Mile 22 (2018)

Directed by: Peter Berg | 94 minutes | action, adventure | Actors: Mark Wahlberg, Lauren Cohan, Iko Uwais, John Malkovich, Ronda Rousey, Carlo Alban, Natasha Goubskaya, Chae-rin Lee, Sam Medina, Keith Arthur Bolden, Jenique Hendrix, Billy Smith, Myke Holmes, Emily Skeggs, Terry Kinney, Brandon Scales, Poorna Jagannathan, Peter Berg, Elle Graham, Nikolai Nikolaeff

Director Peter Berg and actor Mark Wahlberg are four hands on one stomach. This duo has been working together for several years on action films rooted in reality. Disasters on oil platforms, terrorist attacks and military missions have served as a source of inspiration before. The fact that these films were based on facts ensured a respectful approach to the source material. Berg’s films are intelligently and tastefully portrayed productions in which humanity is at least as important as the action. You weren’t looking at caricature heroes, but at real people who found themselves in unreal situations. In Mile 22, Berg and Wahlberg do things differently: they present a fictional story. Change of food makes food! Unfortunately, this new meal is not served as tasty as the well-known fare with which these two chefs gained fame…

In ‘Mile 22′ Wahlberg plays iron-eater James Silva. He and his team – made up of a CIA commando unit – must get informant Li Noor (Iko ‘The Raid’ Uwais) out of Indonesia. That is not easy, because Noor is a favorite target of corrupt police officers and criminal rabble. That’s going to be a fight!

Wahlberg is a fairly limited actor and has been playing the same two roles for years (the clunky raw with a quick tongue in comedies and the rock-hard tough guy in action films). In Mile 22, the American is deadly annoying as a busy super soldier. This machismo performed role immediately gets on your nerves, because Wahlberg tries too hard to be tough. Besides this annoying lead role, this film unfortunately has many more flaws.

The muddled editing makes this film not very attractive to watch. In addition – again – far too little is done with the talents of Uwais. Anyone who has ever seen him in one of the two ‘The Raid’ movies knows that this man is an amazing martial artist. The chaotically told story does not stick, the acting is mediocre and the impact of the action is nil. You can – no, must – expect more from Berg and Wahlberg. ‘Mile 22′ isn’t disastrously bad, but there could have been a lot more. Especially with such a cast.