Started well and then didn't know what it wanted to be but pls keep making more such movies

This movie is about our special put together squad of soldiers in some mystery country fighting mystery no-named enemy (I don't quite understand why they can't make it the usual baddies like Russia, China, middle East, Colombia etc. but it's fine) but there's some twisting chain of events leading to death, capture, execution, bombing etc.

The movie starts of well and draws you in with good action and casting was good imo - dude looks like a young Thor (Chris Hemsworth) now and honestly he seems like a decent action hero. then Russell Crowe who is stellar but honestly not sure why he gained all the weight and let himself go when he still has it - command voice and presence still but I think his best 2 movies were Gladiator and Master And Commander, The Far Side Of The World.

The movie does not quite know what it wants to be from Behind Enemy Lines to Extraction to Proof Of Life to generic military movie to The Rock to Commando to Rambo to True Lies etc.
I felt like someone took scenes from those movies and put these guys and made a pot-pourri type movie.

Honestly, making a kick ass military movie like Top Gun or even Extraction would have been amazing but it tried to be a lot more and that was its undoing.

Many situations are placed there just to be placed there like the dog coming by or suddenly 500m of clear is now like an Interstate with trucks and people crossing the river to him suddenly falling and losing his weapon conveniently when baddies appear etc.
And them getting a call from Playboy and the dude casually giving him "Reapers" cell phone number (like why tf wouldn't he be surprised someone asked for "Reaper" esp when he was on an 18 hr op) and the soldiers and Col was also around for 18hrs without going home? No one else watching or recording or monitoring? No oversight or relief etc.?

The chopper LZ being suddenly surrounded and shot at was very Hollywood'y create situation for sake of it. After 100+ movies like that, try something else as everyone sees it coming.
And the typical only protagonist knows best and coming again in nick of time etc. Just too simplistic like a 12y old directed it.


Also there is 0 chance actual UAV drone operators operate that way. Especially with a military op underway. And the Col too. And he was far too young to be a Colonel. And acting that way. And all of them watching a basketball game (surely not everyone likes basketball. It was not even the NFL Superbowl which is far more watched in gen as a sport as such) and putting the phone off the hook. And it has only 1 phone? lol.. how did Playboy even get to that phone number? Zero chance the Colonel behaves that way and zero chance soldiers behave that way popping in with "I'm going to Starbucks. Do you want something?" while an actual drone flight is underway during a CIA/DIA mission. And with young early 20 something kids. Zero chance the military is like that. The director must be someone not born in America nor spent a lot of time here so he is making something up based on his feel on how people are. And he's very wrong here.

Overall, Russell Crowe pulled the movie up himself. The lead is still not having the weight of someone like Chris Hemsworth but he can in time mature. The loss of the 2 soldiers was not needed and they tried again this gritty approach too needlessly when some of it was over the top cheesy. The head chopping was also not needed.

The drone strikes and all that CGI was nice and looked cool. The plot moved fast enough and directing was fair. The cinematography was nice at times with good color choices in sky etc.

Overall, I'd rate this a 6.5/10. Maybe 7/10 tops if I'm being more generous for Russell. It was fair and decent and enjoyable for an evening. Personally I felt movies like Extraction and Extraction 2 were much better.