Hidden Strike movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Hidden Strike

RATING: Pg-13/TV-14

LENGTH: 1 hour 42 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The movie is about two former soldiers who constantly face danger as they travel along one of the most volatile roads in the world known as “the Highway of Death.”

China and Hollywood have been trying to produce box office hits, but they haven’t quite found the magic formula yet.

The movie was directed by Scott Waugh. Writing credits go to Arash Amel.

Tuck your brain away for a few minutes and just enjoy the fun flick.

THINGS I LIKED:

I adore Jackie Chan and have been such a fan of his for a long time that I was really looking forward to seeing him in action.
John Cena is such a beast. He tries hard in this movie.
Fun fact: The Highway of Death talked about in the movie is not in Iraq but in an area coming out of Kuwait City in Kuwait. The US and Coalition forces destroyed almost 2000 vehicles on Highway 80 when Iraqi forces were trying to escape Kuwait. The set design for the film is crazy!
The director attempts some creative shots. I didn’t like all of them, but some of them were unique!
Keep watching during the final rolling credits for some more fun scenes and bloopers.
The Jackie Chan/John Cena fight scene was amusing, but a little too choreographed and sanitized.
Chinese viewers will get a kick out of hearing John Cena speak Mandarin. Impressive! My daughter-in-law is from China, so I’ve been trying to learn how to speak Mandarin. I’m terrible at it.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The visual effects and CGI aren’t that great.
The romance is lame.
Jackie Chan’s daughter in the movie is super annoying.
Most of the humor doesn’t work.
The movie doesn’t have much brain, but plenty of brawn.
Sadly, one of the biggest disappointments is that there isn’t much chemistry between Jackie Chan and John Cena. The JC and JC combo just doesn’t work.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Lots of Chinese is spoken with subtitles that need to be read.
Tons of explosions and destruction.
People die.
Blood splatters.
Some crude conversations

THEMES:

Teamwork
Forgiveness
Father/daughter relationships
Career vs. family
Priorities
Family Legacy
Greed

FUNNY LINES:

“Nicknames are the heart of team comradery!” – Chris Van Horne (John Cena)
“Hurry! I think they’re going to shoot you!” – Luo Feng (Jackie Chan) “Why?” – Chris Van Horne (John Cena) “Because the first time I saw you, I wanted to shoot you.” – Luo Feng (Jackie Chan)
“Bonjour!” – Luo Feng (Jackie Chan) “You speak French?” – Chris Van Horne (John Cena) “That’s it.” – Luo Feng (Jackie Chan)
“You keep a machine gun under the seat?” – Mei (Chunrui Ma) “American.” – Chris Van Horne (John Cena)