The favorite genre does not live on action alone. A comedy action film needs humor, a gritty film needs drama. Without them, the film turns into a video game, where, let’s say, dozens of warriors, complex tricks, beautiful guns and delicious explosions flash, but all this is perceived coolly. Because behind the toy there is not and cannot be an important idea, a goal that must be achieved the first time.
First time "Rescue Operations" There is no problem with the dramatic support of the action, but at some point the film changes course, and here even the uninhibited viewer becomes nitpicking at the level of someone who likes to chase golden bears with a palm branch. A very unpleasant feeling, as if an irremovable banner had appeared in the middle of the screen, small, but not allowing you to relax right up to the credits. At this point, a question arises about Tyler's motivation. No, of course, for once it’s commendable to ignore the rule that a soldier of fortune must be a formidable bully. Only the screenwriter instead of a pinch of sugar pumped into Chris Hemsworth a liter of jam, with the result that most of Rake’s controversial actions are justified by the convention “he is a very, very good person.” A craftsman who makes his living by ending lives sparkles with compassion not only in safe situations, but also in an environment where the object of help hangs like a dead weight around his neck. Why does Statham "Defender" believe me, and Hemsworth in “Rescue Operation” evokes skepticism? Because Jason played a desperate poor guy who saw self-sacrifice as his last chance to do something good in life. Chris gives the impression of a bored extreme sportsman with contradictory morals based on ageism. It sounds crazy, but that's the scenario. The climax will torture the brain quite well, and the denouement, extraordinary in its stupidity, and the clichéd epilogue will knock it out.
The action saves the film, but alas, only by quality, although I would like more quantity. Each spectacular episode is followed by a lull that is not interesting for the above reason, and there is a smoke break Sam Hargrave almost more often than it gives the movement a way out. The overall level of action is not bad. Fights, shootouts, and a single chase deserve this assessment. On the one hand, saturation with violence is ensured, on the other hand, a fan of the genre will not see anything new; the same technologies, but with 5 points, are revealed in the dilogy "Raid". There, special forces pragmatism was complemented by complex choreography, the presence of brains in bots and the vulnerability of the hero. Here, Tyler, without much difficulty, copes with not very skilled opponents, who, even though they are aware of attacking back-to-back, do it as conditionally as possible: while bot-1 poses a real threat to Rake, bot-2 strives to hit the mercenary’s fist with its jaw. At the same time, the choreography is extremely simple, dry realism.
What will I say in the end? In the context of modern Hollywood, the film revolutionized the cinematography and editing of action sequences. Brilliant recording of the movements of the fighters, and even in long shots, and even stitched together... I hope that camera editors of future action films will regard “Rescue Operation” as an impeccable example. The script is terrible, ruining the film as much as a lack of logic can ruin such a pharmaceutical genre as an action movie. As for Hargrave, I leave his work without rating: there is really nothing to direct in such a film, and the direction of the action is neither satisfactory nor delightful. “Rescue Operation” is definitely worth watching once.
I am waiting. I hope there will be something exciting.
I would like to mention Pasha as a person who has been an active participant in this project since…
Sad ending, albeit with a joke...
Added a video from the filming of "Twilight of the Warriors".