Hi Again Bingers! I recently curled up on the couch with some besties to take advantage of Netflix’s near-constant release schedule. This time, it was 6 Underground starring Ryan Reynolds, who plays a mysterious billionaire who faked his death to achieve true anonymity. Hitting all the tropes we know and love, he and a rag-tag group of skilled professionals busy themselves with the difficult task of staging a coup.
But how was the movie? Well, it was action-packed and humorous. The tried-and-true voiceover by Ryan Reynolds kept the movie light-hearted as it dealt with its heavier themes. Director Michael Bay definitely understood the tone that Reynolds’ voiceover invited, and capitalized on it. Rather than feeling like a cop-out, Reynolds breaks out of the Deadpool mold to deliver something heartfelt. The quips and chemistry between all the actors made it easy to fall in love with each member of the squad.
One is our charming narrator and protagonist. Two, played by Mélanie Laurent, is a mysterious french spy. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays Three, a hilarious hitman who wasn’t just recruited for his shining personality. Four is my personal favorite for the simple fact that his special skill is just parkour. He’s played by Ben Hardy, who gave the most surprising performance; I didn’t expect him to be my favorite at first but he backflipped his way into my heart. Adria Arjona plays Five, the doctor. Dave Franco is the short-lived driver, Six, and the newest member of the group is Seven, a former military sniper played by Corey Hawkins.
Along with its diverse cast of charming characters, the story commits to moving forward through the action, which adds context to all of the little relationships brewing with each mission. This Binger’s favorite aspect of movies and shows are the characters, and I found myself holding my breath for some of my favorites. I give it a clean 7/10.
6 Underground both leans into and runs contrary to many well-known action movie tropes. The most obvious one, however, is the near constant occurrence of American action movie stars traveling into the Middle East driven by personal agenda. There were a few modifications this time around that made the trope of an international setting work. For example, our billionaire protagonist actually witnessed violence in Turgistan (a fictional country). His backstory takes us through a chemical attack that happens while he’s on a promotional trip—a rude awakening for him that remains his driving motivation.
So our main character has ties to Turgistan, but what about the citizens themselves? Action movies famously include local citizens around the action as nameless faces, doomed to the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, 6 Underground focuses on the political climate and the citizens. In a general sense, there are many scenes peppered throughout the movie that depict local communities and their negative views of their government leader—a dictator. Families create protest signs in their homes and take to the streets during the final mission. Additionally, we get the dictator’s brother, Murat Alimov, a shy idealist who loves his country and disapproves of his cruel brother Rovach. His character arc, while short, does depict something relatable: hesitantly rising to accomplish a big task. He wins over Turgistan’s politicians, military, and people by talking to them earnestly, something that we don’t see very often.
There is no denying that action movies have a clear tendency of letting all their destruction happen in locations that are “foreign” or “exotic.” I don’t think that 6 Underground compensates for the socio-political implications of mostly white characters exacting their will on a Middle Eastern country whose language they don’t even speak, but I do think that it smoothes some of the harsher lines of this trope. In no way does it escape criticism, but 6 Underground is still an unrelentingly funny and heartfelt watch.
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