After reading all the negative reviews, I decided that I wasn't going to even bother to watch this film but knowing the history of how reviewers will say a good film is horrible and a bad film great, I decided to download and watch anyway. And once again negative reviews have it got wrong about a good weekend popcorn film. A cliché shoot em up bang bang, with Mel Gibson as sinister minister and Jason Isaac and Dylan McDermott as fall guys. Definitely a good one time watch. Negative reviews calling this film terrible got it way wrong. This was good popcorn.
62 Reviews
Ok but lacks an ending
supermellowcali9 April 2022
They kind of left us hanging, so even tho this movie has excellent actors and is well produced, we don't get full satisfaction... maybe to leave an opening for a sequel, but it seemed more like the last 20 minutes was accidentally deleted and they decided not to reshoot it : ) Mildly recommended as an action/spy thriller with a slow start.
Poor story line
dantharpe9 April 2022
The movie kinda drags you along as the dialogue and story-line seems to get weaker and weaker. One scene was a bit hard to believe and made us think the writer ran our of a legitimate course of action and just haphazardly wrote the scene in. Even still, the actors did a good job.
Hollywood seems to be falling into an abyss with good material and this is a good case of struggling to make a movie worth watching.
Not sure this movie will be a repeat for us...
Hollywood seems to be falling into an abyss with good material and this is a good case of struggling to make a movie worth watching.
Not sure this movie will be a repeat for us...
Where's the Ending?
Hammer-Rocks22 April 2022
If you like seeing an ending to your movie, then stay clear off this one. This felt like a very long first episode of a TV/Mini series, which needs a follow up episode to continue the storyline.
It started off great, then it fell into a very slow burn lull. If you can follow and get your head around the toing and froing of the various timelines, then the storyline might actually be interesting.
But with a non-ending, ending, and action too far and few in-between, for me it's a mediocre movie at best.
VERDICT: Watch only if nothing better is available.
It started off great, then it fell into a very slow burn lull. If you can follow and get your head around the toing and froing of the various timelines, then the storyline might actually be interesting.
But with a non-ending, ending, and action too far and few in-between, for me it's a mediocre movie at best.
VERDICT: Watch only if nothing better is available.
Three known actors & Still a B Movie
Ckn485 June 2022
All the dialog is done in studio and you can hear it, none of it sounds like original dialog and it's not lip-synched.
The Plot is Non Existent & in no way holds any kind of attention.
Poor Plot Poor Acting Awful Photography Sound engineer needs to be shot
Give it a Wide Birth 👎
The Plot is Non Existent & in no way holds any kind of attention.
Poor Plot Poor Acting Awful Photography Sound engineer needs to be shot
Give it a Wide Birth 👎
Can Someone Please Turn on the Lights?
leftbanker-122 April 2022
I couldn't even see what was going on most of the time since the director chose not to use any lighting. Please stop shooting scenes without light.
If you haven't taken notice already, there is a growing trend in new films: the blacked-out screen. More and more I see directors shooting so many scenes in almost complete darkness when you can only see about five percent of the screen if you are lucky. There can barely be any other color when black paints so much of the screen. If they don't want images in the film, maybe they'd be more comfortable in radio?
If you haven't taken notice already, there is a growing trend in new films: the blacked-out screen. More and more I see directors shooting so many scenes in almost complete darkness when you can only see about five percent of the screen if you are lucky. There can barely be any other color when black paints so much of the screen. If they don't want images in the film, maybe they'd be more comfortable in radio?
Worst in decades.
beamcorp23 April 2022
Nope, just nope.
postalinvt24 April 2022
This movie smacks of being made only with the sequel in mind, as you will see if you watch till the end. There is NO conclusion to the story, it just stops in the middle of the action.
Stand by for episode 2 ? The problem is the story isn't worth a second episode.
Real good to see Mel Gibson on the screen, even in a smaller role; but not worth paying for.
Stand by for episode 2 ? The problem is the story isn't worth a second episode.
Real good to see Mel Gibson on the screen, even in a smaller role; but not worth paying for.
