Even a script written by algorithm would make more sense than “Force of Nature,” an excruciating dud of a movie that makes use of the worst of coincidences as well as the most tired of premises (in both senses of the word).
The premise is the storm however, so we can refer to it as the premises. The Category 5 storm is merely a device to herd everyone into an apartment building which two cops are attempting to get people out of while simultaneously blocking their ability to communicate. The group of people stuck inside consists of: a secretive old guy who refuses to leave, an old retired cop named Ray (Mel Gibson) who is up to date on all the latest cop gossip and cases, but also refuses to leave. His worried doctor daughter (Kate Bosworth) is also a survivalist with an arsenal stockpile and there is a guy who got into trouble at a grocery store for wanting to purchase a hundred pounds of meat with the only explanation being that he has a pet named Janet that needs to be fed.
Also in the building is a bunch of ruthless crooks out for whatever their target is, which we’ll find out later.
However, we can notice for a fact that there is a cold calculation behind this, because the loose cannon leader, called John the Baptist (David Zayas), casually shoots an elderly woman and one of his own henchmen just because he feels like it.
What attempting to control all of this means is cop number one, Cardillo (Emile Hirsch). Cardillo is a sadistic, and forget so very deeply a loner with a tragic past who cannot be bothered to do his job, much less learn Spanish. And the drama just keeps on coming. He’s got that whole “I’m too old for this take a shot” “I wasn’t even supposed to be here” vibe. He’s simply filling out paperwork at the end of his career. His new partner is defined purely in contrast to him. Cardillo has turned off his feelings but warmhearted Jess is a Puerto Rican Barbie who is caringly more than excited to do work.
This is what Michael Polish does in a different direction, he shifts the characters throughout the building like pawns in chess. On this side there is a group experiencing a life threatening injury, while the other group is hiding from John and his strong, mysterious goons who assault with weapons in desperate attempts to uncover the treasure they desire but are clueless as to where it is placed. Although the shoot outs, hide outs and other action scenes and choreography are put together well, my complaint is with the characters. They are presented in a dull, generic manner that makes all of us twiddle our thumbs, wishing for something unpredictable to happen. They all know exactly how it will end and that isn’t even misleading. So does the time taken for twist while the characters are sewing their trophies and flaunting their boring backstories.
A heist movie based on a storm that occurred in real life, in this case hurricane Maria completely decimates most of Puerto Rico, is a questionable taste to begin with, as it seems the loss of humanity and life is not enough for the producers. The heist there is a building in America that the thieves want to break into. If that wasn’t bad enough, there also seem to be racial undertones, and while there is no sympathy to be earned from the holocaust that is given quite visibly and designingly.
Well, the last scene serves as a parody of the romance of action flicks with their implausible melodrama that Elgin both derides and augments. “A loaded rifle on the stage, if it isn’t going to go off.” Yes people die from Janet the pet and a peculiar weapon. That sentence implies needless torture. Veteran film viewers first, seasoned creators second realize there has to be more than just that shot.
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