A brutal war film that opts to forego any “true story” inspiration and commit wholly to undistinguishable-terrorists-are-picked-off-by-fictional-soldiers-with-crowd-rousingly-violent-results, Land of Bad transcends its Queensland-filmed locations and predominant Australian cast to deliver on shockingly tense and neatly executed thrills.
Largely an action vehicle for Liam Hemsworth, the sweet-faced, imposingly-figured star leads the charge as Kinney, quickly dubbed as “Playboy”, an Air Force Sergeant who’s a little green when it comes to combative action; when we first meet him it would appear the most difficult task he’s been faced with is what cereal he has to choose for breakfast. Wasting little of its 110 minute running time – which flies by as it commits to a largely action set-pieced mentality – Kinney, due to unforseen circumstances, is assigned to partner with Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia, underutilised, but in full badass mode when called upon), Bishop (Ricky Whittle) and Abel (Luke Hemsworth, not playing a relation to his real-life brethren) to participate in an extraction mission in the South Philippines.
As to be expected, nothing goes according to plan and the quartet are quickly caught in the thick of gunfire, leaving Kinney separated from his crew. Ill-prepared for the realities of his situation, Kinney navigates the jungle in search for a safe extraction point, fighting off the looming hellfire that threatens to rain down on him at every turn. Thankfully, his own inexperience is offset by Captain Eddie Grimm (Russell Crowe, enjoying his largely immobile state), aka “Reaper”, a Mission Control drone operator who acts as Kinney’s eye in the sky. A military lifer whose oft-testy disposition is balanced by his penchant for romance and clear affection towards his professional partner, Nia Branson (Chika Ikogwe), Reaper becomes emotionally invested in the plight of Kinney, and so much of the actioner proves successful because of both Crowe and Hemsworth’s commitment to the material that so easily could have been phoned in.
Given his stature and glistening 6-pack – the latter ultimately getting their rightful display in the increasingly violent finale – it isn’t necessarily the most believable aspect that Kinney is out of his element in the combat stakes, but the young Hemsworth sells it, continually keeping us invested in Kinney’s fight for survival. On the mention of the film’s violence, writer/director William Eubank (who helmed the Kristen Stewart vehicle Underwater) knows how to capture the brutal intensity of the situation at hand. There are some fun, inventive camera angles utilised, and when the material asks for it, the variety of players commit to the pain. It may sometimes result in a little absurdity, but Eubank and co. never promise Land of Bad to be anything other than tense escapism; a temperament it successfully executes.
It may suffer from an unfortunate title, but such a generic ingredient shouldn’t sway viewers from enjoying its military flourished entertainment value. There’s an added enjoyment factor for local audiences in spotting such homegrown talent as Daniel MacPherson and Lincoln Lewis throughout, but Land of Bad very much submits to an American state of mind; which probably explains why it’s earning an international release first. Bad by name, but not by nature, Eubank has crafted a genuine nail-biter.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Land of Bad is now screening in limited release in the United States. An Australian release is yet to be determined.
