Hostile Takeover

This isnt one of Michael Jai wights movies that follows the normal format for an action moive. This is pseudo comedy light hearted look at a hitman who loves his job but comes across some problems because of his decision to join a self help group. I don't want to give away the plot so thats as far as I will go with reveals.

I think the move suffers from this approach because it restricts itself in not maximising the comedy aspect. Some of the nuances that are employed... say with Wights character, and the curious relationships he has with other characters, just don't really work in the manner they are trying to portray. There are some amusing moments sure, but no laugh-out-loud or even chuckle moments to really appreciate.

White really gives his all here. You can see he's putting eveyrthing into rendering this character, but it's sort of a waste really. I just didn't feel the mood the movie was going for. To be honest it was barely watchable, not because it was done necessarily badly, though that's not to say it was particularly interesting or entertaining, but becasue it was flat and rather boring.

The fight scenes were almost a slow-mo version or what were used to seeing with White. I get the impression this was done deliberately, again, as variation of the normally fast moving electric coreography were used to, and I think this was to offset the style of the movie, but again, it doesn't really work.

I laboured through it but mostly it falls flat, and doesn't deliver. If your a Wight fan, as I am, you sould probably watch it anyway, so judge for yourself.

I didn't like it and can only manage a 3/10.

Honestly, this felt like a waste of time. Not terrible enough to be entertaining in a "so bad it's good" way, but not good in any area either. It just sits in that boring middle ground. All the characters are one-dimensional, like they walked straight out of a generic superhero cartoon, and the plot is about as deep as a puddle.

The story? A guy is suspected of betraying his master... for no real reason. There's nothing clever or layered about it - just a lazy setup that never goes anywhere interesting. The tone tries to mix humor with action, but the jokes never land, and any attempts to develop the main character fall completely flat.

Visually, it's as generic as any low-effort action movie. The fight scenes mostly involve people who clearly don't know how to fight - except for Michael Jai White, who actually can, but for some reason tones himself down to match the rest of the cast. The blood effects are laughably bad, and the cinematography is forgettable.

The music? Fine. Just background filler - nothing memorable. My "favorite" scene (if I had to pick one) was the fight in his ex-apartment, but even that was painfully mediocre. The worst part was simply the time I wasted watching it.

Final verdict: I'd honestly recommend watching paint dry instead - at least then you won't be disappointed.

I am a huge MJW fan, seen quite a few of his flicks but this one was, how you say,,,,bad. The plot was stupid, the endless fighting was stupid, the witty banter was stupid. Nothing like his previous films. The Workaholics Anonymous angle was stupid. The ending just bad. I've got nothing against some hand to hand fighting but when he was fighting for his life for about 10 minutes, literally, he looked and acted like nothing at all happened.

Fun movie with great action. This is a cool film format. Great way t9 make large scale films cost effectively. I lived Michael's acting diversity and ability to show a friendlier side. The action was amazing with incredible stunt work! There is a fight scene with some bat work that was mind blowing.

Of course I needed no persuasion to sit down and watch the 2025 action comedy "Hostile Takeover". Why? Well, first of all, it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, and thus it needed to be given a fair chance. Secondly, with Michael Jai White in the lead, of course chances were that it would be an enjoyable movie.

Writers Michael Hamilton-Wright, Christina Laughlin and Burton L. Warner put together an enjoyable and entertaining script. It was a narrative that managed to combine storytelling with action and just the right amount of lighthearted comedy banter.

Aside from leading actor Michael Jai White, then I was only familiar with Aimee Stolte and Aleks Paunovic. The acting performances in the movie were good.

There is a good amount of nicely choreographed and executed fight scenes throughout the course of the movie, which definitely helps add to the overall enjoyment of the movie.

If you enjoy action movies where there is a pinch of comedy to it, then "Hostile Takeover" certainly is worth checking out.

My rating of director Michael Hamilton-Wright's 2025 movie "Hostile Takeover" lands on a six out of ten stars.