Mel needed the mon$y
mike_olley17 May 2022
Terrible film when you consider what Mel has done.
Essentially Mel filmed 3 scenes and these got cut across the film in between people firing guns and chucking hand grenades around.
Some nice artistic shots but in the round a terrible film.
My best advice is don't waste your life on this one.
Essentially Mel filmed 3 scenes and these got cut across the film in between people firing guns and chucking hand grenades around.
Some nice artistic shots but in the round a terrible film.
My best advice is don't waste your life on this one.
It's surprisingly better than I expected
myignisrules13 April 2022
Agent Game. Horrible title I agree but you know what? I didn't hate it!
Now don't get me wrong, this straight to streaming (or maybe it'll show in theaters for a week, who knows) stars Mel Gibson and a bunch of other people who'll have you saying "hey! It's that guy/gal!". For example we have Katie Cassidy of The Arrow fame where she played Black Canary (or Canaries, I lost count) as Miller a CIA agent, Barkahad Abdi of the now meme-worthy "I am your Captain now" fame as Omar, a wrongfully detained Muslim man, with Adan Canto from The Cleaning Lady (by the way, this show is really good, you should definitely give it a go) and Jason Isaacs who's does a ton of great voice work but who I remember most recently as the charismatic Captain Lorca from Star Trek: Discovery, all make appearances here.
Surprisingly the actors involved are doing their best to make this paint by numbers espionage thriller work and I appreciated that as these types of movies are best for playing while doing your household chores and yet I found myself actually paying attention to the story! I'm not saying it's a great story but it does have enough going for it to make things engaging at times. There aren't many action sequences so if you're going in hoping for them you'll have to be satisfied with a handful here and there and a larger set piece at the conclusion and the film actually sets itself up with an open ended finale, so I'm guessing they have a sequel in mind. Call me crazy but I'm not mad at the idea.
In a world filled with mediocre straight-to-stream movies, Agent Game is a tad better than the rest. Not a lot better, but certainly not the worst by a long shot. Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are.
Now don't get me wrong, this straight to streaming (or maybe it'll show in theaters for a week, who knows) stars Mel Gibson and a bunch of other people who'll have you saying "hey! It's that guy/gal!". For example we have Katie Cassidy of The Arrow fame where she played Black Canary (or Canaries, I lost count) as Miller a CIA agent, Barkahad Abdi of the now meme-worthy "I am your Captain now" fame as Omar, a wrongfully detained Muslim man, with Adan Canto from The Cleaning Lady (by the way, this show is really good, you should definitely give it a go) and Jason Isaacs who's does a ton of great voice work but who I remember most recently as the charismatic Captain Lorca from Star Trek: Discovery, all make appearances here.
Surprisingly the actors involved are doing their best to make this paint by numbers espionage thriller work and I appreciated that as these types of movies are best for playing while doing your household chores and yet I found myself actually paying attention to the story! I'm not saying it's a great story but it does have enough going for it to make things engaging at times. There aren't many action sequences so if you're going in hoping for them you'll have to be satisfied with a handful here and there and a larger set piece at the conclusion and the film actually sets itself up with an open ended finale, so I'm guessing they have a sequel in mind. Call me crazy but I'm not mad at the idea.
In a world filled with mediocre straight-to-stream movies, Agent Game is a tad better than the rest. Not a lot better, but certainly not the worst by a long shot. Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are.
Awful
joekez-5084411 April 2022
I was shocked at how bad this movie was. It was dark making it difficult to see what was going on at times. The acting and poor editing were just some of the things that made this movie awful. The action scenes were not well choreographed and besides, there was just two of them in the entire movie - one in the first 15 minutes and another in the last 15 minutes. The hour in between these action scenes was a drag, just stretched out dialougues. By the time you get to the end of the movie, you are already tired of the movie. To top it all off, the movie did not have an ending. The ending was literally a cliffhanger. Even if you are trying to set up a sequel, that is not how to do it.
What did I just watch?
