[Review] Bloodshot(2020) {6/10}

Directed by David S.F. Wilson, Starring Vin Diesel (Ray Garrison/Bloodshot), Eiza González (KT), Lamorne Morris (Wilfred Wigans), Guy Pearce (Dr. Emil Harting), Toby Kebbell (Martin Axe) and Sam Heughan (Jimmy Dalton); Bloodshot is based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name. It is intended to be the first installment in a series of films set within a Valiant Comics Shared Universe. Director David S.F. Wilson makes his Directional debut from a screenplay by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer.

Soldier Ray Garrison(Vin Diesel) is on a mission in Kenya where he rescues a hostage and kills a terrorist. Later he is kidnapped and a man named Martin Axe(Toby Kebbell) kills his wife when Ray can't provide the details behind the mission. Axe then shoots Ray but surprisingly, Ray wakes up to discover that Dr. Emil Harting(Guy Pearce) has brought him back to life using micro-biotechnology and turned him into a weapon, a super-soldier. After coming back to life, Ray can't remember anything but a familiar song triggers his memory of the killing to which he hits the road and gets revenge. After the task is finished, he learns that everything that's happened has been a lie and he is being used. He then gets a reboot and during the reboot process, Dr. Emil Harting installs the picture of a different man killing Ray's Wife, in the memory of Ray that he wants to get rid off and uses Ray to get the job done. After coming back to life again, Ray kills another one, thinking that he killed his wife. Everytime the reboot happens, Ray wakes up with the memory of a different man who killed his wife. A lot of twists and turns happen when KT(Eiza González) decides to help Ray and stop the loop once and for all.

Bloodshot is a pretty good sci-fi plot idea which is ruined by poor action scenes, cheesy dialogues and vacant characters. Some parts of the narrative might remind you of Robocop and Wolverine. Being the directional debut of David S.F. Wilson whose pevious work has largely been in video games, his attempt of creating the launch pad of a Valiant Comic Cinematic Universe relies heavily on traditional plot arcs and some fairly interesting fight sequences. Bloodshot is a decent attempt on an ambitious sci-fi imagination which might be enough for the die-hard Bloodshot and Vin Diesel fans. But for the most part it is nothing but an empty entertainment.

Bloodshot is now available on Blu-ray and Streaming.