Year of Release: 2020
Director: Dave Wilson
Starring: Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Eiza Gonzalez, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell, Talulah Riley, Lamorne Morris, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Alex Hernandez, Siddarth Dhananjay, Tamer Burjaq, Clyde Berning, David Dukas
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
Watch it on Amazon
Synopsis and Review
"Bloodshot" is Dave Wilson's feature directorial debut, following an extensive career in visual effects (he worked on Joss Whedon's "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and several video games). The film is based on a comic book and focuses its narrative on a US Marine by the name of Ray Garrison. Ray is a smart and resourceful team leader, and manages to salvage a potentially dicey situation with hostages in Mombasa, Kenya. After returning from that service, Ray takes a vacation with his wife in Italy, but they both end up kidnapped. The kidnapper demands to know how the US military learned about the hostages from Mombasa, and when Ray does not answer, the kidnapper kills his wife and then fatally shoots him as well. Ray reawakens in the labs of RST, a company that specializes in cybernetic enhancements for disabled US military personnel. He's informed by the head of the company and also its lead scientist, that he is the first of its kind, a prototype of sorts. His body has been embedded with nanite technology, which now pumps through his bloodstream, enabling him to quickly recover from possibly fatal wounds. Dr. Harting also lets him know those nanites need to be regularly replaced or he will perish once again. As his memories start flashing, Ray leaves the building much against Dr. Harting's wishes, as he is intent on seeking revenge against the man who killed his wife and then himself. Ray is successful, but as he reawakens once more from his "recharge", there's more to what is happening than he is aware, as his colleague KT has been hinting.
Vin Diesel has tried to craft an image for himself as a modern day slightly more intellectual Charles Bronson. In between running "The Fast and the Furious" franchise, he has sought to expand his portfolio to other vehicles, some with more success than others (some of the "Riddick" series being the most interesting, others like "The Last Witch Hunter" being less successful). "Bloodshot" tries to humanize a bit further the concept of the super hero persona, by making its central character someone who is motivated by revenge (akin to James O'Barr's "The Crow", only less gothic), and someone who is morally flawed and also very mortal. The film is written as a quasi B-movie, with very polished visual effects, but even for a taut genre film, the characters have little to no substance, starting with Ray, but then extending itself to both Ray's partners and foes. We never learn much about Dr. Harting, KT or the persistently disgruntled Jimmy Dalton (and just as a hint, maybe writers should consider that just because someone is a foe in a narrative, they don't have to constantly be making villainous or conspiratorial faces). There's something interesting to the twist that occurs in the narrative, but sadly the script doesn't probe its reaches any further (maybe next time hire someone as Tony Gilroy, who did wonders with "The Bourne" series). Dave Wilson tries and at times very successfully illustrates the meagerness of the script, but towards the end the final confrontation is too artificially rendered, bordering on "Matrix Revolutions" style (without substance). The cast tries their best to bring these inert characters to life, with the always underrated Guy Pearce bringing some nuance to his character, though Sam Heughan offers very little in his role, the same going for Vin Diesel who sadly can't be bothered with representing much angst or even the level of questioning that may arise from actually being brought back from the dead and losing everything (and everyone). The production team is solid, with highlights going for Jacques Jouffret's cinematography, Steve Jablonsky's score, and Kimberly A. Tillman's costume design, and a special mention to the sophisticated visual effects. It's a film undermined by its contrived script, and it is ultimately a forgettable endeavor.
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