Top_Dawg_Critic9 June 2022
I went into this expecting the typical Bruce Willis barely-a-B-film, and thought Gibson took over Willis' reigns due to his illness. Wow I was wrong. Even the RT critics went hard on this at 15% and here with the current 3.8. Did everyone who gave this ones watch the same film as me? What is everyone expecting from a film these days?
This was a very impressively enjoyable non-stop action-thriller with constant suspense, especially with all the unexpected twists. The 90 min runtime was spot-on - I actually wanted more, and the pacing was perfect. The cinematography was excellent (the reviewer who said it was too dark, you need a new better TV) and the score was fitting and great, especially for a B film.
Considering this is newb director Grant S. Johnson's third film ever, I think he did a better job than some films from seasoned directors I've seen lately. And the two seasoned producers turned to newb writers did a decent job with the script. I'm not a fan of back and forth timelines, especially more than two, but they made it easy enough to follow, and I feel it was needed for the suspense and twists. Sure there were a few plot and technical issues, but no one attached to this film is a seasoned filmmaker, so some slack is to be expected.
So considering that this was put together by pretty much newb filmmakers, it was very impressive, especially considering the low budget. Had this film had a huge Hollywood budget and some assistance from experienced filmmakers, it could've easily been an A-film blockbuster.
Casting and performances were outstanding and convincing, especially the main characters. Gibson's small role was decent, but I wish he was in the story a little more. Sure we all wanted a better/more of an ending, but maybe the budget was exhausted and/or the ending left for a sequel. Either way, I'm fine with whichever, although I hope there is a sequel. The story in itself was very well thought out and not your typical cliched espionage/spy story. In fact, I'll even bet the CIA is responsible for many of the low ratings (ya, I said it), because I'm sure this film is close to reality in their international black ops.
I'll be watching this one again for sure, so ignore the ridiculous low ratings. This is not a 10, but a far cry from anything below a 6. Just the cinematography alone doesn't deserve anything lower than a 5. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me, and fingers crossed for a sequel.
This was a very impressively enjoyable non-stop action-thriller with constant suspense, especially with all the unexpected twists. The 90 min runtime was spot-on - I actually wanted more, and the pacing was perfect. The cinematography was excellent (the reviewer who said it was too dark, you need a new better TV) and the score was fitting and great, especially for a B film.
Considering this is newb director Grant S. Johnson's third film ever, I think he did a better job than some films from seasoned directors I've seen lately. And the two seasoned producers turned to newb writers did a decent job with the script. I'm not a fan of back and forth timelines, especially more than two, but they made it easy enough to follow, and I feel it was needed for the suspense and twists. Sure there were a few plot and technical issues, but no one attached to this film is a seasoned filmmaker, so some slack is to be expected.
So considering that this was put together by pretty much newb filmmakers, it was very impressive, especially considering the low budget. Had this film had a huge Hollywood budget and some assistance from experienced filmmakers, it could've easily been an A-film blockbuster.
Casting and performances were outstanding and convincing, especially the main characters. Gibson's small role was decent, but I wish he was in the story a little more. Sure we all wanted a better/more of an ending, but maybe the budget was exhausted and/or the ending left for a sequel. Either way, I'm fine with whichever, although I hope there is a sequel. The story in itself was very well thought out and not your typical cliched espionage/spy story. In fact, I'll even bet the CIA is responsible for many of the low ratings (ya, I said it), because I'm sure this film is close to reality in their international black ops.
I'll be watching this one again for sure, so ignore the ridiculous low ratings. This is not a 10, but a far cry from anything below a 6. Just the cinematography alone doesn't deserve anything lower than a 5. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me, and fingers crossed for a sequel.
Resourceful is the word
dima-1210 April 2022
When you a paying customer, obviously you don't have to care about the hardships that came with the production of stuff you are buying. And yet again "Agent Game" is a film that demands a certain understanding of the kind of resourceful filmmaking that came into play here.
Mel Gibson and Jason Isaacs starred in a nine-digit budgeted "Patriot" over twenty years ago. So seeing them in a low-budget film feels as if they really fell hard. But other than that, the two of them along with Dylan McDermott really anchor this chamber piece that tries to play out as a topical spy thriller.
