Directed by:
Joe CarnahanCinematography:
Juan Miguel AzpirozComposer:
Clinton ShorterCast:
Frank Grillo, Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Will Sasso, Annabelle Wallis, Sheaun McKinney, Selina Lo, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong, Meadow Williams, Mathilde Ollivier (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) has a helluva problem: Every morning, he’s slaughtered by assassins in different ways. Sometimes he’s shot, then blown up, or beheaded, or stabbed - then that days starts anew, on and on, for reasons he can’t figure out. A former Delta Force member, Roy needs to figure out why he’s stuck in this repeating loop in time and space, how he can save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts) and 11-year-old son, and what an evil military scientist named Ventor (Mel Gibson) wants with something called “The Osiris Spindle”. By setting things right, Roy can become the best version of himself - if he can save himself from being killed again. (Roadshow Entertainment)
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Reviews (12)
A tight action B-movie with a time loop reminiscent of a video game with the excellent Frank Grillo, who has quite possibly the best performance of his career. The main character wakes up every morning with a bunch of assassins trying to kill him for reasons unknown, and when he fails, his day resets again. Very entertaining and playfully with lots of ideas, fine lines, and decent action, even though there are no proper fights or shootouts, it's mostly very spectacular and quick disposals, but it doesn't matter too much. Mel Gibson and Naomi Watts are just for show, but even in such a small space Mel managed to impress me, especially with his story with the snake. Good fun. Story****, Action****, Humor****, Violence***, Entertainment****, Music***, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Suspense****. 8/10.
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Boss Level is a bit of a mixed bag for me. The theme is seriously worn out, but hey, all the action and fight scenes were shot brilliantly, and the main character's quips were pretty funny, so as an action flick, it'd get a solid four stars from me. However... the creators didn't stop there. They delved into a philosophical and psychological defense of life's true values, forcing the viewer to activate at least a part of their brain from relaxation mode. And right at that moment, the film stopped working for me because, in my opinion, it didn't need to be more than a straightforward action joyride. That cost it two stars. As an action romp with undemanding humor, 4 stars; with all those pontifications and Mel Gibson's drawn-out fable about a boar and a snake, just 2*+.
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Original, fast-paced, fun. Understandably, it doesn't surpass the conceptually similar Edge of Tomorrow, the plot is too trivial for that, but that was not the intention. Carnahan sets the viewer on a sarcastic note from the start and doesn't take his foot off the gas until the very end, which is appropriately weird. The buffed-up Grillo shows that he can be a pretty likeable dad in addition to a perfect figure, so for daring to take his acting creations a step further, it's definitely a thumbs up. Gibson, meanwhile, plays his grizzled bad-ass standard of recent years.
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It’s a bit of a shame that Mel Gibson plays the bad guy here, but on the flip side, Frank Grillo fits the hero role perfectly. I’ve always seen him as more of a supporting actor, but here he absolutely nails it as the action hero caught in a time loop. Speaking of time loops, they never seem to get old, do they? Boss Level ends up being one of the most entertaining action flicks in recent months. The action is top-notch, the story is classic, but you’ll love the creative twists the filmmakers have thrown in.
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Carnahan’s early Xmas gift to connoisseurs. Even though this is rather a cheap, nostalgically bloody production with just average special effects and an uncomplicated, nineties story, it has so many nods and so much self-parody that it’s easy to forgive. The time loop is the catalyst, but Boss Level is more about love of action, old video games and family. Frank Grillo is great as both ultimate killer and caring father. He reels off great one-liners, one after another, so you can’t help but root for him. Gibson enjoys himself greatly in the role of colonel with a savior complex who likes listening to himself speak. Naomi Watts manages to chisel out the most complex of characters in just two scenes. Great fun, but I’m very sad that I won’t be able to see it in the movie theater, thanks to Covid. There's something I don't like about him. He has that... trait. ... The overachiever who makes up for a lack of talent with hustle.
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