“Boss Level” bears no resemblance to that absolute mother of a final stage that inspired its name. It’s “The Grey” and “Narc” director Joe Carnahan’s most recent effort and the latest in a long line of time-loop movies. “Boss Level” sees Carnahan and co-writers Chris and Eddie Borey deliver a stew of confusing conspiracy, competing assassins, familial reconnection, and empty redemption while the threat of a global space-time continuum extinction event looms.
The usual thrill of Carnahan’s work – blending tough guy characters with meaningful depth and empathy combined with a dynamic visual style – is stagnant and diluted here.
They start from an advantageous position – the audience expects to dislike the movie’s lead. Frank Grillo, a physical specimen with real fighting acumen (explored in the more enjoyable Netflix documentary “FightWorld”), is sadly sleepwalking through the film. His approach to Roy Pulver is beyond carefree, even beyond “who cares?”.
To underscore his disinterest, Grillo is required to lumber through a Harrison Ford “Blade Runner” level voice-over narration. Pulver is a party boy, an absentee father, and a now ex-husband to the hard-working and intelligent Jemma (Naomi Watts). Watts and Grillo share the chemistry of a mortician and a corpse – both are doing a job, one is dead.
The only moments of the film that convey genuine heart feature Roy’s son Joe, played by Grillo’s real-life son Rio. Grillo shepherds Rio through their scenes, and they feel alive because of the secret sauce of authentic chemistry.
“Boss Level” has an aesthetic that I’d call ‘digital fugly’. With a flat, washed-out alternating brown or cool palette, it begins to take on the properties of a public restroom overdue for a clean. Despite explosion, decapitations, car chases, and swordplay – the action lacks any inventive composition or practical intimacy and jolt.
The villains are Mel Gibson’s Colonel Clive Ventor and lead henchman Will Sasso’s Brett – who orchestrate Roy’s torment and threaten the life of Watts’ Jemma. All viewers are entitled to their varying opinions of Gibson as a person, but he has delivered iconic and moving performances and films. Gibson is utterly wasted in “Boss Level”. He drowns in horrible dialogue, serving up empty threats of a manager better at delegating death than playing puppeteer. The Gibson scenes’ highlights are Will Sasso’s Brett, a bear of a man with genuinely infectious silliness.
Roy’s antagonists’ are an inferior re-tread of Carnahan’s “Smokin’ Aces” competing assassins. The contract killers include MMA greats acting badly (intentionally?) including Quinton’ Rampage’ Jackson, Rashad Evans, Buster Reeves, and saying zero lines – Superbowl Champion Rob Gronkowski, Selina Lo, and Meadow Williams.
Carnahan’s “The Grey” is one of this critic’s favourite films of all time, and it also stars Grillo. Through the mining station bar, Liam Neeson’s Ottway wanders through a swelling brawl with Grillo’s Diaz at the center – and the chaotic energy pulses through the screen. There is more intensity, energy, and real violence in the background of the opening scene of “The Grey” than in the entire 100 minutes running time of “Boss Level”.
The pleasure of the time loop movie – as a genre – is hopefully ‘rewatch value’. The more delightfully different loops mesh together, the more likely you are to revisit. The best in class – other than Harold Ramis’ masterpiece – are Doug Liman’s spectacular alien invasion on repeat “Edge of Tomorrow” and last year’s tale of love redemption through the infuriation of a destination wedding in “Palm Springs”. “Groundhog”, “Edge” and “Palm” reward you again and again. “Boss Level” may inspire you to see it through, but it’s one and done.
