Protagonist Mason Pettits trained as a lawyer but ended up enlisting in the US Army and after training joined the Special Forces. Then during a mission to assassinate Juan Venegas, a Latin American dictator, his helicopter is shot down. He is the only survivor. Now medically unfit to serve he returns to the law, a job he doesn't enjoy. He also marries and starts a family. One day he is approached by a former colleague. He is now a private military contractor and wants Mason for what should be an easy job... to act as a body guard for Claire Wellington, a journalist who is going to interview the very dictator he had been tasked with killing. Inevitably things don't go smoothly. An attack on the President's convoy leaves Mason, Claire and Venegas stranded in the jungle while hostile forces hunt them down. Mason will gradually learn that many things aren't what he thought they were as unlikely alliances are formed to fight the real villains.
I thought this film was rather fun. Sure it is silly but it delivered plenty of action and a good number of laughs. The story is decent enough, delivering some nice twists and turns before the final confrontation. The action, which includes several shootouts, explosions and hand to hand combat is exciting and well choreographed. The cast is solid; John Cena impresses as Mason, is fun as Alison Brie as Claire and Juan Pablo Raba is surprisingly amusing as President Venegas. We also get a nice little cameo from Christian Slater as Mason's employer/friend. The Colombian locations used are impressive and give a genuine feel to the fictional country where the action takes place. The light hearted nature of the film means that one rarely fears for our protagonists no matter how bleak their situation appears to be. One might expect a cliché romantic subplot between the leads but thankfully this film tactfully eschews that. Overall I'd hardly say this is a must see but I'd still recommend it to anybody wanting action and a bit of a laugh.
I thought this film was rather fun. Sure it is silly but it delivered plenty of action and a good number of laughs. The story is decent enough, delivering some nice twists and turns before the final confrontation. The action, which includes several shootouts, explosions and hand to hand combat is exciting and well choreographed. The cast is solid; John Cena impresses as Mason, is fun as Alison Brie as Claire and Juan Pablo Raba is surprisingly amusing as President Venegas. We also get a nice little cameo from Christian Slater as Mason's employer/friend. The Colombian locations used are impressive and give a genuine feel to the fictional country where the action takes place. The light hearted nature of the film means that one rarely fears for our protagonists no matter how bleak their situation appears to be. One might expect a cliché romantic subplot between the leads but thankfully this film tactfully eschews that. Overall I'd hardly say this is a must see but I'd still recommend it to anybody wanting action and a bit of a laugh.