Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
An elite group of American operatives, aided by a top-secret tactical command team, must transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to an extraction point 22 miles away through the hostile streets of an Asian city.
Mile 22 is a frenetic action thriller that squanders a capable cast (Mark Wahlberg, Iko Uwais) on a thin, convoluted plot. The narrative is overly fragmented and relies on rapid-fire exposition without meaningful character development. Wahlberg's abrasive lead performance feels one-note, while Uwais's genuine martial arts talent is undermined by chaotic, overcut editing that makes the action nearly incoherent — a major disappointment given what Uwais demonstrated in The Raid. The handheld, hyper-edited cinematography is exhausting rather than immersive. The setup is familiar black-ops territory with no fresh perspective, and the ending — a twist meant to reframe the story — comes across as cheap rather than clever, clearly designed to launch a franchise rather than satisfying on its own terms. An unremarkable entry in the genre that fails to capitalize on its assets.