THE STORY – 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.
THE CAST – Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Jahleel Kamara, Mark Strong, Da’Vine Joy Randolph & Method Man
THE TEAM – Joe Carnahan (Director/Writer) & Leon Chills (Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 104 Minutes
If you’re craving a film that blends a messy romance akin to “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” with hoards of assassins after the protagonists like in “John Wick,” then “Shadow Force” is basically the movie for you. Director Joe Carnahan brings the guns blazing in his latest film that follows two former special ops agents turned scorned lovers on the run from their former boss. It might not bring the same skill level when it comes to fight sequences as the “John Wick” films, but “Shadow Force” is a surprisingly satisfying watch that allows its talented cast to deliver and even adds a banger soundtrack in the mix.
Unfortunately, life circumstances have kept Isaac (Omar Sy) and Kyrah (Kerry Washington) apart from each other for four years, leaving Isaac to raise their son Ky (Jahleel Kamara) on his own. It wasn’t due to any cheating or hurt feelings, but rather, the two assassins went rogue in order to protect their family. For the most part, Isaac has done a pretty good job of laying low and raising their son right, including teaching him French and jamming out to Lionel Richie songs in the car. Unfortunately, when Isaac stops a bank robbery from taking place, he blows his cover and gives his former boss, Jack (Mark Strong, an always reliable villain), just the moment he’s been looking for all these years.
For better or worse, Carnahan and co-screenwriter Leon Chills skip past a lot of details in “Shadow Force,” like how Isaac and Kyrah got together, how good they were in their jobs, and what exactly this special ops group is all about (Isaac describes it to Ky as they thought they were the good guys but they were in fact bad guys…sure?). They even go past the usual “getting the gang all together” when Jack, written as a stereotypical evil boss, starts assembling his team to take down Isaac and Kyrah, to the point where we don’t know who any of these killers are or their names. Ultimately, that doesn’t matter because the writing team focuses on the surprisingly touching family aspect of this film. As Isaac and Ky go into hiding in a safe house in Columbia, Kyrah reappears in their lives.
While Mom and Dad have a feisty reunion that’s fun to watch, she and Ky share a very sweet moment that feels genuine. One of the best decisions the writers made was to allow Sy to use his native French throughout the film, which provides deeper and more meaningful relationships between Isaac and his loved ones. But as great as it is having Washington and Sy in this film, Kamara steals the show time and time again. Whether it’s through his singing skills, adorable swearing, or the way he snuggles up to people, you can’t help but melt when he gets to shine. In order for this family to make it through all these adversaries, they need to recruit some help, which comes in the form of undercover pals Auntie (an always hilarious Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and Unc (Method Man), who add the right amount of humor to the film.
Given that this is an action film, much of its believability and enjoyment hinges on the fight sequences. They’re OK, and there’s a variety of them in the movie – including high-speed car and jet ski chases, hand-to-hand combat, and a bloody battle royale fight to the finish. The skill that the “John Wick” franchise brings to fight sequences has set the bar very high, so don’t expect anything at that level. But Washington and Sy do a good job of taking the punches, especially Sy, who has shown he has a knack for playing an international man of mystery, as seen in the Netflix series “Lupin.” There are some wonky editing choices that take away from the action, like during the bank robbery sequence, where we see brief flashes from Ky’s point of view, and the grainy cinematography doesn’t add much luster to the screen either. But the sound is used in interesting ways as Isaac utilizes hearing aids and takes them out when he needs to concentrate, leading to muffled background noises and a way to show just how skilled he is in combat.
“Shadow Force” may not bring anything spectacular to the action/spy genre, but it’s a decent enough watch if you’re looking for a B-movie with a surprising amount of charm, heart, and humor. Carnahan takes a standard idea for a film and elevates it with talented cast members who get to use their acting strengths to their full potential. The fight sequences may not be exemplary, but “Shadow Force” has a few other tricks up its sleeves to keep audiences interested.
