Hidden Strike (2023)

Hidden Strike (2023)

 

3/10

Starring

Jackie Chan

John Cena

 

Directed by Scott Waugh

 

An action movie with John Cena and Jackie Chan, and I still found myself bored.

You can tell when a production starts as a pipe dream someone had the idea of putting John Cena and Jackie Chan together in an action film with comedic elements. Eventually, they got funding for the idea, and the producers scrambled to piece together a script. The biggest problem here is that the film seems to think it could emulate Rush Hour. Then, to make things worse, the director decided to throw in elements of Mad Max: Fury Road, resulting in a jumbled mess. For a movie marketed as an action-thriller with comedy, it feels like a fish out of water.

The film introduces Jackie Chan’s character, Luo, in a relatively grounded way: he and his team are hired to extract someone, and they must cross the infamous "Highway of Death" to complete their mission. But then we meet John Cena’s character, Chris, in the most cartoonish setup possible. He’s shown lounging in a make-believe desert, hitting golf balls while his mercenary buddies arrive in jeeps, they ask him to come take up a job with them, but he refuses. The job was to go after Luo and his team.

The writers try to establish Chris as a good guy by showing him playing ball with a local boy in the town where he lives. Somehow, this one scene is supposed to convince us that he’s a "good guy in bad situations." Really? That’s all it takes?

The town doesn’t have water, and Chris learns from a fellow mercenary that the water can be turned back on for $100,000. Predictably, he calls his friends back and agrees to take the job (hunting Luo’s team) to earn the money and save the town from dying of thirst. The writers clearly think this reinforces his "good guy" persona, but they forget one glaring detail: Chris also lives in this town. If the town runs out of water, it affects him too. So, is he really being selfless, or just saving his own neck?

As expected, things don’t go according to plan. The film launches into a Mad Max: Fury Road style chase sequence, with explosions and chaos. Somewhere along the way, Chris parts ways with his mercenary group and crosses paths with Luo. Surprise, surprise—they know each other from their special forces days. After an obligatory fight scene, the two team up.

The action sequences are generic at best. It’s textbook B-film action with no attempt to elevate the material. Despite its big budget, the film sticks firmly in the realm of mediocre, failing to stand out among other B-movies in the same category.