SAS: RISE OF THE BLACK SWAN (2021)
Tagline: Nope.
(Action, Thriller, Mercenaries) [R]
Note: This movie is also known as SAS: RED NOTICE. I am guessing the name was changed to avoid confusion with the other RED NOTICE movie that came out this year.
In this one, a special forces operator named Tom (played by Sam Heughan) is on a train to Paris to propose to his fiancé Dr. Sophie Hart. While on their way the train is hijacked by some maniacal mercenaries that essentially want money or else they will destroy the British government by exposing its secrets and of course for good measure blow up the Channel Tunnel.
First off, this movie is just freakin loaded with stars. Unfortunately often when you take a best-selling book and try to make a movie out of it, it just falls flat. The biggest issue with this movie is that it takes a really long time to get to the main plotline. It took basically 70 minutes to finally set itself up where I was finally getting what the plot even was. This is coming from someone that almost fully understood TENET.
However, the second half of this movie is pretty solid. The action ratchets up and the plotline and pace even out very well. I will say the soundtrack used too many violins for an action flick, but the final sequence was pretty well scored. We also get some decent cinematography.
Acting-wise we get a lot of good performances. Four of the main actors have appeared in the DC or Marvel Universes. Ruby Rose did a brief stint as Batwoman. Tom Wilkinson who plays William Lewis in this, is probably best known for BATMAN BEGINS while Hannah John-Kamen starred as the main villain Ghost in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP and plays Dr. Sophie Hart in this. To be honest she is actually quite a bit better in this movie than in ANT-MAN AND THE WASP. We also get Andy Serkis, who played Ulysses Klaue in Marvel's AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON and BLACK PANTHER. Jing Lusi who is starting to make a name for herself stars as Zada and is just okay. Lusi is best known for CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Noel Clarke from DOCTOR WHO and Tom Hopper from “The Umbrella Academy” are also in this, so like I said, this freakin movie has just a ton of on-screen talent.
I found myself disinterested in a lot of this thing until the last half or so and unfortunately that is just this thing taking way too long to get going. There is an action sequence to start it off, but with zero context, it’s more confusing than helpful.
Overall there is nothing mind-blowing or super amazing about this thing, so I have to land it softly at a 3 out of 7. As it is, it seems woefully dependent on a sequel that wouldn’t include a lot of the characters built up in this one. Definitely not a movie I will be buying, but it’s also not as terrible as some critics might have you think. As the rating says…it’s “just okay”.
GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF INGENIOUS MEDIA AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.
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