Stratton

I like Simon West as a director and think he really know how to direct big dumb-fun action movie with some of the best i see from him in the past like:Con Air(one of my favorite Nic Cage movie) and The Expendables 2(The best of the trilogy).His new movie Stratton (2017) although is not as bad as people said but still a pretty meh movie at best.The plot is very genetic,there some good acting but still suffer from one dimensional character.Nice cinematography and few good action scene with clear shot is the only saving point for this movie.If you like past Simon West movie you will highly disappointed with this movie

Honestly this movie just felt like it was ticking off a checklist. Gun shoot out. check. Car chase. check. Underwater scene. check. It just kept going.

I went into the film with a good expectation especially from such a well known cast, but it fell flat. No chemistry among the cast, Dominic Cooper just didn't have the presence or physicality you would expect of a SBS Agent. The villain was underwhelming and even at the end of the film I'm still not sure what the motive was.

Even with all the great locations and scenery, it couldn't carry the bland and unimaginative story line. Do not watch.

I think reviewers are being a little harsh about this film. It's an action thriller featuring the SBS, MI6 etc. Mainly British cast with a couple of token Americans. Gemma Chan is superb, with a different actress her role wouldn't be memorable but she really helps things along. Derek Jacobi, unsurprisingly good. Unlike many reviews, I think Dominic Cooper did a good job, especially given the lack of time he had to prepare for this. Connie Nielsen however was an odd choice, her posh British accent varied in intensity and felt awkward. You can't compare this to a big budget Bond/Bourne/Mission Impossible, but I found it entertaining.

Enjoyed this more than I expected to. I've read the authors autobiography (Duncan Falconer) so was intrigued to see his fictional Stratton brought to life. Of course, it's a crowded market place and comparisons to Bourne and Bond are inevitable. I found most of the acting convincing, Sumner's character less so as some of the relationships between the characters. Plot development is difficult in the constrained 1h 50m time frame. Nevertheless, the action vs. storyline struck the right balance.

This is OK, to a little less than OK.

WTF is Connie Nielsen doing with some god-awful attempt at a well- spoken Brit? That was embarrassing and utterly cringeworthy to watch. A world away from her performance in Gladiator.

Special effects are well below par - and a competent film unit from the BBC would have done far, far better. Indeed - Dr Who is better made than this for explosive FX.

Fairly lame and clunky handover sequence during bus sequence from the entrance of Battersea Park to Millbrook Proving track! Boat sequence that preceded it was fairly good though. Sounds like the music owes a fair bit to the most recent Mission Impossible films (Rogue Nation) also...

Overall - reasonable popcorn fodder. Don't expect too much from it - it's totally generic.