American Ultra

The story of this movie has been told over a million times in recent years. A ...special secret (!) program of the CIA that generates Jason Bourne-like super soldiers. Such programs had over the years lots of cool names like Daylight, Treadstone, etc. etc....so for this movie...Wiseman (!) it is! Wiseman is supposed to cost ...$400,000,000 and American Ultra had a budget of $28,000,000 but it doesn't show...

The movie has an amateurish style and direction. It is aesthetically not pleasing and it looks like they shot it in a parking lot over the course of a weekend.

I'm not a fan of Kristen Stewart but I consider her a good actress with a broad range of facial expressions and emotions and she delivers in this movie too. Topher Grace is adequate too but the rest of the cast looks like they prefer to be somewhere else including Connie Britton and the veteran Bill Pullman.

There are some actions scenes where the mighty spy kicks some ass but overall the movie fails to produce a satisfying result.

Maybe in the hands of a more capable director and a reworked script (written by the son of John Landis) this movie could be better. At least for 90 minutes of action fun...

On paper, the titter-worthy concept of jittery Jesse Eisenberg playing a covert, highly-trained Kung Fu Wrecking Machine is an undeniably comical one, and, happily, 'American Ultra' noisily makes the most of this garish incongruity. As an ardent 'Cheech and Chong' fan, I still maintain a healthy interest in THC-addled anti-heroes, and Jessie Eisenberg's muddle-headed misfit Mike Howell makes for an engagingly brain-frizzled, plaid-shirted, permanently baked buffoon, who slovenly disguises his seriously savage set of combat skills behind a disarmingly shaggy veneer of Eddie Vedder grunginess, witheringly lightning-swift reflexes, and a fearsome physical dexterity that includes an inventive, death-dealing ability to turn seemingly benign domestic implements into crudely effective weapons, in Mike's steely, tobacco-stained hands even a paltry teaspoon can horrifically herald an especially grisly doom for any poor wretch that uncomfortably finds themselves gorily speared upon the angry end of said outwardly innocent-looking crockery!

There is a pleasingly gaudy unreality to 'American Ultra' that I found immensely satisfying, the preternaturally drab late-night convenience store Mike 'works' at has an eerily deserted, Stephen King-esque demeanour, and I get the strong impression that the only customer he has ever served is the demonstratively anxious Government agent (Connie Britton) that clumsily activates Mike's previously dormant ability to auspiciously Van Dammage all that deign to tarry unadvisedly in his volatile proximity! The set-up is simplicity itself, Mike & Phoebe Larson (Kristen Stewart) are the adorably fuzzy-wuzzy stoner couple whose Ganja-garlanded bliss is royally fubar'd by the murderous machinations of a malevolent mob of black-hatted assassins, which forms the exhilaratingly bloody catalyst for the blackly funny, graphically violent, bonged-out Bourne buffoonery! Subtlety is resolutely not American Ultra's strong point, and like any hyperbolically-inclined, bullet-blasted actioner, a generous suspension of disbelief is absolutely essential, and there is a thrillingly kinetic, brashly cartoonish quality which suited the film's hyperreal milieu, while this isn't exactly 'The Manchurian Candidate' for the 'Ghost World' generation, it is quite frequently a delightfully dumb, hugely fun, brain-fried good time! And I must say, that the bizarrely earnest scene wherein the understandably discombobulated Mike ingenuously asks his no less beleaguered girlfriend Phoebe if he was a robot genuinely cracked me up! Stewart & Eisenberg are a B-movie marijuana made in heaven!

Mike Howell is a stoner living in a small West Virginia town with his girlfriend Phoebe Larson. He is hoping to propose to her during a holiday in Hawaii but has a panic attack at the airport... as he does every time he tries to leave town. After this incident he starts to wonder why Phoebe stays with him. We soon learn that he isn't an ordinary young man; he is part of a CIA programme known as 'Wiseman'... he doesn't know it but he is a highly trained super-soldier! Back at CIA headquarters Agent Victoria Lasseter, who headed the programme, is warned that all Wiseman agents are being eliminated by similar 'Tough Guy' agents run by rival agent Adrian Yates. She heads to West Virginia and meets Mike and gives him his activation code... he has no ideas what the words mean but shortly afterwards when he is attacked by two Tough Guys he dispatches them with a spoon! He still has no memory but he knows he must fight for his life to save himself and Phoebe as more agents come to kill him.

This film is a bit silly but that doesn't matter as it is a lot of fun. There are quite a few humorous moments as well as plenty of action. It must be stated that the action is brutal to degree that might disturb some viewers. In many ways Mike is very like 'Jason Bourne'... an elite agent with memory problems; he is also very different as he doesn't know he has memory problems and Bourne didn't do drugs and draw comics. The story manages to provide some decent twists. The cast is solid; most notably Jesse Eisenberg who is a lot of fun as Mike... a character who is understandably confused when he realises he has elite combat skills. Kristen Stewart provides solid support as Phoebe. Topher Grace is good fun as villain Yates; he isn't a typical action movie villain... his character is far from tough. Overall this is a fun film that provides solid action with some good laughs.

I had a great time with this movie. Jesse Eisenbergs character is really likable and and laid back, even in the face of explosions and gunshots. It's not An Oscar worthy movie, but it is what it is. A fun action movie.

American ULTRA is an action-packed comedy that doesn't deserve the bad rep it's been getting. The writing was really strong; Max Landis injected clever and quirky dialogue into a pretty simple story, giving it its own definitive personality. There's a ton of pot smoking, there's a whole lot of killing, and Jesse Eisenberg plays a badass action hero. Yea. If you're not down with any of that, don't watch this movie.

The chemistry between Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, who've worked together before, is one of the best things American ULTRA has going for it. You completely believe them as this young couple; the 'tree and car' metaphor in the film, despite being top-tier pot talk, was quite touching. I can't really say the same thing about Topher Grace though; almost everything he said was outright cringe-worthy and over-the-top. It's strange though because, on paper, his character is a perfect match for the kind of tone this film was going for. Unfortunately, he just ended up feeling out of place.

Many people are describing this movie as a cross between Pineapple Express and Bourne Identity, and it's difficult to argue against that. I know what you're thinking; it's a bizarre marriage indeed. But when you watch this, the amalgamation actually works. The jokes don't always hit, but the action hits hard. And while it's engaging and well choreographed, the film never takes itself too seriously; the balance between stoner comedy and crazy, bloody violent action is handled well, not as seamless as one would hope though. And through all the insanity that transpires, American ULTRA still manages to maintain a heart.

I can positively say that I enjoyed watching American ULTRA. Is it a great movie? Hell no! I wouldn't even call it good, but it's funny when it needs to be, the violence, while excessive at times, always fit the story, and it's original. If you're someone who wants Hollywood to simmer down with all the reboots and sequels, then go see American ULTRA in theatres. You'll have fun and, at the same time, be supporting originality in cinema.