We really should be putting more respect on Martin Campbell’s name. While he’s not the only 80+ year-old director still plugging away in Hollywood, he might be the busiest. And lately, Campbell has been on a tear. He’s got two projects with Daisy Ridley coming up, and this week he debuts another female-led actioner, Dirty Angels. With two of the all-time great James Bond movies to his credit in Goldeneye and Casino Royale, Campbell is still good for a solid, well-made thriller that packs some punch. While flawed largely due to a mediocre screenplay, Campbell delivers an exciting action film with real-world parallels and a cast led by Eva Green who is watchable as ever.
Green plays Jake, an American soldier who we meet as she’s about to be stoned to death by terrorists in the Middle East. As the rocks are raining down on her, she’s rescued by U.S. military forces. But the casualties are heavy, and Jake’s team is basically wiped out. Months later, Jake is still coping with that tragedy when she’s recruited by Travis (Christopher Backus) to rescue a group of schoolgirls, all of them daughters of powerful men, who have been kidnapped by the same Taliban leader who killed Jake’s people. If the girls aren’t rescued soon or the ransom demand isn’t met, they will likely be executed in public fashion.
Jake is tasked with leading a rescue mission in Pakistan, joined by a mostly-female team of specialists, all nicknamed for what they do best. Ruby Rose plays Medic, with Maria Bakalova in her first true action role as explosives expert The Bomb. Jojo T. Gibbs is the tech Geek, with Rona-Lee Shimon as the resident Mechanic and Emily Bruni as the team Shooter. They’re joined by a doctor (who is also busy shagging one of the gals) and a pair of local Pakistani drivers Abbas (Aziz Çapkurt) and Malik (Reza Brojerdi) who could face dire consequences if their collusion with the U.S. is discovered.
This isn’t an easy snatch ‘n grab mission, though. With the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, there’s a war between ISIS and the Taliban for control of the region. Jake must navigate her team through the fighting, save some lives, and hopefully find the redemption she’s been seeking for so long.
Given Campbell’s lengthy career it’s incredible that Dirty Angels is also his first screenplay credit. What’s clear is that he’s a big fan of the mission-based action classics like The Dirty Dozen and Inglorious Basterds. Campbell doesn’t dig too deep into the conflict, framing everything and everyone in the Middle East from an American perspective. And y’know, that’s fine because this is a movie people are going to for the explosions, shootouts, and (let’s be honest), the hot female action. They get plenty of each, with Green once again proving what an authentic, commanding presence she can be. While Jake is the only character we can really invest in emotionally, Green’s co-stars acquit themselves adequately. Campbell doesn’t shy away from the lethal stakes of their mission, with a surprisingly high body count among the squad. Campbell focuses on the team’s growing rapport and resilience in the heat of battle. Too bad some of that time couldn’t have been spent digging deeper into who Jake is beyond her past tragedies.
While Dirty Angels looks good and keeps up an exciting pace, it doesn’t come close to Campbell’s best. It’s probably not fair to expect that from him at this stage, but there’s also so much wasted potential that a more thorough script could’ve fixed. Still, this is one that fans of military-grade action movies will want to check out. The premise will grab you, while Campbell’s veteran direction and the powerful female dynamic will keep you around until mission’s end.
Dirty Angels opens in select theaters and digital on December 13th.
