An Army captain puts her training and expertise to the test in Interceptor when an attack threatens an interceptor station.
It isn’t just that the missile interceptor station is being attacked but that the entire country is on the verge of being destroyed. It’s all because of a deranged former military intelligence officer. There’s no simple way to describe his viewpoints. All we know is that he wants to bring about a new America. Sadly, he’s able to recruit a few of the people who are assigned to the station. One of them is Beaver Baker (Aaron Glenane). Beaver views himself as a patriot but this could not be further from the fact. Does this remind you of anyone? I’ll give you a moment.
Captain JJ Collins (Elsa Pataky) finds herself at this remote base, SBX-1, in the Pacific after losing out on a dream job at the Pentagon. The reason that she loses out on the job is for calling out a general’s sexual harassment. Before she knows it, she’s having to defend the base against Alexander Kessel (Luke Bracey). He is a psychopath. His ideals are certainly far from any American ideal that I know. Anyway, Capt. Collins needs to know who she can trust if it means saving the country. One of those people is Corporal Rahul Shah (Mayen Mehta). Everything on the screen is playing out in real time. We’re sitting on the edge of our seats while hoping that she can stop the bastards.
Matthew Reilly gives us one hell of a strong female character in his feature debut. Reilly is no stranger to writing characters, having written novels for a number of years. However, this is his first feature film and there’s no shortage of action. Whether it’s a pandemic decision or not, the cast is minimal and most of the focus is on the primary set with a few others mixed in. When it comes to the script, Reilly and co-writer Stuart Beattie make choices that some people will probably not be happy about. You know exactly what type that is and frankly, I don’t care. They ought to take a hard look in the mirror and realize that they are on the wrong side of history.
It’s very sad that we have to turn to entertainment in order to get a female president of the United States. In this case, it’s Zoe Carides taking on the task. Her approach to playing President Wallace is kick-ass, no different than that of Harrison Ford in Air Force One. She means business!
If you’re wondering why Chris Hemsworth is the film’s executive producer, it just so happens that his wife, Elsa Pataky, is the lead star. It also means having Sam Hargrave come on board to help out as an action consultant. Having seen both Hemsworth and Pataky in action, I want to see a movie where both of them team up! Can a studio please make this happen?
Interceptor is a fast-paced thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat.
DIRECTOR: Matthew Reilly
SCREENWRITERS: Matthew Reilly & Stuart Beattie
CAST: Elsa Pataky, Luke Bracey, Aaron Glenane, Mayen Mehta, Rhys Muldoon, Belinda Jombwe, Marcus Johnson, with Colin Friels and Zoe Carides
Netflix launches Interceptor on June 3, 2022. Grade: 3.5/5
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