Duane Johnson seems to churn out films at an alarming rate. He’s back in cinemas in an extremely typical role as Will Sawyer, a security expert who has travelled to Hong Kong with his family to act as a consultant to a billionaire who has built the world’s tallest building. When a group of criminals enter the building and set it alight, Will has to use all his resources to rescue his wife and two kids.
I think you will know what to expect….Will spends a lot of the film clinging to the outside of the building, tussling with bad guys and racing through raging fires. It is very much Die Hard meets the Towering Inferno, is extremely silly but also is a lot of fun. There isn’t as much chance for Johnson to show his comedic chops, aside from a running duck tape gag, as in recent films such as Jumanji, but he is a safe pair of hands with this sort of action movie.
The special affects have come in for some criticism but looked fine to me, when compared to shoddy ones I have seen recently in movies like London Has Fallen and Geostorm. Maybe they don’t look so good in 3D though.
In the supporting cast, interestingly it is the women who make the most impact. It is good to see Neve Campbell back in a big film and she proves, as Will’s wife, to be a lot more than a damsel in distress. Also, whilst Roland Moller is very bland as the chief villain, Hannah Quinlivan is terrific as his merciless second in command.
Filled with plot holes and completely ridiculous maybe, but this is perfect Saturday night entertainment.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10