Bloodshot (2020) Review

With the box office plunging, films being delayed and cinemas closing amid the coronavirus pandemic, Hollywood's release schedule has become a wasteland. Yet Sony dared to release Bloodshot, Vin Diesel's latest $45-million outing as an emotionless killing machine, and were forced to face the dire results. It debuted with a mere $24 million...worldwide. Luckily for Sony, nobody is talking about Bloodshot and it will likely become a forgotten victim of COVID-19. This is excellent news for first-time director Dave Wilson who can, like the memory-bending technology used in the film, wipe his slate clean and continue on as if his lousy debut never existed.

Compelling at first, Bloodshot opens with US marine Ray Garrison (Diesel) witnessing the brutal murder of his wife Gina (Talulah Riley) before he is shot by Toby Kebbell's campy but unsparing villain, Martin Axe. Ray's body is then recovered and re-animated with superpowers by Rising Spirit Tech, a cybernetic enhancement company, and he wakes up seeking revenge. While this premise is overdone, there is still room for creators to add nuance and originality to the formula. Just look at Chad Stahelski. He has been able to make an action-packed trilogy out of the John Wick IP. However, Bloodshot quickly runs out of steam when it becomes apparent that it has nothing new to the revenge/vengeance plot-line. In fact, Bloodshot does not even offer anything fresh to Vin Diesel fans. The one-note actor plays yet another tough, macho character with an adoration for their family.

Once Rising Spirit Tech's CEO Dr. Emil Harting (Guy Pearce) explains what he intends to do with the nanite technology, Bloodshot becomes mind-numbingly painful to watch. Ray (now 'Bloodshot' when powered up) is essentially an overpriced and overblown hitman for Dr. Harting. Every time Ray is unconscious, Dr. Harting alters his memory of Gina's traumatic death by changing the identity of her killer to match one of Harting's own personal targets. Yet I do not understand why Dr. Harting needs (and wants) to use advanced technology to create (and sell) super-powered hitmen when hitmen actually exist. Unless Bloodshot is trying to throw its two cents into the man versus machine debate (which I highly doubt), there is blatantly no logical thinking behind Dr. Harting's dumb motives.

Ray is not the only fallen soldier that Dr. Harting has resurrected. He has also helped Navy diver KT (pronounced 'Katie' and yes, there is clunky dialogue which explains this) with her respiration and has given fellow former soldier Jimmy mechanic legs. Unlike Ray, KT and Jimmy are in on Dr. Harting's masterplan and each time Ray's memory is wiped, they follow a carefully constructed script to create the illusion that Ray is meeting them for the first time. This looping script involves KT having a late-night drink with Ray (hilariously, this alcoholic beverage is the trigger for the traumatic flashback) and, because she is the only woman in the team, KT begins to develop a romantic connection with Ray. You can guess what happens next.

The chemistry between Diesel and Eiza González (KT) is lifeless and mechanical. Scratch that, Diesel's entire performance falls flat. I recently read on Cinema Blend that this role pushed Diesel beyond the realms of his other characters, but I am struggling to see any evidence of that. His line delivery is monotone, his action scenes are muted and his charisma is lacking.

That being said, Diesel's acting is not bad enough to sink the entire film, but Bloodshot's action sequences are. The action, which is somewhat impressive visually, is softened and eclipsed by a loud, melodramatic score and an overuse of slow motion. Apart from the occasional gun shot, there is no diegetic sound. These sequences are comparable to video-game cutaways: they are distracting, surreal and take the viewer out of the film completely. For example, Bloodshot's hunt for Martin Axe should be cold-blooded, tense and gripping but, because of Wilson's creative choices, it is numbing and blasé. While I do not blame Wilson for trying to inject his video-game-VFX past into his directorial debut, it is disappointing to learn that he does not know what differentiates the two mediums. Video games are for spectacle, film is for story-telling, and Bloodshot has neither.

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