CERT: 12 / SCREENPLAY: JEFF WADLOW, ERIC HEISSERER / DIRECTOR: DAVID S. F. WILSON / CAST: VIN DIESEL, EIZA GONZÁLEZ, SAM HEUGHAN, TOBY KEBBELL, GUY PEARCE / RELEASE DATE: JUNE 8TH
Bloodshot, the latest big-screen vehicle for action-actor Vin Diesel, is the movie adaptation of the world of the titular Valiant Comics’ character. Intended to be the opening instalment of a new film series, Bloodshot was rushed-released to the home streaming market less than a fortnight after it debuted in theatres back in March, and just days ahead of the current global lockdown. It’s now speeding its way to DVD and Blu-ray.
Diesel plays US Marine Ray Garrison, a badass special operative who pulls off a successful rescue mission in Mombasa. But dark forces want to know the source of the intel that led Garrison and his men to the hostage takers’ lair. When they capture him and demand he confess, they first kill his wife and then him. Garrison later wakes up in a secret laboratory, run by Dr Emil Harting (Pearce), and learns he has been brought back to life, his body enhanced by the presence of countless nanobots in his bloodstream. These miniature robotic creatures can repair organ and tissue damage and extend his capabilities. But while Harting has a series of missions lined up for Garrison and his compatriots, this new super-human only has revenge in mind.
The premise of Bloodshot is an amalgam of many other high-concept sci-fi flicks, including Universal Soldier, Robocop and Total Recall, and there’s practically nothing original about this latest foray into the territory of the reanimated and augmented killing machine. Even the film’s exploration of supposedly cutting-edge technology feels unadventurous and familiar.
No-one chooses a Vin Diesel flick expecting a performance of great depth or emotional vulnerability from their leading man. Diesel acquits himself just fine in the reasonably well-choreographed, if routine, action sequences. Elsewhere, he’s on less firm ground. The film’s key imbalance is that Garrison’s antagonist (and scheming boss) Harting is played by Guy Pearce, an actor of enormous talent and range. However you stack it up, one of them is miscast. Pearce won’t do panto villain and Diesel can’t do dexterity or depth. While Diesel falls short of Pearce’s level of performance, it’s just as difficult to accept Harting as a convincing nemesis for the muscle-bound assassin. Their final reckoning lacks any real tension, so the closing showdown shifts the focus elsewhere.
Other members of Garrison’s crew join in the skirmishes and dodge the explosions, but this is far from being an ensemble piece. Only Eiza González, as the brave but conflicted ‘KT’, is given any significant screen time or character development. González looks suitably pained by the collective deceit she’s implicated in, but is given little to do. Star of Outlander Sam Heughan gets to play against type as hardman Jimmy Dalton, while Siddharth Dhananjay is brought on board to provide comic relief as programmer Eric. The plot pivots on the actions of the super-techie (and belated ethical hacker) Wilfred Wiggins, a role that gives Lamorne Morris the latitude of playing a character not found in the original comics.
Early casting rumours reported that Jared Leto was in line for the lead role, which could have resulted in a movie (and a face-off) far more powerful and intriguing. As things turned out, Bloodshot comes across as an underpowered, derivative (and a fairly loose) translation of some quite niche comic book fare. Even the script’s knowing ‘meta references’ to the genre and the appropriation of Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer are not enough to stop this flick bleeding out long before the upbeat coda tries to breathe undeserved life into a new franchise.
Special features include a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blooper reel, deleted and extended scenes and two short ‘making of’ promos.
