Film Review: LAND OF BAD (2024): Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth are Heroes to Root For in a Compelling Action Picture

Land of Bad Review

Land of Bad (2024) Film Review, a movie directed by William Eubank, written by David Frigerio and William Eubank and starring Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia, Chika Ikogwe, Daniel MacPherson, Robert Rabiah, Jack Finsterer, Lincoln Lewis, Lachlan Engeler, Joey Vieira and Gunner Wright.

Land of Bad, directed by William Eubank, is a tightly edited, well-paced action movie that simply never lets up. It reminded me of the best types of entertaining action pictures that came out in the 1990’s, yet Land of Bad still has a style all its own which makes it one of the better thrillers to come out so far in 2024. The movie showcases a heroic performance by Liam Hemsworth as an Air Force JTAC, AF Sgt. JJ Kinney (AKA “Playboy”). The film puts his character in dangerous situations that are relentless and intense to watch. Key sequences will definitely keep viewers intrigued and eager to see if Kinney can save the day with a little help from an eccentric but dedicated drone pilot played by Russell Crowe, AF Captain Eddie Grimm (AKA “Reaper).

This film opens with Grimm talking to a colleague, Staff Sgt. Nia Branson (well played by Chika Ikogwe). Branson is getting married and Grimm is supportive. The bond between these two characters comes full circle at the end of the movie with the events that occur throughout the picture. Crowe and Ikogwe have a good rapport in their scenes in this film and provide some light moments that are sprinkled in at the beginning and end.

A major special ops mission in Southern Asia is going down and Grimm must soon use his know-how to help Kinney. Captain Sugar (Milo Ventimiglia) and Sgt. Abel (Luke Hemsworth) are the other main characters who are employed for the rescue mission. As everything that could go wrong does go wrong, it is Kinney who finds himself fighting tooth and nail against the enemies in some of the most brutal and tense action scenes I’ve seen in a recent action picture. The enemies try to dunk Kinney’s head in water as they torture him hoping he will reveal secrets that don’t exist. One thing is for certain, though: Explosive devices will be on their way to blow everything up if Kinney and his men are assumed dead.

The movie develops its main characters in the early scenes. Kinney and Grimm both learn they’re from the same state: Ohio They form a bond as the plot progresses even though the characters are in different locations. A scene of Grimm shopping in a supermarket is juxtaposed against scenes of Kinney being beaten by a vicious group leader and his followers. At first, it seems like it’s a silly scene but the director builds tension quite effectively as Grimm is getting food for his wife and Kinney is in a fight for survival. Soon, Kinney must try to get a signal on a cell phone to call Grimm and the audience will be on the edge of their seats throughout this scene waiting to see if Kinney will get through to Grimm.

A phone which is placed on the wall back at the base where Grimm operates serves a purpose in the picture. This phone and its significance is actually a foreshadowing device within the film. Though the phone is placed on silent, Grimm instructs his colleagues to put the phone’s ringer back on early in the movie. This phone will operate as the major hope for Kinney since a call from him would instruct the base to abort the mission to close in on the enemies if it so happens that Kinney and co. are actually not all dead.

Land of Bad is one of the most successful recent action pictures I’ve seen. Liam Hemsworth is nothing short of perfect playing his physically demanding role here. Kinney is well developed as a character and has a lot of charisma that will have viewers rooting for him to get out of impossible situations. Crowe is well-cast as Grimm, a character who is necessary to ensure that Kinney gets out of trouble alive. Crowe is also occasionally funny and very entertaining to watch in a role that seems tailor-fit for the Oscar-winning actor.

What makes Land of Bad so good is that it’s never boring. There are a few minor flaws to be found, however. I know some of the movie’s later scenes may become particularly frustrating to viewers as Kinney is beaten and tries to convince the enemy of the real situation at hand. At the same time, I was amazed at how strong the direction was and how the movie never slowed down to take a breath and if it did have a few moments of dialogue in-between the action, what was being said was actually vital to the plot and character development.

In all, Land of Bad is a well-rendered effort. It doesn’t take many pitfalls. There are graphic depictions of violence such as a beheading and some torture scenes which could make the film hard to watch at certain intervals for some viewers. At the same time, the movie is careful to make the audience invested in its heroic characters and rooting for their survival is pivotal to enjoying the film. The supporting cast stand-out is Ventimiglia who has some solid scenes as his character teams up with Kinney to take on their enemies.

Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth deliver truly solid performances in Land of Bad. It’s a thriller that barely lets the viewer take a breath in-between the action scenes. It’s also an action picture that feels like it should be seen in theaters thanks to all the nerve-wracking intensity that occurs on-screen. This is one movie that stands out considerably from similarly themed films. It’s worth seeing.

Rating: 7.5/10

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