Film Review: This Means War

This Means War. Rated M (sexual references, action violence and coarse language). 98 minutes. Directed by McG. Screenplay by Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg.

Verdict: A slick, classy, charisma zone. Just don’t expect too much.

With his screenplay for Mr and Mrs Smith (2005), Mr Kinberg created an ideal vehicle for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who polished off the roles of married assassins who had been hired to kill each other. As one of the three writers credited with the screenplay for Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes (2009), he also shared responsibility for the forensically researched blueprint that ensured this film had the potential to reach the cinematic heights it did. Add Mr Dowling, whose light, breezy and entirely predictable screenplay for Just Go with It (2011) ticked all the rom-com boxes, and you end up with a satisfying explanation of all that is good about This Means War.

When loveless and single CIA agents FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) discover that they are both dating the gorgeous Lauren (Reese Witherspoon), they find themselves in a fever-pitched battle to win her heart. Employing every device at their disposal to prove that they are the best boyfriend material, the boys also have to contend with the fact that arch foe Heinrich (Til Schweiger) is determined to hold them both to account for the murder of his brother.

Mr Pine (Star Strek, Unstoppable), Mr Hardy (Inception, Warrior) and Ms Witherspoon (Water for Elephants, Walk the Line, Legally Blonde) bring truckloads of charisma and good humour to the proceedings, while Chelsea Handler (as Lauren’s sex-obsessed best friend Trish) gets all the biggest and best laughs. Mr Schweiger’s sinister Heinrich is, sadly, left very much on the outer as the film tips over into romantic comedy land at the expense of its spy/thriller pedigree – and McG’s (Terminator Salvation, Charlie’s Angels) opening sequence is a seriously accomplished, highly-styled, death-defying action set piece.

If it loses its way occasionally (the storyline revolving around Tuck’s son from his failed relationship is nothing more than deadweight), there is no denying that it’s an enjoyably distracting opportunity to watch these three fine lead actors at play – even if it’s far from their best work.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.