Review by John Delia
And now for something different. You may have seen a lot of action comedies, but I venture to say there’s nothing more wild and crazy than American Ultra. Filled with sight gags, surprises, laughs a plenty and a whole lot of thrills, this stoner film equals classics like Up in Smoke, 30 Minutes or Less, Pineapple Express and even Ted. Starring two of the screen’s finest dead pan actors Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart, the off-beat film provides an excitement jammed rollercoaster ride that never stops until you exit the theater.
Mike (Jesse Eisenberg) loves his stoner life smoking weed and running a Cash-N-Carry express store in small town Liman, West Virginia. His girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart) works nights at a Bail Bonds business and feels comfortable living with Mike. In the meantime the CIA has a glitch in their Ultra Program run by Victoria Lasseter (Connie Britton) who claims differently. Her boss Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) wants to fix the glitch by closing down her unit of dormant programmed killers. Her most successful sleeper spy however, doesn’t even know he’s part of the CIA. In fact he’s about to find out, and it won’t be an easy realization.
The fun film doesn’t waste any time getting off the ground by introducing Mike and Phoebe right away, showing their relationship and working them into a couple with a future together. Director Nima Nourizadeh who helmed the successfully wacky Project X puts his talent to work on American Ultra and it’s a winner. He guides his two stars through their paces creating obstacles in almost every frame. As each hump clears he’s ready to insert another. The non-stop thriller hardly allows the audience to catch a breath when Nourizadeh gets it rolling and that’s a good thing. The hour and a half flies by so fast, you’ll find yourself wanting more.
But, it’s the collaboration of Nourizadeh and writer Max Landis, who created the movie Chronicle that makes American Ultra huge. Smart and witty his script makes use of two of the screens fine straight faced actors. Coming off of a good performance in Alice, Kristen Stewart takes on a completely opposite role and wins big. Usually an offbeat character like in the Twilight series where I found her more morbid than not, here she has a lot of energy and fight in her. I like her in this kind of role and look forward to seeing her in another sometime soon.
As for Jesse Eisenberg it’s the same story. He’s a master of serious comedy, a deadpan artist and most of his comedy comes from taking a beating. Much like 30 Minutes or Less and Zombieland, he finds himself in a role that starts off meek and then comes out swinging. His straight faced serious Mike who thinks he’s about to propose to the girl of his dreams, finds himself in one pickle after another when he’s activated by the CIA. He’s a master of keeping a straight face and comes up a winner here.
And speaking of Eisenberg and Stewart, although they did appear together in Adventureland, it wasn’t like this. Their nicely choreographed action sequences, budding romance, and twists you won’t see coming really make American Ultra work. The chemistry between them shows on the screen in initially naive characters. And when they find themselves prey to the CIA who wants to take them out, their bond becomes even stronger.
American Ultra has been rated R by the MPAA for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content. The killing is reminiscent of a Quinton Tarantino grindhouse films as is the language as well.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very funny film with a lot of energy and excitement. (B)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Â Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman, Walton Goggins
Directed by: Nima Nourizadeh
Written by: Max Landis
Genre: Action, Comedy
MPAA Rating: Â R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content
Running Time: 1 hr. 35 min.
Release Date: August 21, 2015
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films