Directed by: Nima Nourizadeh
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Bill Pullman, Connie Britton
I do not know what audience American Ultra wanted to reach. It is a relentless bloodbath with a comic tone, which means the tone is all screwed up. Did the filmmakers think it was funny to have its stoner, slacker lead Mike Howell (Eisenberg) suddenly find himself as Rambo? I'm at a loss. Did they think people would appreciate the reteaming of Eisenberg and Stewart from 2009's Adventureland? Do they think people even remember that movie? I don't pretend to know what the purpose behind the making of American Ultra is, but I know the end result is a mess.
Mike and his girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart) live together in a quiet West Virginia town. In between his shifts at the local convenience store, they smoke a lot of weed and Mike is unable to find the right time to propose to Phoebe. Mike is unaware that he is in fact a sleeper CIA hitman whose skills can be summoned after he is activated by a CIA agent named Victoria (Britton) who wants to keep him alive. It seems Mike was part of a now abandoned CIA program and the program leader Adrian Yates (Grace) wants all remaining operatives killed. Victoria has a conscience and wants to stop him. I am puzzled by Yates' endgame here. After all of the loss of lives, property damage, and bloodshed, was it worth it to kill one man who was not even aware he was part of the program to begin with? Wouldn't have been better to just let him be? I suppose there would not have been a movie then, but that would have been fine by me.
Mike is attacked by two men outside of the convenience store and he kills them. He will kill many more in brutal ways. There is a lot of blood, bones breaking, and things blowing up. There was once a time long, long, long ago where this may have been passable entertainment, but now I think I have seen every possible way someone can be shot or killed. It is depressing to watch. Simply lining up guys for Mike to mow down is boring, no matter how creatively it is framed.
The nature of Mike and Phoebe's relationship changes amid plot twists and surprises. It adds only minimal interest to them and the proceedings. Eisenberg and Stewart do what they can, but there isn't a lot to work with here. The other actors are skilled to be certain, but as much as they try, we simply do not care about them or anything else going on in American Ultra.
I am about as tired of pot smoking in movies as I am of shoot 'em ups and relentless violence. It seems to be a fallback personality trait anymore. At least Cheech and Chong made funny faces when they inhaled.
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