It's really not my type of movie, not what I usually go for.  Still, for what it was, it did some things pretty well.  But overall I thought it was pretty boring.  I'm talking about the awkwardly titled Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.

When I read the description, and it described a new type of weapon - one that can be injected into a target, and then be remotely activated to kill at any moment, I was intrigued.  I love medical thrillers!  But, it quickly became obvious that this cool technology is merely a small part of this movie.  It's merely a reason for the bad guys going against the good guys, since both sides want the weapon.

Instead, this movie is Action.  Yes, with a capital A. Because Action is the main character, and gets far more screen time than anyone or anything else.  And by Action, I mean overdone martial arts-type fighting, tons of explosives, hundreds (thousands?) of bullets, car chases that kill untold numbers of innocent bystanders.  All the stuff that Action-junkies crave.  And the movie does some of it really well.  But there was also a lot of places where it was just over-the-top ridiculous.  People running through a solid hail of bullets, without harm.  Huge explosions occurring right behind people who simply walk away.  All the stuff that sometimes makes me have to roll my eyes.

So is there a story somewhere in all that mess?  Yes, a small one.  You've got Antonio Banderas, a retired agent, mourning the death of his wife.  Gregg Henry is the bad guy who currently has control of the weapon, if he can just retrieve it from his hiding spot, a task not so easy, as it turns out.  Because you also have Lucy Liu, who has reasons of her own for getting involved in this situation.  And she's the Queen of Action in this movie.  She gets to do most of the martial arts types of moves, and she has access to an entire arsenal of weapons.  And she'll use them all, to get what she wants.  As for what she wants, that is a mystery at first, but it is explained as the story progresses.  You also have seven year old Aidan Drummond, in the middle of this story.

So, yes, there's a story, albeit a weak one.  Like I said, the story is secondary in this movie.  That said, they do tie up all the loose ends, and explain everything quite nicely.  Through the use of a few clever flashbacks, we do get to understand everybody's motives and current situation.  The performances were reasonable, given the weak script. 

Mostly, though, I was just bored.  The action scenes were too unrealistic, and went on far too long for my taste.  And the story was just too weak.

If you're an Action-junkie, you might really like this movie. But for me, I prefer more of a story, and less need for eye-rolling.

Recommended: No