Pitted against rival gangs and corrupt cops, an ER nurse and a career criminal must work together to survive the fight of their lives.
New to the Netflix Original roster is Point Blank. Not to be confused with either of the Point Break films or the 1967 crime-noir Point Blank, 2019's Point Blank is an action-thriller directed by Joe Lynch (who also directed the 2014 film, Everly), starring Anthony Mackie and Frank Grillo (Falcon and Crossbones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe), as well as Marcia Gay Harden, Teyonah Parris, and Christian Cooke.
As far as action-thrillers go, Point Blank is a very simple, well-paced story. With a youthful soundtrack, the energy is kept up at all times. That being said, there are definitely some times where the song choices (or more specifically the volume at which they are played) feel a bit overbearing and too on-the-nose; a failed attempt at emotional manipulation, an aspect that failed to a similar extent in Captain Marvel. When it works though, it comes with a rush of nostalgia that is reminiscent of the classic 80s action flicks.
In fact, the story itself feels like a modern interpretation of one of those classic action stories. If it weren't for some of the more modern technology and higher production values, this would fit in perfectly if it had been made 30+ years ago. The basic plot stretches out that runtime through the use of constantly changing goalposts. Every time the conflict is resolved or overcome, a new obstacle is introduced. It keeps the tension high, but at the same time, you can't help but feel that the movie would have had been a very simple short story rather than a feature if the two lead characters actually talked to each other and communicated. To that extent, the film can lead to a bit of frustration as easily resolvable issues get strung out.
What the film does well is to set up the story, jumping straight into the action. The first act of the film is the strongest part of the film and really sets a great tone; mixing the seriousness of Grillo with the light-hearted but out-of-his-depths performance from Mackie. Later in the film, the tone is tested quite considerably as new characters being introduced brings the tone squarely into the comedy category, at which point you would think you were watching a Kevin Hart film. Point Blank does not take itself too seriously, going as far as to add some pop culture references into the mix.
While Mackie and Grillo put on a good performance as the bickering "buddy-cop" style of duo, the real power in the cast comes from the chemistry between the characters of the two brothers on-the-run, Abe and Mateo (Frank Grillo and Christian Cooke respectively). Despite only sharing one or two scenes together in the entire film, their bond carries the emotional weight and is similar to the criminal brothers in another film I recently reviewed, Good Time. While their closeness is apparent, their characters are given very little in the way of motivation for their actions, which could have really brought the film to that next level.
Overall, the film feels familiar. Despite some intriguing performances from the women to mix things up (and display that women are not always the helpless damsel-in-distress), Point Blank does nothing spectacular and offers nothing new to the genre. It builds itself up well, but once you reach the climax, the film seems to be in a rush to finish, and little care is taken to provide a satisfying end. Everything is simply rushed through.
With all that said, I still enjoyed the film. Point Blank is well-executed and is not by any means attempting to revive the classic action-thriller. It's a nice homage to the genre, that keeps a reasonable pace and hits those nostalgia buttons frequently. It's fun, but nothing to rave about.