Movie Review: ‘Land Of Bad’

Review by James Lindorf

Expectations can be the best thing to happen to a movie or its worst nightmare. For William Eubank’s latest military action thriller, “Land of Bad,” expectations were definitely on the lower end. A lack of confidence is understandable, given the clunky title and a trailer that wasn’t bad but far from inspiring, much like Eubank’s filmography over the last few years. Anyone who has seen “Underwater” or “Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin” can attest to that. For “Land of Bad,” Eubank is reteaming with David Frigerio, his co-writer from their most successful film, 2014’s “The Signal.” “Land of Bad” exceeds all expectations on its way to a limited theatrical release beginning on February 16th.

The movie opens with rookie officer Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) being more concerned about his choice of breakfast cereal than being sent on a Special Forces operation in the Philippines. The elite extraction team sent to retrieve a CIA asset from a terrorist stronghold consists of Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia), Abel (Luke Hemsworth), Bishop (Ricky Whittle), and Kinney, who is in communication with Air Force drone pilot Reaper (Russel Crowe). After an ambush, the mission spirals out of control, and Kinney ends up on his own, facing a brutal 48-hour battle for survival. Except he’s not alone; he still has Reaper and his co-pilot, Staff Sergeant Branson (Chika Ikogwe), as his eyes in the sky from the comfort of their base in Las Vegas. Using every tool at their disposal to keep Kinney alive and in good spirits, the pair bond in an effort to leave no man behind, even if they’re more than 7,000 miles apart.

Eubank and Frigeria didn’t set out to break the mold with their script. They follow a tried-and-true path blazed by dozens of movies about covert missions or soldiers trapped behind enemy lines. After some initial success against an ill-defined enemy, things go from bad to worse, with the outcome hinging on a single factor on a ticking clock. What does push “Land of Bad” into more unique territory is the inclusion of drones and a few jabs at some preconceived notions of what it takes to be a “tier 1” man. Men and their egos and obsession with sports are the two most frequent targets, as the two constantly get in the way of Reaper’s attempts to keep Kinney alive. Without a deeper dive into toxic masculinity or the ethical ramifications of drone warfare, like in “Good Kill,” the social commentary lacks some bite, but the action is surprisingly impactful.

The action may lack the polish and style of a movie shot by the likes of Michael Bay (13 Hours), Roger Deakins (1917), or Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down), but it also doesn’t have the kind of budget they demand. That doesn’t stop the action from being well-choreographed and fairly well-filmed. The one thing it lacks is the camera movement and coverage angles that come with extra money. However, the nighttime action, with tracer rounds flying everywhere and explosions lighting up the jungle setting, is highly effective. Only when there is a massive explosion does the film lose its sense of realism in display and writing. Both good and bad characters can take video game levels of damage before succumbing to their wounds. Overall, “Land of Bad” definitely has the action to keep audiences excited.

Keeping them invested is a solid physical and emotional performance by Liam Hemsworth and newly minted character actor Russel Crowe stealing every scene. Whether he is talking about his many ex-wives and even more kids, arguing with his commanding officer, or on the hunt for a ridiculous cheese, Crowe is fantastic. As scripted, he is purely a supporting character, but it is easy to imagine the movie centered on him and his relationships while trying to help a soldier half a world away stay alive. “Land of Bad” is well balanced between Liam and the action and Crowe and the drama. It’s easy to see that maybe a bit more money for bringing in a script doctor for an extra pass and hiring a seasoned action consultant could have turned this into a summer release and not something coming out in February and hoping for a big streaming audience. With its limitations, “Land of Bad” is still a career-best for Eubank, scoring an impressive 4 out of 5 from me.

Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
Original Language: English
Director: William Eubank
Producer: David Frigerio, William Eubank, Michael Jefferson, Adam Beasley, Nathan Klingher, Ryan Winterstern, Arianne Fraser, Petr Jákl, Mark Fasano
Writer: David Frigerio, William Eubank
Release Date (Limited Theatrical): February 16th, 2024
Runtime: 1h 50m
Distributor: The Avenue