A couple of decent action sequences and veterans matching with current-ish TV performers like Katie Cassidy and Rhys Coiro make for a solid ensemble and the storyline isn't as convoluted as critics led you believe. No, it's nothing to write home about but it's a great device when you try to make a film on a shoestring budget with one great, one solid and some rather mid-level performers.
As a programmer this film works. The ending that implies further sequels seems a bit of unrealistic on producers' behalf but then again the open-ended climax may also amount to a resolution of sorts.
This is a B-movie concoction that works. If you are into that kind of thing. If you are into hate-watching, you could do a lot better with something a lot worse.
Mel Gibson and Jason Isaacs starred in a nine-digit budgeted "Patriot" over twenty years ago. So seeing them in a low-budget film feels as if they really fell hard. But other than that, the two of them along with Dylan McDermott really anchor this chamber piece that tries to play out as a topical spy thriller.
A couple of decent action sequences and veterans matching with current-ish TV performers like Katie Cassidy and Rhys Coiro make for a solid ensemble and the storyline isn't as convoluted as critics led you believe. No, it's nothing to write home about but it's a great device when you try to make a film on a shoestring budget with one great, one solid and some rather mid-level performers.
As a programmer this film works. The ending that implies further sequels seems a bit of unrealistic on producers' behalf but then again the open-ended climax may also amount to a resolution of sorts.
This is a B-movie concoction that works. If you are into that kind of thing. If you are into hate-watching, you could do a lot better with something a lot worse.
Awful
Jim_Screechy10 April 2022
The plot is ridiculous, the script is preposterous. The acting is difficult to gauge because of this but spans between competent and inept with some of the cast being clearly out of their depth with the material.
Its a poorly directed poorly produced piece with few redeeming factors, though the heavy handed sound track that permeates every scene is probably one of the more agonizing.
Give it a miss and save yourself the aggravation.
Its a poorly directed poorly produced piece with few redeeming factors, though the heavy handed sound track that permeates every scene is probably one of the more agonizing.
Give it a miss and save yourself the aggravation.
Agent Con Game
Narce4 December 2022
To explain my title: the talent agents who represented those who featured in this movie must have been duped into thinking that this movie would be an appropriate vehicle for their clients.
As has been mentioned elsewhere, the ending makes it look like it is begging for a sequel. PLEASE DON'T! The actors are capable enough - I've seen them in other, better shows - but the director/ producer/ cinematographer have made something almost unwatchable. I say this because I tried to watch it, and yet was partly unable to see what was going on. Between the over-used hand-held camera work with its nausea-inducing wobble and the overall darkness (physical, not emotional) it is almost impossible to watch. This is further complicated by jumps back and forth through time in an effort to make the action make some sort of sense.
I may have made a mistake by watching this movie on an LCD display, in daytime, without closing the blinds. Still, when a gun battle is mainly illuminated by muzzle flashes and ricochets, maybe someone went a little overboard? Maybe they were trying to make a "green" movie by not employing any electric lights? Sorry, but the Green has faded to Black.
As has been mentioned elsewhere, the ending makes it look like it is begging for a sequel. PLEASE DON'T! The actors are capable enough - I've seen them in other, better shows - but the director/ producer/ cinematographer have made something almost unwatchable. I say this because I tried to watch it, and yet was partly unable to see what was going on. Between the over-used hand-held camera work with its nausea-inducing wobble and the overall darkness (physical, not emotional) it is almost impossible to watch. This is further complicated by jumps back and forth through time in an effort to make the action make some sort of sense.
I may have made a mistake by watching this movie on an LCD display, in daytime, without closing the blinds. Still, when a gun battle is mainly illuminated by muzzle flashes and ricochets, maybe someone went a little overboard? Maybe they were trying to make a "green" movie by not employing any electric lights? Sorry, but the Green has faded to Black.
TV B-Movie, Unrealized Potential
NinaCu19 April 2022
The movie had more potential, if they took the "cliffhanger" ending and developed that to its probable conclusion -- while cutting the carbon copy derivative material, and video game hyper violence.
