The Lost City

Directed by Adam Nee and Aaron Nee, The Lost City follows romance writer Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) as she’s kidnapped by an oddball billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe’s Abigail Fairfax) and forced to embark on a treasure hunt within a dense, dangerous jungle – with Loretta’s efforts eventually helped along by the dimwitted cover model (Channing Tatum’s Alan Caprison) of her various books. It’s a larger-than-life premise that’s employed to erratic yet mostly watchable effect by the Nee siblings, as the filmmakers, armed with a script written with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox, deliver a briskly-paced endeavor that benefits from the completely affable work of its various performers – with Bullock and Tatum’s rather irresistible efforts here, coupled with their obvious and palpable chemistry together, going a long way towards smoothing over the narrative’s periodic missteps and lulls. (Radcliffe is equally strong as the larger-than-life villain, while Brad Pitt, cast in a cameo role as a fearless operative, turns in a scene-stealing performance that ensures he walks away with the title of MVP.) And although the movie boasts its fair share of engrossing action set-pieces and laugh-out-loud funny bits of comedy, including a terrific scene involving a tiny car, The Lost City, saddled with an almost undeniably overlong running time, progresses into a hit-and-miss midsection that paves the way for a decent-enough (but far from spellbinding) climactic stretch – which ultimately does cement the picture’s place as a predominantly agreeable adventure that perhaps isn’t quite as consistent as one might’ve hoped.

**1/2 out of ****