Shadow Force, 2025.
Directed by Joe Carnahan.
Starring Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Jahleel Kamara, Mark Strong, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Method Man, Ed Quinn, Shaina West, Natalia Reyes, Marvin Jones III, Yoson An, Marshall Cook, Jénel Stevens, Barbara Saba, Sala Baker, Carlos Rey del Castillo, and Otmara Marrero.
SYNOPSIS:
An estranged couple with a bounty on their heads must go on the run with their son to avoid their former employer, a unit of shadow ops that has been sent to kill them.
It’s already a problem that co-writer/director Joe Carnahan’s Shadow Force can’t escape its overdone, generic trappings, but there is also a persistent air of confusion around what tone the filmmakers were going for. At least a tonal disaster implies that there are some bold, wild swings taken that didn’t pan out. The screenplay from Joe Carnahan and Leon Chills primarily takes itself deadly seriously, which is frustrating given that the family dynamic of parental assassins has become an oversaturated sub-genre with nothing new left to introduce into that type of story.
Shadow Force also has moments of humor, sometimes with its otherwise stoic, no-nonsense secret agent heroes, that doesn’t so much as feel forced but more so there was an original version that leaned heavier into the comedic side before, presumably Lionsgate executives, instructed the filmmakers to strip down that aspect and be more like John Wick (due to financial struggles, 75% of the movies the distributor puts into production and release is trying to be the next big action franchise. It’s now at the point they are making John Wick spinoffs to help stay afloat, but that’s another story.) Lionsgate seems to have a formula they push onto filmmakers that isn’t quite working since a mega-popular, legitimately thrilling, and pulse-pounding action franchise like John Wick isn’t born from corporate suits but rather organic passion and invested stars/death-defying stunt workers.
As such, Isaac (Omar Sy), once a key leading member of the titular secret Shadow Force (tasked with assassinating high profile, objectively evil targets all over the globe, because protagonists aren’t allowed to have messy pasts and gray area moral compasses in cookie-cutter nonsense like this) now lives off the grid with his young son Ky (Jahleel Kamara), born through a romance with fellow operative Kyrah (Kerry Washington), unbeknownst to the team and its shady leader Jack Cinder (Mark Strong). Kyrah made the sacrificial choice to stay in the Shadow Force, assisting Isaac in getting out to raise Ky. The two of them live off the grid. However, Isaac is put back into the subpoenaed Jack’s crosshairs following CCTV footage of the former agent protecting Ky and other civilians in a bank robbery.
There are also gaps in logic regarding the action presentation: during this sequence, Isaac is built up to be a Batman-like presence, disarming, beating down, and shooting these unsuspecting fools in the dark, lights flickering. Similar to Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver but nowhere near as dynamic or infused into the character, Isaac also has tinnitus, which plays into his marksmanship focus. However, from there on out, Isaac is presented as somewhat of an average mercenary, and not nearly as threatening as that initial encounter. The film also works in a subplot about him losing control over his aim, despite that action sequence suggesting otherwise. The less said about an aunt and uncle (too-talented-for-this Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Method Man) as agents investigating Jack, the better.
Nevertheless, Jack has sent out the rest of the Shadow Force to locate and kill Isaac, which naturally brings Kyrah back into the family for the first time in years. What ensues are several odd music jokes and a bland romance. Surprisingly, there is little action until the third act, a series of brawls, shootouts, and chases throughout a beachside home and the surrounding ocean. For the most part, it’s practically executed and well constructed, but lacking a sense of urgency and excitement, primarily due to the narrative’s nonexistent characterization and routine nature. There is also a car chase in the middle, with flares shot all over the place to the point where overhead cinematography shots make it look like the car is in a bullet-hell video game; it’s an interesting visual flourish, but again, there isn’t anything to invest in.
Another pleasant touch is that the filmmakers are comfortable embracing Omar Sy’s native French, typically during conversations with Kyrah, encouraging mainstream moviegoers to read subtitles. Of course, the issue there is that no one will likely even go see this movie (it was not screened for critics and was completely empty at my opening-night 6 PM showing). The fact that applauding the utilization of other languages also shows how dry Shadow Force is and what little positives there are to say about it. That’s not to say it’s a disaster, but entirely familiar and forgettable the second it’s over.
Shadow Force also lacks Joe Carnahan’s grit and edge, coming across more as a made-by-committee Netflix streaming flick. It’s a shock that Joe Carnahan directed this, and one can only assume he wishes he hadn’t.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
