The year is already filled with strong action movies from all around the world, and one of the standout under-the-radar entries just got added to Netflix. Land of Bad, a military action thriller starring Russell Crowe and the other two Hemsworth brothers, is a tense thrill ride with strong character beats and a typically grumpy Crowe performance.
After a rescue mission in the Philippines goes wrong, a drone pilot (Crowe) is tasked with aiding his endangered team (Liam Hemsworth, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia) on the ground. Faced with army bureaucracy and a funny recurring bit where he gets exasperated by the other soldiers at his base watching March Madness, Crowe’s drone pilot does everything he can to help his team from thousands of miles away, while the team faces hostile forces in their attempts to escape the jungle.
From Underwater director William Eubank, Land of Bad is a straightforward genre exercise that prioritizes strong execution over rewriting the book. The action sequences, largely shootouts mixed with some drone warfare, are tense and thrilling, with impressive set pieces on a modest $18.7 million budget.
Image: The Avenue
The Hemsworths are both strong, especially Liam, who co-leads the movie with Crowe. Milo Ventimiglia is very convincing as a special forces soldier, and Crowe is great as the desk-bound drone pilot Eddie “Reaper” Grimm, all piss and vinegar towards his superiors and pure dedication towards his team. It’s another fun, offbeat, cranky role for Crowe in a stage of his career where he’s doing more and more of that.
If you’re looking for a pensive war movie that opines on the meaning of conflict or attempts to interrogate the genre, look elsewhere. But if a military thriller with strong, tense tactical action sequences, a game cast, and strong character beats to help it feel real sounds up your alley, you should absolutely check out Land of Bad.
Land of Bad is now streaming on Netflix.