Hard kill movie review: bruce willis cannot save this bland actioner

STORY: A revolutionary terrorist kidnaps a powerful businessman’s daughter for access codes to a quantum AI program that she has developed. Her father hires the most lethal mercenaries to

rescue her, but together can they save his daughter and the world from a highly motivated maniac? REVIEW: Project 275 is a state-of-the-art software developed by Eva Chalmers (Lala Kent),

the daughter of the former Marine-turned-CEO of a tech company, Donovan Chalmers (Bruce Willis). Eva is upset that her work could be misused by the government. To stop that from happening,

she turns to an extremist, known as the Pardoner (Sergio Rizzuto). Soon, she realises that the Pardoner’s idea of saving the world is to first destroy it using with her powerful program.

When Eva protests, she is held hostage by him and forced to give up the access codes. Her father Donovan gets another former soldier Derek Miller (Jesse Metcalfe) and his team to save Eva.

It’s a suicide mission for which Miller and his team are handsomely paid, but underprepared and underarmed. However, they learn this the hard way because the Pardoner will stop at nothing.

Just like the film’s skewed logic, its execution is also quite off. Despite being headlined by a veteran action star like Bruce Willis and a premise that could guarantee the thrills, ‘Hard

Kill’ is sorely lacking. The main reason for this is its weak writing and a wafer-thin plot that is predictable and bereft of conviction. This shows in almost every department of this

hurriedly put-together film that was shot in merely ten days. From the character build-up to their motives, director Matt Eskandari and his writers Joe Russo (screenplay) and Chris LaMont,

show little interest in giving us a wholesome and a believable product. Instead, what we do get are insipid gunfights, amateur camerawork and an uninspiring action choreography. Bruce Willis

is largely restricted to worrying about his daughter or tied-up to a chair, never getting even a remote chance to showcase any of his talents. We wonder what made him sign the dotted line.

Jesse Metcalfe (the beefy shirtless gardener from Desperate Housewives) tries hard to put up a spirited act and frankly, is the only saving grace in this otherwise clunky actioner. Russo

tries to give us a villain with a difference, who is at pains, explaining people that he is not the bad guy. But apart from this we know precious little about him or any other character.

Sergio Rizzuto plays the Pardoner with all the clichéd tropes of playing a misguided reformist, who is on a ridiculous mission. Thankfully, for the two women, Natalie Eva Marie and Lala

Kent, they get to do some action. Shot entirely in an abandoned factory, ‘Hard Kill’ lacks imagination and elements to entertain. Despite some known faces, it comes across as lazy B-grade

rip off of a thrilling action extravaganza that could have been a lot more deserving of its title.