Sweet stoner to bloody killer: ‘American Ultra’

BY

Ron and Leigh Martel
Movie Reviewers, The Friday Flyer

Imagine Jason Bourne as a stoner, working behind the counter at the local Slurpee-store. Add an all-star cast with the two leading roles filled by Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”) and Kristen Stewart (“Twilight” series). Finally, include a Tarantino wannabe director in Nima Nourizadeh (“Project X”) and you will see one of the sweetest, most imaginative and violently sadistic action-stoner flicks of the summer.

As there are thankfully few action-stoner movies, there is not exactly a lot of competition in this jumbled genre. The few we’ve seen (i.e. Eisenberg’s “Zombieland”) are more comical and silly with action added to support the storyline. “American Ultra,” taking place in West Virginia (filmed in New Orleans), is a serious summer action-thriller, with just enough humor to keep the audience off-balanced.

In some ways, you can’t believe what you’re seeing, but Eisenberg, as the “messed-up” Mike Howell, is credible in his portrayal of the loser who doesn’t understand why he can suddenly do what he can do. Eisenberg credits his cousin Andrew (who must be very proud) with teaching him how to walk, talk and carry himself as a habitual cannabis user.

The intelligent premise does not portray Mike as “The Dude” (“The Big Lebowski” 1998) who wise-cracks philosophically to the world, but more as an insecure introvert working up the nerve and right moment to ask live-in girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart) to marry him. The three-day adventure is told in retrospect, starting in a police interrogation room.

Writer Max Landis (“Chronicle”) lets us in on the plot only a little at a time, but apparently Mike was unknowingly part of a CIA experiment. When the program was discontinued, program director Victoria Lassiter (Connie Britton, TV’s “Nashville”) had the relevant parts of Mike’s memory erased and had him relocated to Small Town, USA.

Topher Grace is once again typecast as a clean-cut weasel. As the new CIA program director Adrian Yates, he has unilaterally decided to “clean the portfolio.” Against Victoria’s will, the new cold-hearted boss will eliminate the assets (agents in the program). The ultimate secret agent has unwittingly becomes the ultimate target.

To give Mike a fighting chance, Victoria travels to the little store and utters a string of secret spy words that re-activates his weaponry skills. When the government assassins arrive to fulfill their contract, the fight is on, and this becomes a very different movie from the initial reels. After defending himself against two assassins, one agent explains to Yates how Mike defeated the heavily armed operatives, “He had a spoon!”

After the attack, Mike desperately explains to Phoebe, “Something very weird is happening to me, I keep killing people! There’s a chance I may be . . . a robot!” Not a robot, but combat moves are robotically burned into his brain. Targeted for extinction, he and Phoebe are on the run through a gauntlet of government agents. Yates urges, “This guy is a trained killer! We made him! He’s a security risk!”

Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo and Walton Goggins round out the cast, but Eisenberg and Stewart command more than enough attention to carry the story to the finish. Marijuana is presented in abundance as mostly harmless, but presented as not for anyone motivated to make something of his or her life.

“American Ultra” is 95 minutes and rated R for strong bloody violence, language, drug use and sexual content. Please take this rating seriously as the blood sprays well into the first few rows of the splash zone and the characters have trouble getting through many lines without using an “F” word.

It starts as kind of a sweet love story between two losers, then suddenly develops into an intriguing CIA action adventure. It twists into a vicious thriller then finishes with a graphic art mini-story during the credits. This movie is well crafted but will continue to have a very limited audience. Whatever you think, you still may leave with a craving for munchies.

Ron’s Rating: B   Leigh’s Rating: D