There is a science-fiction aspect to this film that seeks to set it apart from other things. That science-fiction aspect is just a crutch. It's a gimmick that writer-director BenDavid Grabinski utilizes. Yet, if that aspect were taken out or removed completely, it would not really affect the narrative much or even at all. The sci-fi aspect is a hook to reel people into the story, but that hook should feel vital or so important and integral that it would undermine the plot, if taken out. That's not the case here. The sci-fi aspect is a disposable gimmick. This would be fine, if the drama or comedy that's being presented otherwise were stronger. Obviously, comedy is subjective. Many people would probably laugh at the humor here or the antics that incorporate pratfalls or cartoon-like physicality. However, the drama doesn't hit as effectively as I would have wanted.
James Marsden (Sonic the Hedgehog and X-Men) stars as Mike, a member of a criminal organization. He works as an enforcer or a collector. If anyone owes money to the head of the organization, he's sent to get that money and if anyone resists, he inflicts violence in order to complete the task. However, he's getting to a point that he doesn't want to be an enforcer or collector any more. The film doesn't go into Mike's backstory at all, so we don't understand how he got into this life or how long he's been doing it. If that information was conveyed, it wasn't underlined at all, so we don't truly understand why or what the true reason is for him wanting to leave the criminal organization.
Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball) co-stars as Nick, a fellow enforcer in the same, criminal organization. We get no backstory about him either. He's even more of a blank than Mike. The only thing we get is that he's married but that marriage isn't going well. Yet, the film never explains why. We hear Nick and his wife bicker over both of them having affairs but we never learn what drew them together or what exactly went wrong. His character drives a lot of the action because he learns there is a rat in the organization and his job is to kill the rat. The head of the organization believes the rat is Mike, so Nick is supposed to kill Mike.
Yet, Nick and Mike are allegedly friends, or more than just co-workers at this criminal organization. The film doesn't develop the backstory of their friendship or whatever they have. This film has flashbacks in black-and-white, but none of them illuminate the relationship between Mike and Nick, so that we fully get why Nick would feel bad if he did kill Mike. Nick has no problem killing other members of the organization, so it never underlines why Mike is so special that Nick would feel bad about killing him.
Eiza González (I Care a Lot and Baby Driver) also co-stars as Alice, the aforementioned wife of Nick. Other than being 20 years younger than both the two guys here, we don't get much about her either. The most we get is that she's a fan of Gilmore Girls (2000), the television series. She seemingly is a member of the criminal organization but it might only be due to her connection to Nick. If not, what is her occupation? The flashback we get of her is Alice meeting Mike, which suggests she didn't know about the criminal organization, but that's not totally clear.
When it comes to the criminal organization, this film shows off other people in it. Many of them aren't given much to do. Lewis Tan (Deadpool & Wolverine and Mortal Kombat) is the actor who probably gets the shortest shrift. Tan is an action star. He's great at doing action, whether it's hand-to-hand or using firearms. Tan is good at doing martial arts and stunts in general. This film culminates in a major shootout and fight sequence, but instead of centering or utilizing Lewis Tan to any significant degree, this film wastes him and his talents.
Jimmy Tatro (Scream 7 and Home Economics) plays Jimmy Boy, the son of the leader of the criminal organization. Tatro's talents aren't wasted. He's bringing the kind of comedy that one would expect from him. He's the dumb hot guy, the idiotic bro, or perpetual frat boy. The main joke surrounding him is essentially a penis joke, which if anyone recalls him from American Vandal (2017), then you won't be surprised.
Keith David (Greenleaf and The Thing) rounds out the cast as Sosa, the leader of the criminal organization. He's an enjoyable antagonist. The only criticism is that he's not in this film more. He's trying to figure out who the rat is. If the film had actually depicted him literally trying to figure it out, that would have been interesting. The film doesn't make it much of a mystery though.
Rated R for strong bloody violence, language, sexual material, and drug use.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 47 mins.
Available on Hulu.