Within the first few minutes of the new war film Land of Bad, there is a sequence that is very intense. When it comes to breakfast, a young soldier is asked to choose between Fruit Loops and Frosted Flakes, which is a difficult decision to make. He is closely observing the two boxes, and he is flipping them over in order to evaluate the nutritional value (or lack thereof) of each packaging. It’s almost a metaphor for the options that moviegoers have to choose from when they go see the multiplex in their neighborhood these days.
An excellent illustration of this would be the action-thriller directed by William Eubank, which has the feel of a Michael Bay movie if Bay were constrained by financial constraints. However, despite all of its recognizable elements, Land of Bad does have a few things going for it. These include the presence of not one but two Hemsworth brothers (sadly, Chris is not one of them), as well as Russell Crowe, who spends the majority of the film sitting in a chair and staring at a screen but still manages to completely steal the show.
At the beginning of the story, the relatively inexperienced Kinney, played by Liam Hemsworth, is recruited at the very last minute to participate in a perilous Delta Force mission in the Philippines. The mission’s objective is to rescue a CIA asset from the hands of, you guessed it, Islamic terrorists. It is not long before he is on a plane to the region, where he is required to participate in a dangerous parachute maneuver alongside other troops Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia, who is not given much to do but looks quite manly doing it), Abel (Luke Hemsworth), and Bishop (Ricky Whittle).
Following the disappearance of the others, who are thought to have been killed, the mission swiftly goes haywire, leaving Kinney by himself. Nevertheless, he is not truly alone because “Reaper” (Crowe) is literally hovering over him. He is operating the controls of lethal drones at a military base in Las Vegas, along with his associate Nia (Chika Ikogwe), who is also present.
Throughout the entirety of the mission, the two men communicate with one another through the use of audio. Reaper gives the young guy the assurance, “I am your eyes in the sky and the bringer of doom.” Because it is most likely how people who operate drones communicate. In addition, in case you are curious about the clever nickname that Reaper has earned for himself, you should know that his real surname is Grimm.
During the time when Kinney is making a valiant effort to survive on his own and finish the mission, Reaper is forced to deal with a number of annoyances, such as an airman stopping him in the middle of a tension-filled moment to ask for his order for a Starbucks run. As a result of the majority of the guys on the base being so interested in a basketball game that is being shown on television, they are unable to be bothered to answer the phone.
This presents a particularly difficult situation for Reaper, as his wife is on the approach of delivering birth. As things continue to deteriorate for Kinney, as shown in a series of stressful action sequences, Reaper is given the order to give over his desk, which gives him the opportunity to go grocery shopping. The result is that we are given a protracted scenario in which he wanders through a store and tries to find specialty items that his vegan wife has requested. There are moments in which he inquires about an artisanal cheese, and there are also interludes in which Kinney is severely tormented.
As you’ve figured out by now, modern combat, and its depiction in movies, is a long way off from the likes of Sands of Iwo Jima (can you image John Wayne playing a drone operator who’s simultaneously busy with preparing a wedding for his work buddy, as Reaper is here?).
On the other hand, Land of Bad is not particularly concerned with the ethical implications of drone warfare, in contrast to other war films with a similar premise, such as Eye in the Sky and Good Kill. Each precisely timed explosion that blows bad guys to smithereens is sure to generate shouts from spectators who are enthusiastic about the picture.
However, the movie does make a subtle comment on the ridiculousness of the procedure, such as when a struggling Kinney eventually gets to make a phone call to the base, only to be hung up on by the man answering the phone because he is too preoccupied with the game.
The fight scenes are staged with great expertise by director Eubank (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, Underwater), even though they are not so exciting that they will obliterate anyone’s recollections of, for example, Black Hawk Down. The youngest Hemsworth sibling does an excellent job of combining the action movie cred of his role with a natural vulnerability in his portrayal of the character.
But Crowe is the most valuable player in the movie. The actor appears to be free now that he is no longer required to maintain his physical fitness in order to carry films like Gladiator. He is able to infuse his performances, such as this one and his role in The Pope’s Exorcist, with a deliciously quirky comic sensibility, which indicates that his inner clown has finally come out to play. The fact that he is a character actor rather than a star is highly suitable for him.
