Elsa Pataky gives hubby Chris Hemsworth a run for the action money in a gloriously overblown nuclear thriller. Interceptor has a formidable Army officer taking down ruthless terrorists in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It’s a save America scenario that hearkens back to the unstoppable one-man, or in this case one-woman, eighties hero that takes a licking but delivers far worse. Interceptor is chock-full of countdowns and beat downs. The film challenges racist, sexist, and anti-capitalist ideology with a patriotic fervor. Interceptor treads hokey but never stops the action onslaught.
Interceptor opens with coordinated terrorist attacks on three military bases. Sixteen mobile ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles) are stolen from Russia. Shortly thereafter, Fort Greely in Alaska, one of two US anti-ballistic missile batteries, aka interceptors, in the Pacific is attacked. Thus leaving SBX-1, a floating ocean missile platform, as America’s only defense against a nuclear strike.
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Captain JJ Collins (Pataky) choppers to SBX-1 to resume a post she had previously left. Her career was marred after she retaliated against a scummy general for harassment. JJ’s welcome is short-lived. Contractors disguised as janitors try to capture SBX-1 and destroy its computer system. JJ bravely locks them out of the control room. The terrorist mastermind, Alexander Kessel (Luke Bracey), has killed everyone else on the rig. JJ, the timid Shah (Mayen Mehta), and knocked unconscious Beaver (Aaron Glenane) are America’s only hope to stop nuclear annihilation. She must outwit and fight an adversary willing to murder three hundred million people.
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Non-Stop Barrage of Gunplay and Martial Arts
Interceptor can be summed up as Die Hard meets Panic Room on an ocean rig. JJ has to single-handedly counter the baddies while keeping the control room secure. The action is a non-stop barrage of gunplay and brutal martial arts combat. Kessel’s men attempt to slither in like cockroaches through wall cracks. JJ pummels them with bone-crushing moves. She snaps appendages like twigs to gain the upper hand on much larger opponents. Pataky is in full beast mode here.
Interceptor’s script has the antagonists declaring their evil plans out loud. Kessel broadcasts live from the rig to sow panic across the country. Which cities will be reduced to radioactive ashes? He launches tirades against a country he sees as corrupt. JJ retorts as the stalwart protector of American values. Their back and forth is a surprisingly pertinent political discourse. Director/co-writer Matthew Reilly pulls no punches, literally and figuratively in his feature debut. JJ and Shah represent an America of empowered women and immigrants willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
Interceptor relies heavily on standard action tropes. There are multiple scenes of clocks counting down to imminent doom. Where JJ has to press big red buttons with milliseconds to spare. The cheese factor is thankfully tapered down by the severe body count. Kessel is no joke. He makes his bloody point repeatedly. Luke Bracey succeeds in being a menacing villain.
Pataky’s performance is a revelation. She’s had a long career in the action genre but nothing remotely this physical. Pataky proves herself as a bonafide action star. I’d love to see her character again in a sequel. Chris Hemsworth serves as an executive producer and has a humorous supporting role.
Interceptor is a production of Ambience Entertainment and Foryor Entertainment. It will have a June 3rd streaming premiere globally on Netflix.
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