BOSS LEVEL: A Radical Action Riot Stuck On Repeat

A high-octane riff on Groundhog Day that crisscrosses cyclical design with director Joe Carnahan’s avid addiction to high falls and fireballs, Boss Level doesn’t so much reinvent the timeless concept as much as it blends a few genres together to give it a point of difference. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Following a mild resurgence after 2014’s Stretch, it seems Carnahan‘s time has been well spent concocting the exact kind of macho-infused pulp you’d expect from a man who’s built a career out of blowing things up for entertainment’s sake, which is why it’s not surprising that his latest action romp works far better than it probably should.

The Endless Gamble

Each and every day, ex-Delta Force member Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) wakes up only to be assassinated in different ways by a posse of professional killers. Between the gnarly decapitations, high-impact car crashes, and multiple bullet wounds, Roy has learned to find comfort (and even humor) in the daily routine of his brutal fortune, but more recently, he’s started to notice small clues that could lead him towards finding those responsible for his predicament and figuring out a way to return to the pattern of normal life. Through his flashbacks, we discover that Roy’s former wife, Jemma (Naomi Watts), was a scientist working with the notorious Ventor (Mel Gibson) on a classified project called “The Osiris Spindle.” But after Jemma suddenly disappears and is presumed dead, Roy is forced to look closer at the finer details of his repetitious existence to uncover what happened to her and see if there’s still a chance she can be saved.

Of course, none of this is easy. Roy must learn how to combat the different skill sets of each assassin, including Kaboom (Aaron Beelner) – whose name should be an obvious indicator of which style of attack he prefers – or the feisty Guan Yin (Selina Lo) – the deadly sword fighting pro who also has the movie’s most memorable catchphrase and will no doubt have genre-buffs beaming with glee. However, Roy’s true obstacle is spending time playing video games at the local arcade with his estranged son, Joe (Rio Grillo). As the risk of getting too sidetracked from his mission brings the end of the world closer to a daunting reality, Roy realizes he must use the broken memories of his past for strength to solve the mystery once and for all.

Techno-Logic

This isn’t the first time Grillo’s washboard abs have made an appearance in a movie and considering they play just as much of a character as the man himself, it’s almost certain Boss Level won’t be their last. Yet somehow, they do lend themselves to the film’s cartoonish idea of hyper-masculinity just as much as they would in a slow-motion jog in an episode of Baywatch. After all, most of the characters look like action figures who’ve come to life and act as if they function on nothing but steroids, Red Bull, and wiseacre humor. But all of this works because they exist inside Carnahan’s gamer logic, which calls to mind some of the most influential titles from video game culture – think along the lines of Tekken or Street Fighter and you’d be getting close. Needless to say, even if these characters seem to lack in emotive dimensions, it’s almost impossible to miss any details when Grillo’s excessive voiceover narration is always present to fill the gaps.

As far as the other key players go, it’s fascinating to see a talent like Watts inside a genre that should work against her natural charisma as an actress. But she is fantastic as usual, even if the sketchpad design of her character often feels like it’s limiting her emotional range. Gibson also seems to be having fun as the cigar-smoking villain who likes to describe the cruel process of a python crushing its prey in order to intimidate his victims.

If last year’s sun-kissed romance Palm Springs is any consolation, all it really takes to recharge this done-to-death ‘time loop’ narrative is a little bit of heart and imagination, and hot on the heels of Amazon’s The Map of Tiny Perfect Things, Carnahan’s latest addition to the sub-genre finds just enough creative ammunition to protect itself from scrutiny. In hindsight, the idea that modern technology could one day force us to repeat the day we die to save our loved ones seems a little farfetched. But that’s also the beauty of high-concept cinema and it allows us to experience those frozen moments in time to live out those fantasies, no matter how ludicrous or violent.

Conclusion: Boss Level

Even if the scale of Carnahan’s budget restricts his vision from contending against bigger blockbusters of the same realm like Source Code and Edge of Tomorrow, his film still has the collective star power to make up for it. And more importantly, it wears its heart on its sleeve much more than you’d expect from a film of this caliber. Boss Level might not break new ground, but somewhere inside its unexpected mix of eccentric violence, over-the-top comedy and a heartfelt portrayal of fatherhood, it manages to be a throughly entertaining trip that’s worth taking at least once, if not, time and time again.

Have you experienced Boss Level yet? If so, what were your thoughts? Do you think it was simple fun or do you think this is just history repeating itself? Leave your comments in the section below.

Boss Level will be released in the USA and the UK on the 5th of March, 2021 (VOD). For other release dates, please click here.

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