Review of American Ultra (2015) by Brett B — 07 Sep 2015

A hodge-podgey mish-mash of well-tread genres, AMERICAN ULTRA plays like THE BOURNE IDENTITY by way of PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. There is little true ingenuity or originality on display - either in the direction or the writing - but there are some redeeming elements to the film.

The screenplay's positioning of the CIA as something akin to the mafia (with employees being whacked for screw-ups) is darkly amusing, and the action sequences (though somewhat undone by shaky cam antics) provide some basic thrills.

The heart of the story - the relationship between Eisenberg and Stewart - half-way works; Eisenberg is at his most Eisenberg-y, this time playing a good-hearted and neurotic nebbish instead of an asshole nebbish (these seem to be his only two modes), and it's a schtick that begins to wear thin as the movie progresses.

Stewart, however, is kind of a revelation (at least to me, a person who never thought much of her abilities); she's legitimately terrific, giving a warm and confident performance that essentially rescues the entire relationship storyline.

Between this and last year's STILL ALICE, it's becoming more and more clear that the TWILIGHT series should not be held against her; given the right material, she can acquit herself quite well.

The rest of the supporting cast members do some fun work - Connie Britton is kind of the movie's secret weapon, Walton Goggins is a riot (particularly in his final sequence in the film), and any time Bill Pullman shows up for an extended cameo can only be a good thing.

Topher Grace does the best he can as the villain of the piece, but it is with this character that screenwriter Max Landis' snarky dialogue starts to become a bit grating. In short, AMERICAN ULTRA is not in any way a bad movie, but it ultimately feels fairly familiar and standard.