Hostile Takeover (2025)
Back to action this week. Every time my one cousin shows up for movie night, i throw a Michael Jai White movie at him since I know he loves his movies. This night is no different from this. So what do I have for you? Action. Comedy. Perhaps even some romance? Strap in folks, this is a Hostile Takeover.
Our plot follows a crime family clean up guy. He’s recently joined a workaholics group, as there seems to be an inner inkling of change within him. He works - a lot - and he enjoys his job - a lot - but stirring within him is the desire for something more, for striving that work-life balance that might bring him back together with the lady he loves (who happens to be the family boss’s daughter). Well, word gets around the he somehow planted a bug on the boss, and now the boss has an order out to bring him in. What ensues is mayhem and comedy as our lead tries to figure out why everyone thinks he’s a rat, and a bunch of lesser goons try to figure out how to bring him in and not get murdered or hurt doing it.
Actors do a good job here. Our lead knocks it out of the park on both fronts of serious and comedy. The actors for the side characters also all do a wonderful job - admittedly, it doesn’t necessarily feel they have a ton to work with. Our lady lead does a great job as well, and the play between her and the lead is charming when they cross throughout the movie. I will say that a lot of the acting could fall more into the “ham it up” comedy side of things - but at the same time it doesn’t really feel like it’s just wacky for the sake of wacky or bad acting in so much as the characters themselves are more comically designed and the actors are acting to role as it was written.
Characters here are largely all side notes when it comes to the background, but the main few actually do have some stuff to them. Our main gets to end the movie in a different place then he starts it, and our lady gets to have a bit of chemistry and a quick-fire background investment in the finale that honestly kind of comes out of nowhere since it isn’t brought up until the finale. Still, the journey of the main character and how they interact with everyone else - or how they interact with him - really allows for a lot of growth as almost everyone points out something that shows how much better he could be as a person like some sort of three ghosts of Christmas visiting Scrooge. That would work better if it wasn’t more than tree actual times it happens, but the point is still there - for the breadth of movies I watch specifically for action, and even comedy, I don’t always feel like someone grows over the course of a movie as much as just survives, conquers, or deals with it. Heck, even John Wick which we all love really gets all of it’s character change out of the way in the start of the movie before most the action happens, so it’s fun to see it also play out in the fights a little bit.
The first step to getting better is joining a group sometimes.
Costumes are surprisingly varied, although it’s also all very much modern attire that you won’t really think that much about. It’s all fitting, and although some is way fancier then others or a few might have that “tactical killer” look, it all blends in with what you would see in said modern setting. The classic good job that doesn’t stand out. Settings also get to be pretty varied, given almost every interaction takes place in a new spot. Most of these environments will take part in the fights to some extent as well - a table getting broken, a seat belt restraining, all that sort of thing. It looks good, even if there isn’t anything that might really stand out to you with the modern setting. Props also look great, so you won’t feel too much like those guns are fake or things like that. The idea of being modern and fitting that keeps everything in that balance of not getting overly fantastical - although in the “out there” part you will see a blow gun, so it’s not all just cookie cutter stuff.
The action is solid. If I see the MJW title shot on the cover, I usually don’t worry about the action because the dude can do the moves. Yes, he’s been in a ton of different movies, and not all of them have a remarkable quality to them that would be able to showcase the talents - but in my head it’s the same thing as with a Scott Adkins or Jackie Chan movie - if you have talented people on the payroll, let them be talented. As such, between him, the lady lead, and all the stunt folks we get some rather pleasant action scenes that don’t cut too much and are nice and easy to follow, even as they swap back and forth between characters. It does carry a level of comedy into even some of the fights - although it’s a bit more brutal slapstick than when the normal cartoon gets hit with a bat. It isn’t overly graphic though, but the effects do look good for it - although perhaps there are a few off-screen people explosions that might not be super convincing to folks, even though I think that’s fine given the more comedic tone of a lot of the movie. It’d just be kind of weird to have a bunch of guts and stuff flying around a corner instead of a bunch of fake blood or whatnot, you know?
Audio was there and did it’s part. Balance was good, and line deliveries felt like they nailed the jokes when they went for them. The music selection fits the movie, even if it isn’t my particular jam. Folly works well, and there’s a particularly satisfying sound that a wooden item makes hitting people in the last section that stands out to me. For the thinking folks there’s plenty of stuff here. The obvious stuff it puts out about being a couple and work-life balance is there and rather obvious. The stuff about finding fulfillment in life might slip by some folks even though that also gets pointed out. We then get all that stuff that gets played for laughs about how our lead interacts with his relationship with the other cleaners in there as well. Like I said, it’s a bunch that even someone not really digging into it like me can catch - but it doesn’t impede the fun to be had watching.
This group on the other hand is rather upset about not being joined.
This was a good one. If you like action and comedy, this could be your peanut butter jelly for the night. It has a bunch to say if you want to look into it, but if you are just there for some good fights and off the wall references combined with some good deliveries you can just ride the wagon and enjoy. It’s a bit similar in feeling of vibe to Mr and Mrs Smith really, so although moments might not feel fully original it still ends up being fun - and fun is often more important then just being different for the sake of it.