We’ve all seen those films where a single hero must take down an army of murderous thieves (or protect an individual from havoc becoming unleashed). Die Hard, White House Down, Olympus Has Fallen, Skyscraper, Executive Decision, and more can all vouch for this fact. Get ready for another feature to do almost the same thing, only with a sociopath as the lead character in the form of Dangerous. (Not to be confused with the 1935 movie or Michael Jackson’s titular song regarding how a woman can lead one down the wrong path.)
The story follows a reformed sociopath Dylan Forrester (Scott Eastwood), taking his antidepressant medication while serving out parole (for murdering several people years before). When word gets out to him that his brother passed away, he breaks parole and heads to Guardian Island off the coast of Washington to attend the funeral. However, an agent from the FBI (Famke Janssen) and a group of armed mercenaries (the leader played by Kevin Durand) are on his tail. The latter is seeking out something on the island, and it is up to Dylan to fight his way through and find out what his brother was hiding.
Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad, The Fate of the Furious, Pacific Rim: Uprising) is the star here, as the cold-hearted man who tries to move on from his murderous days and focuses on keeping his targets alive when he strikes. His cold demeanor dominates the screen, and he even unintentionally brings out some genuine humor after taking out his opponents one by one. And when Eastwood’s character has the time, he will phone his psychiatrist (Mel Gibson) for advice on how to progress concerning his mental health. Oh, don’t worry, Dylan will call him when he has a man tied up in front of him, or he’s being sprayed at with bullets. The stakes couldn’t be any higher, right?
Other than Eastwood’s character development, the musical score, and the island setting, this is another work that feels like watching Die Hard in a divergent manner. And that’s not to say it is ridiculous or derivative, but its beats are something audiences have seen before-probably a hundred different ways by now. The dark-toned atmosphere of the movie and the unsettled personality of Dylan are what drive the action forward, even when everyone constantly reminds us that Dylan is the psychotic one. But the stakes are predictable because everyone and their mother can guess how these types of films conclude.
And then all these amazing actors such as Tyrese Gibson, Famke Janssen, Kevin Durand, and Mel Gibson are playing secondary roles that don’t contribute much (let alone anything significant). Their positions could have become filled in by Kramer, George, Elaine, and Jerry from Seinfeld. That is unwarranted, especially when the son of Clint Eastwood had momentum on his side here.
By the time one walks out of the theater, they can explain the basic premise to their friends and family. And with the message relayed, everyone will realize they have another John McTiernan knock-off to look forward to (or not).
The only thing “dangerous” about this feature is Scott Eastwood’s stony performance. However, some of us can safely pass by Dangerous in the theater and look forward to a different film on our checklists.
