Now and then an action flick just needs to show someone that’s bound to deliver a hard-hitting story that’s more about revenge than anything else. Michael B. Jordan and several others turned in a performance that was nothing short of rough and to the point when it came to No Remorse as the action was straightforward and not at all hard to figure out since even the intricate plots that were woven into the plot managed to be revealed in short order throughout the movie. Deciding who to trust and who was on the up and up versus who was trying to appear innocent and supportive wasn’t incredibly hard since the movie didn’t attempt to hide that much when it came to the main action. The USA was pitted against Russia more or less and the soldiers fighting for each country had to do their best to outmaneuver one another to come out on top. That’s fairly standard for an action movie since pitting a protagonist against an antagonist and sending in a host of foot soldiers to do the dirty work is about as ‘meat and potatoes’ as it gets.
The emotional content that drove Jordan’s character to be such a ruthless individual is easy enough to understand since it’s not just the fact that John Kelly’s (Jordan) wife is murdered by Russian agents, it’s the fact that she’s pregnant, and that members of his SEAL team are taken out as well. The fact that they’re being targeted makes this story a little more emotional, especially given how the SEAL team members are taken out, as one of them is run down in the street in full view of his kids, while there’s no hesitation when it comes to killing Kelly’s wife and unborn child. If that’s not enough to get a person in the mood to see a bit of mayhem after the grief has settled then one has to wonder how much more would be required.
But Kelly’s reaction is what a lot of people would agree is justified for a few reasons since rage is common when one loses a loved one, as are grief and a feeling of being utterly lost. Kelly goes off like a powder keg however even though he’s told to back off, he ends up heading into Russia after the surviving agent that was involved in the murder of his wife and fellow SEALs. The result is about what one would expect, as he’s mistrustful of the CIA, and he’s insanely aggressive as he seeks out the agent that he’s been looking for. When things get bad one might assume that a lot of action stars would be given a way out that might not appear obvious but is still feasible enough that the audience would be able to accept it. This movie makes it clear that Kelly is in a tight spot but that he’s also a quick-thinker and can improvise when he needs to to get the job done. Even better is that while he’s a tough and insanely dedicated soldier, he’s not invulnerable since he does take a heavy amount of damage while he’s fighting for his life.
That elevates this movie from being just another action flick since things have moved forward from the 80s and 90s quite a while ago, as protagonists have been seen to take the kind of damage that they can’t just shake off. It might not always be fun to see a protagonist go down, but the realism is great since it makes the movie take on a dimension that makes it a little more enjoyable. Michael B. Jordan brings a level of intensity to this story that makes it feel, in some instances, as though it might be just another action flick that isn’t all that special, but the level of emotion that he puts into the role is great enough that it balances things out in a big way. However, the fact is that critics didn’t see this as anything different, or new. For the most part, this movie was seen as something that’s been done before, no matter that the acting was convincing.
The truth is that the critics aren’t completely wrong since the idea is that we’ve seen this type of revenge story many, many times, and no matter who’s in the role of the protagonist it eventually becomes the same old thing. It’s very easy to fall into the story and even easier to think that John Kelly deserves his revenge, but the depth that’s needed beyond that isn’t touched upon as much as some people might have wanted. On one hand, it’s great since there’s no huge, complicated story to get into and one can map out the story from start to finish. But for the critics, this movie was a bit flat, proving that a good action movie isn’t always good enough for everyone.
Follow Us
