Central Intelligence

Another underwhelming, less-than-hilarious comedy from Rawson Marshall Thurber, Central Intelligence follows forensic accountant Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart) as he’s approached, out of the blue, by a former high-school friend named Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson) – with the pair’s harmless bonding quickly giving way to something far more deadly after the reveal of Bob’s treacherous career. There’s little doubt that Central Intelligence starts with an impressive amount of promise, as Thurber, along with cowriters Ike Barinholtz and David Stassen, opens the proceedings with a poignant flashback sequence that gives way to an appealingly low-key stretch detailing Calvin and Bob’s initial reunion – with the effectiveness of this first act heightened by the charismatic efforts of stars Johnson and Hart. (It doesn’t hurt, certainly, that the latter delivers a refreshingly toned-down performance.) The movie’s sharp turn into tedium, then, comes as Bob’s true identity comes into play and the action-heavy narrative kicks into gear, as Thurber delivers a midsection rife with larger-than-life set-pieces that are neither funny nor exciting – with the far-from-engrossing vibe compounded by the director’s newfound willingness to allow his stars to improvise (ie Hart finally does become as grating and annoying as one might’ve feared). There’s ultimately just no getting around the aggressively generic feel that’s been hard-wired into most of Central Intelligence, as the movie increasingly resembles any number of similarly-themed buddy comedies have emerged over the last several years (including, of course, Hart’s own Ride Along series). And although one’s boredom is alleviated somewhat by a handful of amusing celebrity cameos, Central Intelligence, which closes with a seriously anticlimactic third act, is unable to establish itself as anything more than just another disposable, forgettable bit of summer escapism.

** out of ****