Mile 22

This action-packed disappointment marks the fourth collaboration (after Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day) between Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. Wahlberg plays brooding James “Jimmy” Silva, a grim, angry, senior CIA officer who is part of an ultra-elite, high-tech paramilitary unit that includes Alice Kerr (Lauren Cohan), Sam Snow (Ronda Rousey), and William “Dougie” Douglas III (Carlo Alban). Their derring-do is computer-monitored from a remote center by James Bishop (John Malkovich), known by the code-name “Mother.” In the opening sequence, the Overwatch team bursts into an innocuous suburban East Coast home that is really a Russian safe house. It’s a botched raid but aptly demonstrates their penchant for lethal, excessively bloody violence. Skip ahead to a theft of radioactive Cesium 139 and the mysterious appearance of Li Noor (Iko Uwais), a police officer who tells officials at the American Embassy in (fictional) Indocarr that he knows where to find the stolen shipment of “fear powder.” Noor has the information on a secure disc that will decompose in eight hours unless Jimmy and his secret-ops commandos safely transport him through a 22-mile obstacle course to an airfield for extraction from Southeast Asia and asylum in the United States. Naturally, this is easier said than done since loads of local thugs are relentlessly determined to stop them. Berg substitutes quirks for character development, chooses quick-cuts over compelling action, and generally favors chaos over coherence in this talky but hollow film. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Colombia” (4 min.), “Overwatch” (2 min.), “Introducing Iko Uwais” (2 min.), “Iko Fight” (2 min.), “Bad Ass Women” (2 min.), “Stunts” (2 min.), and “Modern Combat” (2 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a so-so action drama.] (S. Granger)