Stanko's Stance

Mile 22 boasts an intriguing cast but it takes itself far too seriously to be even be an enjoyable action escape. The plot involves the American secret forces, the Indonesian corrupt police force and Russian spies and various international tangling that is just all a bit much. Peter Berg’s third straight mashup with Mark Wahlberg proves to be a disappointment, similar to that of Matt Damon’s reconnection with Paul Greengrass in 2010, Greenzone.

The premise of the movie is that an outside the government task force led by a disturbed team-leader tries to solve smuggle a covert police officer that’ll possible save up to six major cities from a nuclear attack. As I said, there is a lot to unpack when there is no need to even include such things.

Taking after the Ringer’s Rewatchables Podcast, the award for overacting goes to main star, Marky Mark himself. The character himself is diagnosed with multiple different types of personality disorders, all of which is instilled in the opening credits as exposition. There are multiple instances where he goes all The Departed Dignam and just explodes in angry tirades towards a subordinate or bad guy. However, It’s not quip-filled or quick-wicked, it’s just pure bipolar rage.

Staring alongside Wahlberg are various recognizable faces. Lauren Cohan of Walking Dead fame is a female member of the team with an unnecessary side-plot involving a rude ex-husband involved in a custody battle. There is Iko Uwais, who kicked ass in The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2. Unfortunately, his bad-ass kung-fu is limited to one scene, which is the highlight of the movie. Then there is WWE wrestler and former UFC champion, Ronda Rousey.  I don’t know if she has more than 20 lines of dialogue.

I will give credit to John Malkovich. Playing the technical leader of team Overwatch, his monotone and supremely confident performance did grasp my attention a bit.

Mile 22 also suffers from the Star Trek red-shirt problem. When the camera pans on a new face in a crowded room or entering vehicles, you know that said person is going to die. Not a ton a characters actually live through the movie, so props to Berg and the writers for not adhering to the norm on that front. With that being said, audience members have ZERO personal connection to anyone who dies so the moments of impact are shoulder-shrug moments.

The ending to Mile 22 isn’t expected, but it’s not exactly a happy ending either. I didn’t read much scuttle butt surrounding the conclusion when the movie was released in October of 2018, but I think that’s because the movie itself isn’t anything to remember.

Stanko Rating: D

Mile 22 IMDB
Mile 22 Rotten Tomatoes