Mel Gibson must be hard up for work. He was substantially miscast; or, he couldn't deliver anything other than his usual schtick. There is more within him, as demonstrated in The Professor and the Madman (2019). But he didn't deliver it here, and the story didn't provide enough room for it.
Several of the performances were extremely competent, and carried the movie further than it otherwise would have gone before drowning -- namely, Annie Ilonzeh and Dermot Mulroney.
At this stage in his career, Mulroney has the potential to get cast as a more intelligent and sophisticated Sam Elliott. He is delivering similar "cool swagger," so long as he doesn't actually try to do it, and thus overplay it. It's like the Clint Eastwood understated thing -- hint, hint.
Best to download this movie, and forward through the plotless scenes of gratuitous vioilence, unless you are a comicon gamer who thrives on the Ukraine War, the Iran-contra affair, and the dictatorships installed as USA banana republics, or the Shah of Iran.
The unrealized potential of this movie demonstrates abject movie studio ineptitude. All the tools were there, and the executives wouldn't let the carpenters build the house.
Mel Gibson must be hard up for work. He was substantially miscast; or, he couldn't deliver anything other than his usual schtick. There is more within him, as demonstrated in The Professor and the Madman (2019). But he didn't deliver it here, and the story didn't provide enough room for it.
Several of the performances were extremely competent, and carried the movie further than it otherwise would have gone before drowning -- namely, Annie Ilonzeh and Dermot Mulroney.
At this stage in his career, Mulroney has the potential to get cast as a more intelligent and sophisticated Sam Elliott. He is delivering similar "cool swagger," so long as he doesn't actually try to do it, and thus overplay it. It's like the Clint Eastwood understated thing -- hint, hint.
Best to download this movie, and forward through the plotless scenes of gratuitous vioilence, unless you are a comicon gamer who thrives on the Ukraine War, the Iran-contra affair, and the dictatorships installed as USA banana republics, or the Shah of Iran.
The unrealized potential of this movie demonstrates abject movie studio ineptitude. All the tools were there, and the executives wouldn't let the carpenters build the house.
Poor filmmaking
jsc-8404310 April 2022
Not a very well put together film. Choppy editing and the action wasn't good - you couldn't see anything! Only thing I liked was Mel but everything else wasn't well done. Tried to be artsy with lighting but that didn't work out too well.
It's been done over and over and over again.....
battlebuckships11 April 2022
Watching this feature was time I'll never get back. What a waste. Nothing exciting about this film. It's been done so many times before, hope it ends here with this poorly written script. I hate being negative, but I'm sorry, this story was just that bad.......:( If this is Hollywood's best, then their in trouble....
The CIA would rather you watch ZeroDarkThirty
mannsipad6 April 2023
This is good. This movie is being intentionally kept down in the ratings. The stuff they'd rather you see is all the "go get the bad jihads before they get us" fluff. The CIA is so entrenched in Hollywood now, one never knows where they start and end on movie productions. Agent Game is one of these films that really makes you question whether Mel Gibson pulled this off, like he did with Passion of the Christ, the actual CIA let this one slide under the radar, or if it's just another limited hangout. Regardless, it's going to make you asked questions, put some doubt in your mind, possibly make you think outside your comfort zone. It's an excellent watch - can't wait for part 2.
Pilot wrapped into a film
Malloy-200010 April 2022
Decent acting, action, fx...but a very very bad script.
There's no ending, obviously, this was written as a pilot and the writers tried to stretch it...without very good success.
The production co. Needs to find another writer if they want to turn this into a something watchable, a series or some kind of sequel.
There is some good actors tied to this project and the characters are interesting. Hopefully they see the same flaw before going forward.
There's no ending, obviously, this was written as a pilot and the writers tried to stretch it...without very good success.
The production co. Needs to find another writer if they want to turn this into a something watchable, a series or some kind of sequel.
There is some good actors tied to this project and the characters are interesting. Hopefully they see the same flaw before going forward.
