6 Underground - Watch it if you've already paid for it

I was a Ryan Reynolds fan even before he returned to the big time with his 'Deadpool' films, so I was more than happy to watch an action film produced for Netflix as I happened to have a subscription that month.  I didn't know what it was about, but, judging by the promotional pictures it had plenty of gun-play and explosions and, I'm ashamed to admit, that's normally good enough for me.

I noticed it was quite a long film (clocking in at just over two hours) and, believe it or not, the first twenty minutes are taken up with one long car chase.  Now, this may sound a little over the top, but it's well shot and there are a few nice moments and it's pretty cool.  Then I noticed that every explosion looked like it had firework-rockets spewing out of them - a trait only used by notorious action film director, Michael Bay.  This then happened so much I stopped to check who directed it and - sure enough - it was Bay's first film directly to streaming service.

Therefore, it's no wonder the film looks so good - and I stress the word 'looks.' Everything looks great in terms of shot composition and style, but, underneath there's just that feeling that there's something lacking overall.  If you're an uber fan of Ryan Reynolds you'll enjoy watching him on form as the part he plays - a leader of an elite team of assassins - is one where he can practically sleepwalk through.  The film felt a bit like a recent 'Mission Impossible' film where you have one major star (in this case Reynolds) leading a team of highly-skilled killers to take down the bad guys.

You will get some cool bits, some good bits, some funny bits and some bits that require you to not think too hard about the logic or physics of the situation in order to appreciate what's happening.  The plot is all over the place and sometimes you need to just sit back and enjoy the pretty sets and explosions.  It also has that 'Marvel-style' humour in it where the characters will make a witty quip here and there.  The trouble is, the film isn't for kids and there's plenty of gore.  So if there's just been a situation where many people have died, the humour feels a little out of place and takes away from what should really be a serious moment.

I read online that this was supposed to be the start of some sort of franchise, but, although reasonably successful, it didn't do well enough to green-light a second part.  I can see why.  It's not bad and if you like Ryan Reynolds and/or action films in general, it's well worth a watch as part of your Netflix subscription.  However, if I was expected to pay full-price to see it in the cinema, I'd certainly wait until it was released on whatever streaming service I was signed up to at the time.

6/10 Should probably keep you awake if Freddy Krueger was haunting your nights