Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 21% (Critics) / 53% (Audience)
Directed By: David Ayer
Written By: David Ayer and Skip Woods
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Terrence Howard, Olivia Williams, Joe Maganiello and Mireille Enos
Studio: Open Road Films

Synopsis: Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house. – (Source)

The Good:
It is good to see Arnold back on the big screen doing what he does best, namely shooting people and being an all around bad ass. Sure he’s a bit long in the tooth but he still has the screen presence necessary to pull off staying a gunpacking tough guy.
The action was enjoyable too because it was pure 80s style brutality with not one damn given for today’s more delicate sensibilities.
The supporting cast was pretty good too especially Arnold’s team of reckless wild child DEA agents. The major standout of this group was THE KILLING’s Mireille Enos who was a bit of a pleasant surprise to me with how over the top her performance was. I am more used to her playing reserved characters but as wild child Lizzy she was a total hoot to behold.
The script was also surprisingly good for this type of film. The characters were morally gray, the central mystery was very tightly constructed and the reveal was a bit of a surprise.

The Bad:
The lack of a distinctive and interesting bad guy took away some of the fun. with a movie like this you really need that villain to root against and want to see the good guy win against. I also found that Sam Worthington and Terrence Howard were under-served by the script. Neither actor was used to his fullest potential.

The Ugly
Fans of Sawyer from LOST might be traumatized by what happens to Josh Holloway in this film.

Final Verdict: A violent and action-packed movie that delivers exactly what I look for in a movie like this. Add to that the pleasant nostalgia of seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger on the big screen again and some pretty good supporting turns and a decent script made for a fun movie going experience despite the obvious flaws.

Grade: B-