Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever earned infamy, ridicule, and cult status thanks to its chaotic reception and steadfastly devoted fan base. which was released in 2002 and shot under the Wych Kaosayananda (Kaos) who had no directing expertise prior. A film starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu. Their concept aimed to merge action with blood and guts espionage but it utterly failed, both in terms of audience and critique. Now, as my analysis goes, it will start from the general dot of the film to the very basic parts of the film, which include narrative, acting, technical execution, and its controversial mark as one of the most consistent failures in the history of cinema.
Synopsis
Two elite and almost indestructible agents are featured to unlock any remaining possibilities – in one corner suppose it’s Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) and a former FBI officer whose wife he still grieves for. On the other Corner is Sever (Lucy Liu) an independently operable astute NSA assassin. Part of the light slogging began with Lieutenant Ecks being hired to locate a nanotechnology weapon instead of any woman that most people would assume. This lightweight weapon could kill one target via a microscopic device that was implanted inside the target. It is referred to as “Softkill”; its theft heightened conflict among the spying organizations.
Ecks is summoned out of retirement in order to find Sever, the suspect of stealing the weapon. But as the story progresses, Ecks learns that his wife whom he has mourned as dead is alive and married to a high ranking government official, Robert Gant (Gregg Henry), who is the arch villain behind the scenes. This development alters most of the plot’s dynamics as Ecks and Sever now join forces to defeat Gant and the truth out.
The plot tries to look at complexities such as betrayal, loss, and the desire to make amends, but these are usually drowned out by constant action scenes which take precedence across the plot of the film. It is true that the film showcases great stunt choreography, but still the weak and disjointed narrative coupled with a lack of fully developed characters means there is little possibility for empathy.
Cast & Crew
Antonio Banderas as Jeremiah Ecks
Banderas remains distant and restrained as the tortured ex-spy which works in his favor for the role. He hopes that the character will be developed more, but unfortunately this is not the case due to the script constraints as well. Ecks’ goals are straightforward, however, because of the editing of the movie in a rush, they are not heartfelt.
Lucy Liu as Sever
Lucy Liu’s Performance as Sever on the other hand, has the right mix of motherly tenderness and cutthroat fierceness. Most of the action centered on her character is perhaps among the best in the movie. However, the character, unfortunately, is also plagued with very little dialogue and flimsy details pertaining to her history, hence, not much of her impact is felt.
Gregg Henry as Robert Gant
As the main villain of the film, Gant is portrayed as a shrewd self serving bureaucrat without depth. Gant is rendered as a standard power-driven politician and as such, Henry’s portrayal of the character is useful but not special.
Supporting Cast
Notable appearances: Ray Park best remembered for playing Darth Maul in ‘Star Wars: Episode i the Phantom menace’ was cast as one of Gant’s right hands who does a great job with the action choreography. Talisa Soto takes the part of Ecks’ wife, Rachel, simply to fill the role of a character and to enhance the overall narrative instead of providing deep characterization.
Crew Highlights
Director: Wych Kaosayananda once again puts gimmick over quality. It is very much typical in that his frequent usage of slow motion and dramatic angles is overkill, even for the early-2000s generation of action films.
Cinematography: Julio Macat does a decent job when it comes to filming the action but his work does not help raise the film’s style and esthetic because of the lack of interesting set designs.
Music: Don Davis’s score is okay, incorporating techno rhythms and orchestral fleshes, but the track suggest lack of inventive flair and memorability.
Evaluation of the Film by the Public
Critical Reception Upon its release, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever received negative reviews from all quarters – critics and audiences alike. It holds a notorious distinction as one of the few films to achieve a zero% Rotten Tomatoes rating. This is because the film was rejected in its entirety. Audiences lambasted its narrative incoherence, weak characterization, and crude utilization of action spectacles. Even the title of the film is said to be circulatory, as it did not in the least represent what the movie was particularly about nor what was at stake.
The movie accumulated around $20 million in sales around the globe, whilst achieving a circa $70 million budget, which is a huge box office defeat for the film. Ballistic is a film that many critics will tell you how style can be a substitute for substance, and substance Ballistic did not have. Consequently, the film has developed a loyal following among devotees of so-bad-it’s-good productions who ridiculed it as ridiculous and funny for all the wrong reasons.
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths
One Strength: Action Sequences. The movie excels in its choreography and use of practical effects, which include elaborate gunfights and gunfire-enhanced explosions. Liu and Banderas enjoy and do their best in their roles as action stars.
Weaknesses: Visual Style: Most of the time, stylization is boring. But then, now and again, stylization gives birth to such dramatic moments as slow-motion M9 pistols shots during the battles and striking lightning.
Weaknesses
Script: The biggest disadvantage of Ballistic is its badly written screenplay. It is as if there was a plot and characters but it was all poorly executed and the subplots lead to dead ends.
Pacing: There is an unyielding emphasis on action and as such, there is hardly anything of a story with great emphasis on characters.
Dialogue: The viewer has difficulty engaging with the story on a psychological level due to the absence of substantial character dialogs and interactions.
Legacy
Even though it received negative reviews, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is worth watching as a superb example of Hollywood’s screw-ups. It can be said that the movie is an example of failed attempts to achieve a graceful compromise between form and content. The film also embodies the difficulties of combining elements of suspense with action in an original and captivating way.
Within the years following its screening it has been re-apristomed by some film fans as a cult ceramic “so-bad-it’s-good” film. Such a canvas occasionally makes its way onto the rosters of the worst films in existence which makes it more popular as a target of ridicule. For action movie lovers, it provides an interesting snapshot of the early-2000s, when the prevailing trend was to ‘drown’ the plot with special effects.
Conclusion
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is not likely to be one of the grand film achievements in history, however it is still worth noting as an instance when one’s aspirationalism leads to a self-destructive path. And while it does not succeed in realising its objectives, it beats a retreat to explore what actually went wrong. For the action film lover or anyone looking for a splendid blunder in the history of movies, Ballistic is an interesting though defective film.
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