Hidden Gem #27
SPECTRAL
Dir. NIC MATHIEU; Wri. GEORGE NOLFI; Music. JUNKIE XL (TOM HOLKENBORG); Starring. JAMES BADGE DALE, EMILY MORTIMER, MAX MARTINI, BRUCE GREENWOOD, CLAYNE CRAWFORD, GONZALO MENENDEZ, URSULA PARKER, LOUIS OZAWA CHANGCHIEN, CORY HARDRICT, AARON SERBAN, DYLAN SMITH, JIMMY AKINGBOLA, RYAN ROBBINS, STEPHEN ROOT, PHILIP BULCOCK; R.T. 107 mins; 2016, USA
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: When the state-of-the-art hyperspectral imaging goggles used by a Delta Force unit operating in the civil war-torn Eastern European state of Moldova reveals an inexplicable, invisible force which has begun indiscriminately killing combatants in the city of Chisinau, the tech’s creator, DARPA researcher Dr. Mark Clyne (Dale), is brought in to investigate the phenomenon first-hand. Embedded with a Delta squad under the command of Major Sessions (Martini), Clyne discovers what was originally thought to be a new form of “active camouflage” is in fact something far more exotic and potentially terrifying …
WHY IT’S AWESOME: When I first started getting into Netflix and its growing selection of Original features and series, this chance discovery became one of my early favourites, even prompting me to grant it a sneaky little runner-up slot in my Pre-Summer Rundown of my fave movies of 2017. I’ll admit, when I first saw the trailer I wasn’t OVERLY impressed – it looked like a generic sci-fi actioner with a few neat little twists, just a passable distraction for a Saturday night in. Oh, how wrong I was. I LOVE this movie – sure, the plot is pretty far-fetched, and as the story progresses the wobbly science does make things seem increasingly bonkers, but there’s no denying it’s HUGE FUN when you just sit back and go with it, and it is a spectacularly SLICK piece of work as action thrillers go. Debuting director Nic Mathieu proved highly adept at crafting a palpable atmosphere of knife-edge tension and a series of impressively meaty set-pieces, teaming up with steely-eyed cinematographer Bojan Bazelli (The Lone Ranger) to take full advantage of the film’s rundown, gritty Budapest locations, while the decidedly unusual “supernatural” threat is stunningly realised through some thoroughly creepy visual effects work. James Badge Dale (Iron Man 3, The Pacific) has been carving himself a nice little niche as a subtle, intellectual action-hero for a while now, and I certainly enjoyed watching him reteam with his 13 Hours co-star Max Martini, who once again gets to cut loose in the kind of rugged Marlboro Man tough guy role that’s become his bread and butter since his breakthrough turn in Pacific Rim, while Emily Mortimer brings a touch of class to proceedings as Fran Madison, the refreshingly straightforward CIA agent who’s been sent to uncover the enemy’s “tech”, alongside solid supporting turns from the likes of the ever excellent Bruce Greenwood, Clayne Crawford (TV’s Lethal Weapon), Cory Fardrict (American Sniper, All Eyez On Me) and Louis Ozawa Changchien (probably best known as the Yakuza in Predators). Dark, breathless and thoroughly thrilling, driven by a fiendishly inventive script from The Adjustment Bureau’s George Nolfi and scored with typical aplomb by Tom Holkenborg, aka Junkie XL (Batman Vs. Superman, Mad Max: Fury Road), this deserves to be considered one of Netflix’ most powerful secret weapons, a top-drawer piece of sci-fi action precision built for maximum entertainment.
