American Ultra

Directed by Nima Nourizadeh, American Ultra follows affable stoner Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) as he discovers that he’s been trained as an elite spy after the government sends a series of agents to kill him. Filmmaker Nourizadeh, working from a script by Max Landis, delivers a briskly-paced and sporadically exciting thriller that benefits rather substantially from its raft of appealing performances, as star Eisenberg delivers a thoroughly engaging turn that’s matched by an eclectic supporting cast that includes Topher Grace, Tony Hale, John Leguizamo, and Walton Goggins. (The latter, cast as a maniacal assassin named Laugher, easily and completely steals every single one of his scant scenes, while Kristin Stewart, playing Mike’s remarkably patient girlfriend, does a solid job of transforming what could’ve been a one-dimensional figure into a compelling protagonist.) The agreeable atmosphere paves the way for an often episodic midsection that boasts a whole host of entertaining sequences and set-pieces (eg Leguizamo’s Rose and his crew face deadly government operatives), and although Nourizadeh’s handling of the movie’s action-oriented elements leaves something to be desired, American Ultra eventually progresses into a satisfying third act that ensures it ends on a memorable, positive note – which ultimately cements its place as a better-than-average contemporary action comedy.

*** out of ****