Bloodshot (2020)

Directed by David S. F. Wilson. Starring Vin Diesel, Guy Pearce, Eiza González, Lamorne Morris, Toby Kebbell, Sam Heughan, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Talulah Riley, Alex Hernandez. [PG-13]

Adaptation of a Valiant Comics property is a bit like Universal Soldier by way of Deadpool (if all the hero’s wisecracks were given to a supporting player instead) with a healthy heaping of the latter films in the Terminator franchise. After mercenary Kebbell finishes grooving to Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” and executes soldier Diesel, the latter is “resurrected,” awakening in an underground Malaysian lab, suffering from memory loss, and discovering that he’s the subject of an experiment in nano-bot enhancement technology. The new, nigh-unstoppable “superhero” embarks on a quest for vengeance, but not everything is as it seems for the monosyllabic amnesiac. A fairly fast-paced junk-food action movie that doesn’t cultivate its clever ideas/twists beyond plot-point clothespins, and hardly bothers at all with the development of its characters (or their backstories, or their motivations, or their hopes and dreams and must-have desert island records), but still delivers a few visually-striking and kinetic action sequences no worse than the average slugfest or shootout you’d find in a much bigger-budgeted comic book extravaganza from the last decade or so. Aside from his physicality, Diesel seems miscast (when forced to emote, his voice strangles and croaks to the point where one might wonder if dubbing or digital tuning was applied), but it ain’t exactly a role begging for charisma and range. Feature debuting director Wilson demonstrates a good visual eye (the “flour fight” in a darkened tunnel almost makes the film worth watching all by itself), but needs a tune-up when it comes to dramatic interest. Diesel also co-produced.

60/100