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There are more levels of meaning to this film than may be obvious. With the number of highbrow story elements compressed into 100 mins (causality loops, DNA coded missing mass, Egyptian mythology and catastrophism) it would have been very easy to overwhelm and confuse the audience with too many ideas - but Boss Level doesn't. The story is well told, very well paced and seems to make a point of intentionally evolving from chaotic and complex to calm and clear. Clive Ventor's plan is horrific but logical and it's eventually revealed that Roy Pulver really only ever had one job from the start. When he devises his final, final, final, FINAL plan, despite everything that's happened, it makes perfect sense and also provides a valuable message about not giving up - even when you know the situation is completely hopeless. What could have been just a nihilistic Groundhog Day shoot 'em up turns out to be something far more intelligent and emotionally engaging. Good ending too.

Plot

Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, a former special forces agent must unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise.

Cast

The always consistent Frank Grillo leads while flanked by his real life son, Naomi Watts, Will Sasso in a very unusual role choice (But it works) and some weird choices who may as well not even be there for all they bring to the role namely Michelle Yeoh, Mel Gibson and Ken Jeong. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson is also there, though I'd not even realized it was him until after I'd watched it.

Verdict

Let it be known I love time loop movies, it's a great concept, a lot of fun and if handled correctly almost guarantees an enjoyable movie. Boss Level when it came out I didn't know was such a film but due to a certain casting I had no interest in, thankfully Mr Gibson is barely in the movie and simply put was really wasted (Especially considering how much I'm sure they paid him).

Upon finding out it was a time loop movie I leapt right in and gave it a shot and was immediately gripped. Despite not being a big action movie guy I appreciated this high octane level and clever time loop transitions. This was great stuff I thought, very stylish, Grillo was on fine form and I was happy I'd decided to give it a go.

And it is, it's an impressive movie and folks who enjoy time loop movies should love it. Action fanatics? This one is certainly for you as well.

But it's not without flaws, for example several characters/cast members seem weirdly used and honestly serve no purpose here. And then there is the ending, wait no sorry I'm lying as there is no ending. This is highly damaging, this would have been a high 7 but without a proper finale it's a low 6.

Could have been great if they'd just used some common sense and maybe added some additional time to pad out the supporting cast.

Rants

Great, we're getting movies with no endings now? Are the endless stream of tv shows not bad enough? We've reached the stage where I don't want to start new shows until I know they've finished and that they had an ending. I'd argue that the majority of shows now are ending prematurely, show after show cancelled on cliff hangers! Like buying a book and discovering the last chapter has been ripped out. It's simply not fair, I just discovered that Welcome to Eden is the latest casualty which though not the best show still ended on a cliff hanger and should have been finished. So very very frustrating.

The Good

Solid cast Some great action sequences Love me some timeloop stuff

The Bad

Some elements are just very convoluted A few cast members are wasted Mel Gibson That ending, or lack thereof.

Well, I must admit that I wasn't really expecting all that much from the movie titled "Boss Level". Why? Well, it was a movie with Frank Grillo and Mel Gibson in it. Not really something that thrilled me particularly.

But given the fact that I hadn't already seen it, and was presented with the opportunity to do so, I found myself sitting down to watch director Joe Carnahan's movie "Boss Level".

And color me impressed...

This movie was a blast. I loved the storyline and the way that things were repeated over and over, but at the same time made quite different. And it was these changes to the same situation that made the movie so enjoyable. Sure, the storyline was also good and definitely proved to be entertaining.

And I will say that Frank Grillo was actually quite good in the lead role for this movie, and his performance was spot on. He was actually rather nicely cast for a movie of this type. And while Mel Gibson was in the movie, though not for all that long, it was actually fun enough to see him in a a villainous role for a change. "Boss Level" also have the likes of Selina Lo and Michelle Yeoh on the cast list, which was quite a nice treat.

"Boss Level" is action from start to end, and it was the enjoyable kind of non-stop action. Which was something that surprised me, and definitely brought a lot of enjoyment to the movie for me.

If you haven't already seen "Boss Level", I can strongly recommend you take the time to do so, if you get the chance. This is a very enjoyable and entertaining movie.

My rating of "Boss Level" lands on an eight out of ten stars.

Frank Grillo at his best, supported by a good cast and a cool script. The one-liners are a highlight in this film, as they give away the smart, fast-paced story and the swag of Grillo as an action lead actor. The action starts right away; this is not a boring movie by any means. Can't say much about the plot as this might be a spoiler but if you like action/comedy/sci-fi with a big splash of coolness, then that's your jam! 9/10 for the fun!

This is quite an interesting film. It looks like a video game, but it has both action and emotional elements. I enjoyed it.