Boss Level

Time loops and repeated violent encounters, you say? Oh, go on then! 

Frank Grillo is front and centre as our hero, Roy, and he does a really good job to carry this film from start to finish. Again. And again. And again. He is just charismatic and humorous enough to pull this off and this shows too in his entertaining delivery in the voice-over and suitably intriguing in the quieter moments (of which there are a few). But where he really shines is in the action sequences (of which there are a ridiculous amount!). I have a lot of time for Grillo and he showcases his talent and strengths here as he goes about edging his way towards solving the mystery of his incarceration in the time loop.

On top of this we have Mel Gibson playing the big bad guy and he does this well when he needs to but really he doesn’t have too much to do other than delivery a decent monologue or two. And the various enemies that Roy (Grillo) has to face repeatedly are varied and interesting (and fun). Naomi Watts is somewhat wasted in her almost-cameo role as Jemma Wells, Roy’s ex and mother of his son.
It has to be said that Joe Carnahan is right on the money with his action here, although he does let the pace drop a bit as the film develops but manages to nail the landing, leaving you with a good feeling about the film.
Sometimes a good, mindless action film just hits the spot and that’s what I felt here. It didn’t take itself too seriously, was really fun and action-packed with a little bit of real life thrown in there for good measure.