Land of Bad

The Land of Bad follows a.special ops rescue mission to its conclusion. The tone and feel of the movie is reminiscent of Sicario and Top Gun: Maverick. The story is good with some unexpected twists, thrills, and lessons.

All of the actors do a great job but Russell Crowe steals the screen through the character 'Reaper,' a civilian contractor working as a drone operator. Reaper cares deeply about his job and takes the mission seriously. The team in the field is his number one priority and that's what makes Reaper so darn likable.

All in all the action looked and felt great but that's not what makes Land of Bad a good movie. In fact, I wouldn't even call Land of Bad an action flick. At its heart, Land of Bad is drama about the difficulties surrounding modern combat and its effect on our psyche.

Don't get me wrong. It's not an Oscar winner or anything but it's a serious and entertaining movie that I enjoyed enough to write this review.

It seems like the type of movie that will come and go which is too bad because it was decent. Not the best I've ever seen but purely entertaining for what it was. Liam Hemsworth is starting to look more like his brother Chris in his old age. Possibly the one disadvantage to the film because you look at Liam and you think Chris in those Extraction movies but this movie is not on that level.

Russel Crowe was amazing in this film. He did so much with so little. It was a part that felt like anyone could play but Crowe put on the acting muscles for this. I see why he's won an Oscar. He's not going to win one for this but he gave a charming performance that made the non-action parts more interesting Yeah man, truly sorry that this movie seems to be designed to go straight to the streaming services after a courtesy release. Never even heard about it just saw it pop up on my movie theatre app very suddenly when I wanted something to watch.

Well worth the time!

A lot of people are gonna hate this movie or give a so-so rating because Hollywood has lied to you into thinking every soldier/officer in the service is a uberman killing machine.

They are not. The movie serves as a stark difference between techs at bases and field units. And how even the lifestyles and air/atmosphere for these different operatives is.

How drone operators like Eddie are in a more office environment of detached, relative low stress, short shift situation while field operators like Kinney are in high intensity, high stress, extreme hours situation.

Even their personal life priorities are completely different as shown in the last minutes of the movie.

Land of Bad is not there for you to hate on one group or another just to enlighten you that if you haven't walked in either person's shoes you could never understand what they are going through as you the audience in your comfy chair with a cold drink and snack in your hands.

There are a lot of movies based around the special forces do incredible things format. And, honestly, it's a genre that's a bit overcooked, IMHO. Land of Bad is an exception.

Land of Bad, while not pushing boundaries, delivering exceptional performances, or providing a particularly insightful look into this world, does deliver an engaging slice of entertainment. It's an action film that is devoid of melodrama.

Russell Crowe delivers a solid performance, as a passionate drone operator who battles against bureaucracy and for the special forces unit under his watchful gaze. But none of the actors have space to stretch their legs and deliver meaningful performances.

I was surprised this was a Cert 15, there are some scenes that are quite violent, beyond the to-be-expected shoot-them-up scenes.

If you like these kinds of action films, you will not be disappointed with this one. It's a solid piece of cinema that will keep you engaged.

Good movie. Good characters. Good actors. Cinematography is top notch. I just don't understand how a Black Hawk turns into a Huey (back and forth) in mid air. :D Fun errors apart, I say again: a very good movie.

It reminds me of the good war action movies of the eighties and nineties. The action is there, for sure, but I appreciate when the story is based on characters and not the action.

It reminds me a little bit of the vibes I got when I watched Triple Frontier. Once again, character driven storyline.

Russell Crowe is a bit on the chubby side but delivers a fantastic performance. Milo Ventimiglia's Master Sgt. John 'Sugar' Sweet is a character to remember.