Mike Howell is a stoner who lives in the sleepy town of Liman, West Virginia, and works as a convenience store clerk. He plans to propose to his girlfriend Phoebe Larson on a trip to Hawaii, but panic attacks keep him grounded. Then he learns he is actually a highly trained sleeper agent from a secret government program. The twist is great. The execution is not.
American Ultra is a 2015 action comedy directed by Nima Nourizadeh, written by Max Landis, and starring Jesse Eisenberg as Mike and Kristen Stewart as Phoebe. The cast also includes Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, Bill Pullman, Connie Britton, and John Leguizamo. It earned a worldwide total of $30.3 million against a production budget of $28 million, and it failed to live up to its promise.
Trailer, via Roadshow Films.
The Premise That Misses Its Mark
The setup is pure gold. A man who has lived as a nobody suddenly finds out he is a government assassin. The problem is that the film spends too much time explaining the premise and not enough time letting it play out. The activation sequence, where Mike learns he is a sleeper agent through code words, is a clever idea. The execution makes it feel like homework.
Eisenberg and Stewart Carry the Weight
Jesse Eisenberg plays Mike as a nervous wreck who can barely handle a normal day, let alone a government conspiracy. His panic attacks are real and funny. Kristen Stewart plays Phoebe as patient and confused, and she grounds the film when the action gets silly. Their chemistry is the reason the movie works at all.
Grace and Goggins Go Too Far
Topher Grace plays Adrian Yates, the rival agent hunting Mike. He is supposed to be a threat. Instead he comes off as cartoonish, and his henchmen, the Toughguys, are even worse. Walton Goggins plays Laugher, one of those henchmen, and he chews scenery without adding menace. The film treats the villains as jokes, and that cheapens the tension.
The Action Never Gets Going
The fight scenes are meant to be the highlight. They are not. Mike kills a Toughguy with a spoon, which is a fun image, but the scene itself is rushed and hard to follow. The final siege at Rose’s house, with lethal gas and explosions, is a mess. The editing cuts away before we see anything happen.
Britton and Pullman Are Wasted
Connie Britton plays Victoria Lasseter, the CIA agent trying to protect Mike. She is a strong presence, but her scenes are thin. Bill Pullman shows up as Krueger, the head of the program, and he gets almost nothing to do. Both actors deserve better material than what they get.
The Plot Drags in the Middle
The film is 96 minutes long, and the pacing suffers. The middle section, where Mike learns about military strategy and his lost memories, drags badly. The movie keeps telling us Mike is special, but it never lets him act like it. The chase scenes are fast, but they are not connected to the story.
Where the Film Falls Short
| Element | What Works | What Doesn’t |
|---|---|---|
| Premise | Clever and original | Over-explained |
| Cast | Eisenberg and Stewart | Grace and Goggins |
| Action | Fun idea | Poorly executed |
| Tone | Comedy and suspense | Jumbled together |
| Budget | $28 million | $30.3 million earned |
The film’s biggest failure is its tone. It wants to be a comedy and an action thriller at once, but it cannot hold both. The jokes land awkwardly during the chase scenes, and the suspense scenes feel forced after the laughs. The result is a movie that feels unfinished, like the director kept cutting scenes to hit the runtime.
The Verdict
American Ultra has a great idea. It has a talented cast. It has some good moments. But it never commits to being either a comedy or an action movie. It keeps switching between the two, losing momentum each time. The film is a missed opportunity.
The score is 5 of 10.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
