STORYLINE: When an Army ODA team is ambushed, their only hope lies with an Air Force JTAC (Liam Hemsworth) and a drone pilot (Russell Crowe) to guide them through a brutal 48-hour battle for survival.

    There is a trend in recent years to immediately grasp headlines taken from militarily conflicts and turn them into Hollywood spectacles. American Sniper, Lone Survivor, and 13 Hours are cinematic pillars of this latest sub genre in the action genre. Land of Bad starring Russel Crowe and Liam Hemsworth is its latest entry. 

     I have to admit I can be a sucker for a good stand up and cheer movie.  The thrills need to be in place, the villain menacing, the hero’s journey triumphant, and some cheesy line of dialogue to tie it all together is the formula Land of Bad followed.  The film followed well and I enjoyed watching the film. However I admit I was not as thrilled with this film as I have been with others in the past. I am not saying Land of Bad is is a bad film, the opposite. What I am saying is I liked other films, such as the previously mentioned American Sniper, 13 Hours, and alone Survivor better. Part of me wonders how much of that is because I saw the other films first.

     I have been a fan of Russel Crowe ever since seeing Gladiator and throughly enjoyed his performance in Land of Bad.  It was a tad over the top at times but that is what one of the things I have come to enjoy from a Russel Crowe performance.  

    The action sequences were worth the price of admission.  The sequences took full advantage of the theaters surround sound and big screen making for some exciting moments. The down side was there wasn’t that many but you can only do so much in a hundred minute movie. 

    Until next time I will see you at the movies!