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Initial Thought: When I saw the trailer I knew this would be something I wanted to see. It kind of reminds me of the likes of Pineapple Express meets The Bourne films. It also felt like an original take on something that could have very easily have been cliched. So when my theater got it I watched it that very day.
Characters/Acting: I always enjoy Jesse Eisenberg on film. He has this certain charisma about him even if it seems his characters are pretty similar. Here I just couldn't help but think that he actually had the ability to pull off the badass persona. Besides a stoner Jason Bourne type of guy I also felt a few similarities to Riddick. The biggest surprise for me was Kristen Stewart who I have pretty much despised from the start. Here I absolutely adored her and might have even developed a crush. She showed great emotion here and has finally surpassed the lame interchangeable stares she is known for. It's good to see Bill Pullman is still in the game. It's too bad he didn't really do that much here. John Leguizamo's character was great and as usual he had excellent comedic timing. Topher Grace as a villain always feels weird. He just feels way to geeky in such roles. It didn't work in Spider-Man 3 or Predators and it still doesn't feel right here. It doesn't take away from the movie though. I think that's what they were trying to go with here. Connie Britton was alright, but she didn't really have my attention like everyone else here. Oh man I loved Walton Goggins here. His character was extremely interesting and even in a way heartbreaking. The other assassins were all pretty cool too. It's cool to see Michael Papajohn actually getting a noticeable role instead of background characters or very brief uncredited parts. My only real fret here is there should have been more Bill Pullman.
Story: A stoner, who happens to be a sleeper cell agent, is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he's too well-trained and too high for them to handle. The action here was brutal, gory, and intense. I honestly wasn't expecting to see as much blood as I did here. That's a good thing though because it just makes everything more badass. There are several laugh out loud moments. The ending was great and leaves me hopeful for a possible sequel. It will surely take on a different style than this one though. The animation is pretty interesting and if you like that you should stay until that ends. It's just a plain action thrill ride with humor and great performances to keep you attached until the end.
Directing/Writing: Nima Nourizadeh only directed Project X before this. So in my opinion this guy has yet to do a film I didn't absolutely love. The same goes for Max Landis who wrote Chronicle. These guys really made a perfect team here. The written humor was directed effortlessly. The action was perfect even with the awkward way that Jesse Eisenberg is built. I hope these two continue on the path they are going. Hopefully neither end up going the path of M. Night Shyamalan.
Final Thought: I thought this was smartly acted and well made. I had a feeling I would like it, but I didn't expect I would like it as much as I did. It's a whole lot of fun and doesn't hold back too much on brutality. If you have a weak stomach I wouldn't really recommend this one though. If you can handle it though I would definitely say check this one out ASAP.
