Movies News Talk
The tense and gripping story Liam Hemsworth's Land of Bad presents culminates in a finale that reflects the general intensity of the film. Twisted and turned, the ending leaves Sergeant JJ Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) hardly clinging to life after confronting many dangers.
Land of Bad, set in the Philippines, centers on Sergeant Kinney, a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) who discovers himself caught behind enemy lines following the presumed death of his Delta Force squad. Unlike traditional special forces agents, Kinney's expertise is directed toward guiding airstrikes, a task that proves surprisingly difficult in this high-stakes situation.
Then arrive Eddie "Reaper" Grimm (Russell Crowe), Kinney's lifeline from above. Reaching vital support including firepower and emotional comfort, Reaper controls a military drone. Their goal is hampered, though, by Kinney's capture and the sad death of another squad member, Master Sergeant John "Sugar" Sweet (Milo Ventimiglia).
Kinney plans a bold operation including a sequence of increasing airstrikes on the enemy's cave system in order to save the last hostages. But disturbances in communication let him lose control over the bombs once they go off. The first bomb is a warning, but the merciless Saeed Hashimi (Robert Rabiah) ignores Kinney's appeals. Kinney and Sugar are caught even though they have effectively broken into the base and Sugar is sadly killed.
Timing: Reaper's Near-Fatal Delay: Importance
As Reaper, working far beyond his allowed shift length, confronts the possibility of being released from duty, the suspense in the film sharpens. For Kinney, this choice proves almost fatal since he is caught in the cave system just before the catastrophic bomb strike. Kinney depends on Reaper to step in and abort the mission at last-second since a miscommunication with the base leaves him unable to stop the attack in time.
Col. Duz Packet: Indifference of a Secondary Antagonist
Further layer of conflict is added by Daniel Macpherson's performance of Colonel Duz Packet, the ranking officer at the Las Vegas base. Almost costing Kinney and the remaining hostage their lives, packet's carelessness and preference for entertainment above obligation His disregard of the possibly catastrophic results of his activities emphasizes the risk of indifference during a vital operation.
Although Kinney and the other hostage make it out from under the airstrikes, their rescue seems secondary. Retrieving the JSOC agent is the first goal of the film, but it is only mentioned toward the very last. Though the operation is saved and the satisfaction of saving the agent makes viewers wonder about the relevance of this story point overall.
A tonally confusing ending is a forced epilogue.
With Reaper's act of breaking the base's television in the last scene, the need of concentration and prioritizing in trying circumstances is underlined. But the epilogue, showing a forced father-daughter relationship between Reaper and Sergeant Branson (Chika Ikogwe), seems inappropriate and compromises the general tone of the film. With its abrupt mood change, this last sequence lessens the effect of the otherwise fulfilling ending.
The Effect of Land of Bad: An Interpretive Study of Service and Giving Up
Land of Bad finally looks at ideas of obligation, sacrifice, and the results of inactivity. Emphasizing the need of communication, leadership, and putting the mission above personal needs, the film shows the constant pressure military men working in high-stakes situations experience. Land of Bad is still an exciting and fascinating film despite its shortcomings; it makes viewers consider the difficult decisions and sacrifices sometimes accompanying life-or-death events.