American Ultra

Director Nima Nourizadeh's blood-splattered, ultraviolent, deranged action comedy has two things going for it: Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, who are far better actors than this dreadful stoner dirge deserves. American Ultra opens with bruised and battered Mike Howell (Eisenberg) in jail. Flashbacks reveal that he works as a clerk at a local convenience mart; when he's not busy behind the register, Mike enjoys drawing a graphic novel called Apollo Ape. A laidback pothead, Mike lives with his supportive girlfriend, slovenly Phoebe Larson (Stewart), who works for a bail bondsman. Mike bought an engagement ring and planned to take Phoebe to Hawaii to propose marriage, but at the airport he suffered another one of his crippling, inexplicable anxiety attacks. Once back in their rural West Virginia bungalow, slacker Mike gets “activated”—meaning that he suddenly becomes a super-soldier, killing two menacing hitmen with a spoon, which makes him the target of a CIA manhunt led by an uptight government agent (Topher Grace) determined to eliminate him. Borrowing from Pineapple Express and the Jason Bourne films, American Ultra centers on a seemingly ordinary guy who discovers he's a covert sleeper agent, caught in a government conspiracy. The supporting cast includes Connie Britton as Mike's old CIA handler in the Ultra program, John Leguizamo as a crazed drug dealer, and Bill Pullman and Walton Goggins. Dopey in more ways than one, this amazingly awful film is not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Nima Nourizadeh, the production featurettes “Activating American Ultra” (41 min.) and “Assassinating on a Budget” (4 min.), a gag reel (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a lame film with good performances.] (S. Granger)