What’s It About
Ben is a former CIA station chief whose world comes crashing down after his wife, a former operative, dies in a terrible accident. Soon, a cryptic message sends him back into the shadowy underworld of Eastern Europe, teaming up with a former adversary to unravel a conspiracy that challenges everything he thought he knew about his wife and the agency that he worked for.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Direct-to-video action-thrillers are a common occurrence these days. Many of these films have starred either an old A-lister trying to stay relevant or a new actor thrown to the wilds to test the waters, hoping they have the IT Factor. Action films were once standard in theaters during the ’80s and ’90s. They were typically mid-budget films that starred recognizable faces, albeit not blockbuster megastars. These movies were sturdy and professional, though only sometimes super memorable. Nonetheless, they scratched a particular itch and were generally satisfying. Chief of Station is a perfect example of this genre. Eckhart plays Ben Malloy, a CIA Station Chief with a seemingly idyllic life, with his wife, Farrah (Laetitia Eido), who is also a spy. When she dies in an explosion, Malloy is devastated and retires. His son, Nick (Chris Petrovski), refuses to take his calls, but Malloy suspects that his wife’s death was not an accident. He reluctantly returns to the shadowy world of espionage to clear his wife’s name. The plot is a convoluted mess of factions, shifting loyalties, betrayals, twists, and close calls. Unfortunately, it is also vague and ill-defined. The script fails to clarify any concrete objectives or specific stakes. Everyone is looking for an item, presumably something Malloy’s wife gave him, but it’s never clear what it is or what the consequences will be if any one party touches it. Despite these flaws, the film looks great. Johnson uses European locations and employs relaxed, run-down industrial settings. Overall, this feels like a substantially larger budget than most directors often have to work with, and he puts it all there on the screen for us to see. The action is as strong as ever, and there’s an intense car chase, a nice hand-to-hand fight, and other elements that give this release purpose. Kurylenko finally shows up in the film’s final act and has one big scene that rules. Eckhart does a decent job in the lead role and has enough charisma and presence to carry the film. However, he doesn’t exactly light the frame on fire. There are a few plot mistakes, but the movie never transcends or escapes its espionage tale trappings. If you stick around until the final act, there’s a decent reward waiting. Chief of Station feels like a movie that’ll do big numbers on Netflix in a few months. It’ll pop into the top ten for a week or two, and clickbait movie sites will write about a forgotten action movie, burning up the algorithm. Many people will watch it, though most will only remember a few details. Since filmmaking is becoming cheaper, films like this are becoming more common.
OUR RATING – A PASSING THE TIME 6