Kerry Washington and Omar Sy get into their action bag with Shadow Force. They star as a pair of special agents who break their handler’s one primary rule, don’t turn your back on the team, but they have a fair enough reason. They fell in love and created a family. Now forced to go on the run from their vindictive ex-boss and a hateful ex-crew, Kyrah and Isaac must rely on their skills and love to get through it all.
Despite the initial reaction to the premise, Shadow Force is not Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Instead of a sexy interplay about the world of marriage and espionage, Shadow Force is a heartwarming family affair about the lengths one will go to protect their family. We meet Isaac (Omar Sy) and his son Ky (Jahleel Kamara), who live a quiet life in Miami. Ky is a precocious boy, and Isaac is a loving, chill father. They have honest communication, banter and share a mutual love of Lionel Richie. Their idyllic life abruptly ends after Isaac is forced to show off his skills to protect Ky, revealing himself to those hunting him and his estranged wife, Kyrah (Kerry Washington). This forces Kyrah to come out of hiding to aid Isaac and Ky from danger.
The film is entertaining, hits the right emotional chords, and satisfies the basic needs of action fans. It isn’t a grand slam dunk for an action flick. Still, it is rewarding to see Kerry Washington and Omar Sy take on leading roles in a genre that seldom offers Black people the opportunity to be the hero without stereotyping. Additionally, Method Man and Da’Vine Joy Randolph are always a joy to see. No matter what they are in, their presence makes any project better. This quartet is worth the price of admission alone, and while I found the quiet simplicity of the story engaging enough, those who want a bloody, shoot-em-up, epic throwdown between good and evil will be a touch disappointed.
Joe Carnahan, known for directing flashy action flicks like Smokin’ Aces, is at the helm here. The film has a healthy dose of action set pieces, but it’s much more subdued than his usual style. His filmmaking style leans into the script’s emotional beats. However, the execution ultimately leaves the film a touch uneven. The Kyrah and Isaac portion of the film is emotionally heightened and the most thematically sound, but Carnahan’s contributions don’t integrate with the foundation effectively.
The film is entertaining overall, but is uneven tonally, favouring the emotional plot thread over what is ultimately an action-driven narrative. Our characters are meant to be lethal, highly trained individuals against equally dangerous people, yet the action between them is not compelling enough. There is a severe lack of characterization from the supporting characters, who are all an amalgamation of jokes, bravado and theoretical badassery, except Method Man and Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s characters, which benefit from each actor’s charisma.
Shadow Force is not the heart-pounding actioner one would expect based on the poster and initial premise; it is family drama within an action framework, and for what it is, a story about a pair of parents doing their best to protect their son and each other, it’s entertaining. The characterizations and Carnahan’s low-key approach play a big part in the film’s tepid attempt to thread together an emotional narrative and adrenaline-filled action sequences. The film is at its strongest when it is solely about Isaac and Kyrah and their son Ky, who steals the show with his enthusiastic rendition of Lionel Richie’s “Truly.” Everything outside the family unit is undercooked, and I surmise that Carnahan’s contributions are more to blame than the foundation of the Chills script, which comes from a personal place.
However, Method Man and Randolph effortlessly carry the burden of creating levity in the film. Mark Strong is a comical villain who is as effective as he is easily dismissible. The archetypes of the action genre are littered throughout, and while they are effective as they are, they do require more substance, but there is little room for that. The supporting cast outside our leads and Auntie and Unc are Jack Cinder and his suicide squad featuring Krondon, Natalia Reyes and Yoson An. They are a formidable group, even earning a segment to introduce each, but there isn’t much done to give them a spotlight. Doing so would raise the stakes and deepen the danger Isaac and Kyrah face. Perhaps we would have gotten the best of both worlds as a limited series.
If you are looking for an engaging, heartfelt action flick that stars talented actors like Washington and Sy, then Shadow Force is the one for you. It is perfectly timed for Mother’s Day weekend, as you can watch Washington fulfill a career wish and play a fiercely loyal mother. Sy, Smith, Randolph, and Strong all are having a good time, and at the end of the day, no matter what this film’s shortcomings are, it is a good time.
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