Middle East frontier The film changed my perception of the genre. More than a year ago, I remember, in one review, I wrote that an action movie can hypothetically keep the viewer’s interest with only one artistic element – an action, absolutely scoring on other aspects of the movie. This is the position I held until watching Operation Red Sea. This is a large-scale military action movie, which your submissive gourmet estimates at a four-plus. Is there a quality problem, maybe a quantity problem? No, to say that violence is enough is not to say anything: as much as I scroll through the film in my head, it seems that there was nothing but shootings and chases.
So here's the problem... In that review, I used the example of Raid 2 as an argument. However, after reviewing it, I saw that there is not so good action and not so bad other components. Not all the characters are bright, but at least they stuck in the memory. The atmosphere of Jakarta’s criminal cuisine. Some stylish episodes. And the charming Iko Yuvais in the lead role. So the fighter is clearly not filtered. Or, say, “John Wick 3” – before watching the notorious “Operation in KM”, I was sure that this action movie was definitely filtered out. But against the background of the film under review, all the same skeletons in the closet appear: cool headliner Keanu Reeves, beauty Halle Berry, rare humor and a charming in its delusional plot.
“Operation” is the flesh and blood of Dante Lama, a creator with whom I have a difficult relationship. He’s like Chin Ka Lok – an action director, who went into script directing too soon. He has neither the ability to rivet interesting ideas, nor the skill to start the engine in actors. But a person knows how to put action, there is no dispute. “Operation” is Dante’s best film because Lam realized in it his only artistic gift in the maximum: only action, only hardcore. But as it turns out, this is not how things are done. No matter how cool a battle is, it can’t be fun if you don’t — roughly speaking — see sides. None of the characters is a person, each actor plays the role of an empty lever. Here's a good one, he's fighting to save these nouneim, other nouneim, well, who are also in military uniform, will help him. Oh, yes, a good man will avenge the death of some chela he seems to be friends with. There is also a journalist, she will do something, but what and why? I didn’t care when I watched it.
Dante’s partner in the action production was Jack Vaughn, who worked on battles in Wolves War 2. Ironically, Operation 2 is Wolves War. "Wolves War 2", from which the cheerful atmosphere was removed, Jackie Woo's cocky cock, cute Selina Jade, a multiracial gang of villains led by alphach Frank Grillo and even, damn it, beautiful pathos were also removed!
Indeed, it is not a single action that is alive. The language does not turn to call the film bad, but I will not definitely recommend it to anyone either. There is soulful cinema, there is stuffy, and this is soulless.
6 out of 10