In early March 2015, it was announced that Ronda Rousey and Iko Uwais were set to star in the action-thriller film penned by Carpenter, with Berg initially attached as producer. In early July, Mark Wahlberg was cast to play the male lead role, and Berg was confirmed to direct. Carpenter had written the script with Wahlberg in mind. In late March 2017, at CinemaCon, Wahlberg and Berg announced that they were planning the film to become a trilogy, describing "an action series at STX Entertainment." By November, Lauren Cohan and John Malkovich rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in December. Filming took place in Bogotá, Colombia and Atlanta, Georgia, under the working title Ground Branch Triple. The film was originally scheduled for an August 3, 2018 release date, but was pushed back two weeks to August 17.
The film stars Wahlberg, Cohan, Uwais, Malkovich, and Rousey. Watching Wahlberg and the rest of the cast, all grit and hungover charm, parachuted into the otherwise action-heavy plot felt something like watching a CGI character super-imposed into gritty destructive footage.
This easily could have been an unfocused mess, but is instead a gripping drama that never loses its footing. In fact, it seems to gain momentum with every passing moment. The film is not without its flaws, Berg, Wahlberg and the rest have done this story as much justice as they possibly could, even if it's not much. The film is as flawed as it is phenomenal, an interesting experience worth checking out not just for the cinematic experience it produces, but for the conversations it can spark. Berg's film packs a punch with its extravagantly directed action and gruelling tension, but it often feels empty as it fails to fully grasp its subject matter in the awkwardly written screenplay. When the film is working at its best it is an intense thriller, but too bad those moments of intensity are in service of an unsettling glorification of violence as retribution. With the film unfolding in its all-too-familiar multi-stranded way, we are left with the growing impression that the film has been cynically turned into a conventional commercial thriller. At a certain point, consideration becomes clinginess, and Berg holds on so tight to his emotional pandering, it comes at the expense of everything else. Simplistic to an extent, the good guys-versus-villainous 'others' narrative is further undermined by the occasional undercurrent of jingoism.
This easily could have been an unfocused mess, but is instead a gripping drama that never loses its footing. In fact, it seems to gain momentum with every passing moment. The film is not without its flaws, Berg, Wahlberg and the rest have done this story as much justice as they possibly could, even if it's not much. The film is as flawed as it is phenomenal, an interesting experience worth checking out not just for the cinematic experience it produces, but for the conversations it can spark. Berg's film packs a punch with its extravagantly directed action and gruelling tension, but it often feels empty as it fails to fully grasp its subject matter in the awkwardly written screenplay. When the film is working at its best it is an intense thriller, but too bad those moments of intensity are in service of an unsettling glorification of violence as retribution. With the film unfolding in its all-too-familiar multi-stranded way, we are left with the growing impression that the film has been cynically turned into a conventional commercial thriller. At a certain point, consideration becomes clinginess, and Berg holds on so tight to his emotional pandering, it comes at the expense of everything else. Simplistic to an extent, the good guys-versus-villainous 'others' narrative is further undermined by the occasional undercurrent of jingoism.
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