Enjoyable
angieb-5556712 April 2022
We have a problem
robertcairnduff-567483 November 2023
This movie has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I don't understand these things - perhaps it's a tax write-off? I can't think of any reason why it was made. Name an element of film making and this effort fails in that category.
Lighting fail, writing fail, acting fail, sound fail...you get the idea.
And to top it all off, there's no ending. Not a cliffhanger. Not an enticing mystery. Not an ending which invites wonder. I mean no ending. Surely they don't intend a Part II? I refuse to believe it... but ever the optimist, perhaps there is a second part coming in which characters are interesting, we see sunshine, the music is not intrusive, dialogue is interesting and the plot is intriguing.
Yeah, sure.
Lighting fail, writing fail, acting fail, sound fail...you get the idea.
And to top it all off, there's no ending. Not a cliffhanger. Not an enticing mystery. Not an ending which invites wonder. I mean no ending. Surely they don't intend a Part II? I refuse to believe it... but ever the optimist, perhaps there is a second part coming in which characters are interesting, we see sunshine, the music is not intrusive, dialogue is interesting and the plot is intriguing.
Yeah, sure.
Definitely watchable
mgatnnge9 April 2022
I was happy with the story and acting, the soundtrack was ok too. The plot takes a little bit of effort to follow with the time transitions but was solid and enjoyable and there were no glaring holes. The effects towards the end were a slight let down, but overall it was definitely watchable. It certainly doesn't deserve all the 1 ratings.
Fairly weak and too simplistic storyline...
paul_haakonsen7 May 2022
Stumbling upon the 2022 action thriller "Agent Game" and seeing that the movie had the likes of Mel Gibson, Jason Isaacs and Dermot Mulroney on the cast list, of course I opted to find the time to watch what writers Tyler W. Konney and Mike Langer had to offer with this movie.
Director Grant S. Johnson didn't really manage to put out something overly innovative or great here, and it was possibly because the storyline handed to him from writers Konney and Langer just wasn't all that encompassing. The storyline was a bit too simplistic and not enough of anything interesting happened throughout the course of one and a half hours, so the movie was bland, so very, very bland.
I have to say that the storyline put together for "Agent Game" was the reason why the movie flunked and sputtered, because the acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough, but the actors and actresses just hadn't sufficient material or storyline to work with.
If you enjoy action thrillers, then I would strongly suggest that you get your fix elsewhere, because "Agent Game" just simply doesn't cut it. Sure, it is a watchable movie, but the storyline is just a severe hindrance to the enjoyment of the movie. There are far better action thrillers out there in an abundance.
I am not even going to comment on the name of the movie, as that title is just a swing and a miss.
My rating of "Agent Game" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
Director Grant S. Johnson didn't really manage to put out something overly innovative or great here, and it was possibly because the storyline handed to him from writers Konney and Langer just wasn't all that encompassing. The storyline was a bit too simplistic and not enough of anything interesting happened throughout the course of one and a half hours, so the movie was bland, so very, very bland.
I have to say that the storyline put together for "Agent Game" was the reason why the movie flunked and sputtered, because the acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough, but the actors and actresses just hadn't sufficient material or storyline to work with.
If you enjoy action thrillers, then I would strongly suggest that you get your fix elsewhere, because "Agent Game" just simply doesn't cut it. Sure, it is a watchable movie, but the storyline is just a severe hindrance to the enjoyment of the movie. There are far better action thrillers out there in an abundance.
I am not even going to comment on the name of the movie, as that title is just a swing and a miss.
My rating of "Agent Game" lands on a very generous four out of ten stars.
Agent Gamey
mickr7an10 April 2022
I have to admit I only watched the first 10 minutes of this movie. But there was something off about it from the first second. The lighting was weird, the cinematography a little bit off and storytelling already lacklustre. It has the look and feel of something short on video of old even though there were wide street scenes at the beginning it had the feeling of an interior set, a very peculiar feeling for such a movie. When nothing happened and I didn't seem to care about anybody I decided life is too short and cut it off after 10 minutes and watched something else instead.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
