Cardillo (Emile Hirsch) is a cop with a troubled and dark past. In the present day, Cardillo gets paired up with another officer and receives a call to a domestic dispute. These officers soon learn that during a big hurricane storm, there is an apartment building still containing people who are refusing to evacuate to safety. Cardillo and his partner decide to visit the building to try and rescue those refusing to leave.
But little does Cardillo know that there is a gang of dangerous thieves who are attempting to rob a room in this very building. Now Cardillo will need to take a stand and protect the innocent, along with taking the bad guys out one by one. Also joining him in the fight is Ray (Mel Gibson), who is a sick, retired cop. Ray is determined not to leave the building and would rather take a stand than die in a hospital bed. Looking after Ray is a doctor who is also his daughter named Troy (Kate Bosworth).
Force of Nature is certainly a brainless action film and feels familiar to such movies as The Hurricane Heist. Unfortunately, this film is filled to the brim with problems. Leading characters are completely unlikable. Cardillo has zero transformation throughout the film. The film’s opening gives the audience a glimpse at Cardillo’s dark past, and while we do not quite see the full story at first, we understand that something horrible obviously occurred. Cardillo, in the present day, has a careless and uninterested attitude when it comes to others. He does his job without any passion or interest.
The villain is also a weaker element, but I will admit the actor David Zayas was quite confident in the role, which was great to see. Mel Gibson is certainly a positive ingredient in the film, but his lines of dialogue feel familiar when compared to the actor’s previous roles. For the most part, key characters are uninteresting, and I honestly struggled to support any of them.
The filming style is also a mess. The camera consistently moves around when characters are having a discussion, and certain objects included in the frame are distracting. While I am not a professional when it comes to colour or colour correction, I found the film to have bizarre colour tones, especially during scenes that were filmed during the day. It is far too bright to the point I could not even read the subtitles on the screener I received. Continuity errors are also present. Characters who are running around in a wild storm one moment seem to have a dry face and hair right after. The plot should be simple; instead, it is crammed with unnecessary moments. When characters are not trying to either fight or run away, we see characters sharing stories from the past. In these moments, they attempt to reveal things that should be relevant to the plot, but these interludes are never interesting or memorable. Honestly, I could go on.
Overall, if you enjoy a brainless action film that involves bad guys making a robbery during a hurricane storm (yes, like The Hurricane Heist), then this film is certainly one for you. But the real mess is not the storm; it is many elements, including unlikeable characters, unusual filming style and questionable colour correction, which make some moments seem far too bright. The plot is messy when it should be rather simple. While it is pleasing to see actor Mel Gibson make a solid appearance rather than a brief cameo; his presence doesn’t bring something fresh. The film’s third act is also incredibly cringe-worthy, and by this point, I truly begged for the film to be over. Another disappointing film for 2020, which I truly did not expect, given the cast and the film’s concept.
1.8/10
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