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I was all set to wait for The Beekeeper with Jason Statham to finally deliver my first review in over three months but then I had the opportunity to watch The Bricklayer over the weekend and I was immediately inspired to begin writing again. The film hails from Renny Harlin who clearly is no stranger to action cinema having been huge in the late 80’s and 90.s delivering such top tier flicks like Cliffhanger with Stallone and Die hard 2 with Bruce Willis. Harlin has been sort of maligned throughout the years as he’s been tagged with being sort of an all flash and no substance filmmaker. Like a cross between Roland Emmerich and Zack Snyder. I never thought that and in recent years, Harlin has been cursed with helming some trainwrecks like Skiptrace and The Legend of Hercules although I did like the latter for what it’s worth.
Harlin is back in early 2024 with The Bricklayer which sees his new muse in the form of Aaron Eckhart who is quietly becoming the go to DTV action star these days. Eckhart had been known more for the dramatic scale in cinema but lately with turns in solid fair like Line of Duty, Ambush and Muzzle, Eckhart is a white-collar man’s action star and one that has a happy problem in that he can act as well as sell the action set pieces.
The Bricklayer offers nothing new to the genre and it’s another bad ass comes out of retirement to kick the proverbial crap out of nameless enemy soldiers in the movie’s allotted running time. It’s all about Eckhart here and once again, this is Eckhart with some serious action cred as he executes his own fighting stunts and looks sensational leaping in slow motion as he fires a gun thus setting off a rather large explosion.
Eckhart stars as Vail, who when we meet him is a bricklayer. Yep, just like Statham’s upcoming film, Etchart is really doing that profession but oh no sir, he is a man with a past and one that had him being the most lethal of CIA field operatives. Unfortunately, there’s a nefarious enemy in play who is offing innocent journalists and framing the CIA for it. When it becomes evident that it is a former CIA asset who was burned, the agency led by O’Malley (an always solid Tim Blake Nelson), is forced to play their hand and reinstate Vail for the suicide mission. He’s reluctant of course, especially when he is asked to team up with novice CIA agent Kate (the stunning Nina Dobrev of the Vampire Diaries) who was responsible for discovering who the enemy was, Vail wants nothing to do with it.
Well, that lasts about two minutes and before you can say “standard DTV action fair” the two are off to Greece to battle the menace. The operation throws the two into the dark underbelly of Greece (yes, even Greece has one) as they take on criminals, rogue operatives and the aforementioned real enemy in a hail of bullets, fists and explosions.
Like I said, the plot is simple, and it’s been seen before and if you’re looking for a movie from Harlin that will be equivalate to his earlier successes then you will be sorely disappointed. The budget for The Bricklayer is probably a third of his 90’s offerings, but it still delivers a crackling spy actioner that is laced with some solid fight scenes and more.
The reason for the movie succeeding is primarily due to Eckhart who has the gruff, stoic and underlying rage attributes down and he is believable in these types of roles. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, action stars had to look like they were on steroids but nowadays, they look like the everyman. and it works making it more realistic. Eckhart doesn’t try too hard, and he definitely trains for these roles as he delivers the choreography, like a pro and would make other action stars who have been doing it longer proud. The sequences are brutal and hyper real, and they serve as a dramatic exclamation point to the drama unfolding onscreen.
Supporting Eckhart is a solid cast led by Dobrev who works well off Eckhart and the two have some decent chemistry together. There’s the usual distrust on Kate’s part which is par for the course but in the end, they carry the film. Dobrev handles herself well and even gets to have a few physical moments to shine a little. Nelson is more of an extended cameo, but he always elevates the movies he is in. As O’Malley, you’re not quite sure where his character is going and that’s a positive seeing that there is a plot twist that you will see coming a mile away. Maybe, more.
The action is worth the view and throughout the first third of the movie, it flows decent with bloodthirsty beatdowns and firefights around the corner. It gets pretty violent, and one highlight sees Vail actually using a tool for bricklaying called the trowel to put down an assailant in glorious bloody fashion. One drawback is that the finale never really loves up to what came before but it still offers tension and some amazing practical stunts with Vail saving the day. Another good point is that this film never falls into the John Wick trap and lends itself to doing its own thing and there is more than one highlight with the biggest being an unarmed brawl in a nightclub where Eckhart gets to show off his martial arts training to full effect.
Speaking of practical, it is refreshing that The Bricklayer and Harlin utilize the real stuff instead of CGI. There is a spot of the computer stuff here and there but for the most part, it’s done 80’s action style with great results. This is how you know the budget was rather decent for this type of movie as practical stuns and explosions tend to cost, more when all is said and dome.
The onsite locale shooting also gives the movie a more polished shine to it as we get some breathtaking shots of Greece. It always feels more aesthetic and clearly outdoes the movies that are confined to buildings and made-up sets.
All in all, The Bricklayer may or may not become a permanent fixture of your collection, but it does offer two hours of adrenaline and violence. Eckhart is up to the extreme physical challenge once again and his character actually is put through the ringer making it more believable. The supporting cast is on game and even though there is nothing new here, it still does what it’s supposed to be. With that, Harlin, Eckhart and company have officially unveiled the first worth viewing actioner of 2024!
VERDICT: 3.5 Out of 5 Stars
The Bricklayer has the distinction of being called the first crackling, violent and satisfying actioner of 2024!
