater, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin) dissects a rescue mission for the purpose of honouring the brave individuals who have been assigned risky roles in extracting a CIA asset. The screenplay (co-written by Eubank and The Signal’s David Frigerio) alternates between the perspectives of the ground force in southern Asia (Liam Hemsworth, Milo Ventimiglia, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle) and the Las Vegas post where the team’s drone is being piloted by Captain Eddie “Reaper” Grimm (Academy Award winner Russell Crowe). 

Land of Bad’s action is violent and quick in a way that doesn’t feel cheap, but rather compliments how special forces think on their feet when a plan is challenged by sudden changes. The special effects are not obvious, and the audience feels every explosion and each bullet that whizzes by. Those sequences are also spaced apart nicely with just enough exposition that helps elevate the characters above being typical, rugged stereotypes. The film’s fleeting humour is an appreciative quality too, with each character finding their moment to have a special reaction to someone else on their team. Heated confrontations between Reaper and inconsiderate subordinates can’t help but bubble over into a funny context – on purpose, mind you.

Fulfilling the intensity of both positions and emphasizing how every second is crucial and every manoeuvre is critical, Land of Bad provides a well-rounded and well acted, although still stylized, examination of warfare.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie