Disclaimer: The views expressed here are mine alone and do not reflect those of allgames.com.
Introduction to Mile 22 Movie Review by Ms. H
I intentionally did not watch previews or trailers for Mile 22 because I wanted to be kept in suspense as to what this movie was all about. I knew it was a Mark Wahlberg movie and that was about it. When I watched Mile 22, I also found out that WWE personality Ronda Rousey is in this movie. However, if I was in her shoes, I don’t think I would have accepted this movie role. Instead, I would have waited for a film that showcased my fighting and other physical action-type talents. Hopefully, she has other movie projects in the works. That being said, here is my review of the Mile 22 movie.
Plot of the Mile 22 Movie
Mile 22 is basically an action spy - surveillance type movie starring Mark Wahlberg as James Silva. It is a gritty action film, rather than the suave type you may be familiar with such as the James Bond movies. There are probably lots of similar movies with a synopsis to stop dangerous actions from taking place with a short time limit to add to the drama -- however, I was pleasantly surprised that the storyline had a reveal at the end of the movie.
Actors in the Mile 22 Movie
In the Mile 22 movie, Mark Wahlberg tends to say his lines quickly -- sometimes popping the rubber band around his wrist as a reminder to keep calm. In my opinion, other than these actions, Mark Wahlberg seems to play the same person in all his movies. In other words, to me he seems like a one-dimensional-type actor.
Interesting enough, as the movie progresses along, he loses his quick speech pattern, probably not by design. The other actors played their roles well; however, the stand out action star in Mile 22 to me was IKo Uwais for the reasons described in the action section below.
If you are a Ronda Rousey fan, you may be happy to see that she has a part in this movie as I alluded to in my introduction -- but I think you will be disappointed in the reach of her role. She has a small part and her script and facial expressions mostly involved saying profanity and keeping a scowl on her face. By contrast, Lauren Cohan (the other major female actor in the movie) as Alice Kerr had a more prominent role in Mile 22. I think if Ronda Rousey had won more fights (in real life) her role may have been bigger in this movie. Additionally, and unfortunately, the directors could have completely deleted Ronda Rousey’s scenes with little to no impact on the movie.
Action Scenes in the Mile 22 Movie
Mile 22 had a fair share of action from the beginning of the movie to the end. If you watch this movie, you will notice there are lots of explosions and violent scenes as well. In fact, this movie is rated R so you must be at least 17 years old to see it.
The fight scene that caught my interest was the hospital one where Iko Uwais, the actor who played Li Noor demonstrated some of his martial arts skills. Of course, these fights could have been performed by stunt men instead of the actor, but to me, it was still a highlight of the movie.
Regarding the violence, there is a graphic scene dealing with a car window and broken glass, that I think should have been omitted due to the graphic nature of this scene. It was so gross, I had to turn my head away from the movie screen when this scene appeared.
Look-alike Actors in the Mile 22 Movie
Lauren Cohan has a slight resemblance to the star of the Blindspot TV series Jaimie Alexander. When I saw her initially on the screen, I thought Jaimie Alexander had shifted from Blindspot to work in this movie. Of course, that was not the case since the actor was Lauren Cohan instead of Jaimie Alexander.
Assessment of the Mile 22 Movie
If I compared Mark Wahlberg's movie Mile 22 with Tom Cruise’s recently released blockbuster movie, Mission: Impossible - Fallout -- the latter would win by flying colors. This is due in part because of the high caliber of action in the Mission Impossible Fallout movie, as well as the sense that you are watching a spectacular movie. When I look back on the Mile 22 movie, the most I can remember is the barrage of shootings, fights and explosions. Spoiler Alert: Additionally, some of the scenarios seemed unrealistic to me -- For example, why would IKO Uwais’ character suddenly decide to trade sides and became an ally instead of a foe?
On the other hand, a major plus for this movie was inclusion of women in the action scenes of the movie -- rather than having them sit or stand by the sidelines.
Overall, I believe you will enjoy Mile 22 if you like movies with lots of action, explosions and a hint of suspense. I am giving this movie an extra ½ star rating because even though I could predict some of the ending scenarios of the movie -- there is one part that I did not see coming. If you watch the Mile 22 movie , you will find out what I’m referring to.
Rating of the Mile 22 Movie
Based on a rating of 1 star to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest, I rate the Mile 22 movie 3 ½ stars.