To this day, there are rumours about the alleged ‘Overwatch’ unit in the CIA. Whether true or false, it is believed by some to be a special unit that takes care of major problems off the books. It is also the stuff of fertile cinematic soil. Thus enter Mile 22, the latest collaboration between star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg, who’ve recently partnered on true story thrillers like Patriots Day, Deepwater Horizon, and Lone Survivor.
Set in an undisclosed country on the brink – it was actually shot in the relatively peaceful capital of Colombia – Mile 22 is the story of an Overwatch team led by Mark Wahlberg, who are forced to try and extract a high-valued target (The Raid’s Iko Uwais) from an American embassy all the way to a distant airfield. It’s 22 miles to that destination, and hostile enemies are going to make Wahlberg and his team, which includes Ronda Rousey and Lauren Cohan, feel it every step of the way.
In the first trailer (below) you get the sense of what a refreshingly practical, in-camera action movie this might be. Released at the end of summer, it seems light on computer-generated imagery and heavy on watching martial artist Uwais do his thing. In fact, you can even ponder what happens when Wahlberg attempts to come to blows with The Raid 2’s Rama. Again, this feels like a departure for Berg and Wahlberg, who have turned to real-life tragedies to make harrowing stories about the resolve of American character, which often plays very well to the heartland in the States. This appears lighter, more fun, and thus more likely to indulge in explosive thrills with a high-concept that includes John Malkovich whispering in Wahlberg’s ear (he’s watching via aerial drones) every step of the way.
The official synopsis reads…
In a visceral modern thriller from the director of Lone Survivor, Mark Wahlberg stars as James Silva, an operative of the CIA’s most highly-prized and least-understood unit. Aided by a top-secret tactical command team, Silva must retrieve and transport an asset who holds life-threatening information to Mile 22 for extraction before the enemy closes in.
And here’s the trailer…