American Ultra

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walter Goggins, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Tony Hale, Stuart Greer, Michael Papajohn
Directed by: Nima Nourizadeh
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Comedy
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A troubled young man (Jesse Eisenberg) is shocked when governmental agents show up to kill him. He soon learns that he is a governmental assassin whose memory has been wiped clean. Now he must fight to survive.

Review:

Tim: It's hard to pinpoint exactly where American Ultra went off the rails because there are so many failure points. From the very outset, the movie just looked bad. The final product was perfectly aligned with the first impression- this is a weak, ineffective movie. There's not a whole lot to say- it's a total misfire.

The tone of the film never connected. It's an action comedy, but it's honestly not very funny at all. The plot is ludicrous and feels like it was written during an all night session with no one taking a second look at the script. The film does nothing especially well. It tries to mask the sheer inanity of the story by hiding behind the comedic aspects. "Oh, you don't think the story makes any sense? Well, this is a comedy! Oh, that scene was awfully written and acted? Well, that's because it's a comedy!" This is an unfunny action movie that offers very little.

The cast is way too good for a film like this and nearly everyone suffers as a result. Jesse Eisenberg has talent as an actor, but he came across as a buffoon here. He's wrong for the role and just seemed silly throughout. Kristen Stewart felt more at home in a film like this, but her performance didn't do much for me. She was okay. Connie Britton gave perhaps the best performance of the film. It was like she knew the ship was going down and she was going to try to save it through sheer willpower. Her strong performance helps, but it's far too little. Topher Grace gives one of the worst performances I have seen in the last five years. He is way too over-the-top and cartoonish. His performance is forced, uncomfortable, and utterly not believable in the least. He hurts the film every second he's on screen. I was excited to see Bill Pullman was in the film because I have a soft spot for him. He is given next to nothing to do and barely registers. Same can be said for John Leguizamo. The guy has talent and he's wasted in a pointless role that isn't even funny. I like Walter Goggins, but he was absurd here. Tony Hale made me want to roll my eyes- his performance was godawful. Really, the whole cast leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

I will say that the story had a few slightly unexpected twists. There was never a moment where I was actually surprised, but I appreciated at least a few things not taking the most predictable route. There is something entertaining (in a minor way) about watching a movie just fall apart.

I don't know what the actual intent of this film was, but I have to believe the finished product missed the mark by miles. This was a total dud and a film I would never, every watch again. It's only 1 hour and 36 minutes, but I feel like that time was a total waste. This film isn't so offensively bad that it makes me see red, but American Ultra is a failure, make no mistake about that.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5



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