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'Hidden Strike' Review: John Cena and Jackie Chan Are Trapped in CGI Purgatory

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• Hidden Strike is an abysmal action-comedy with cartoonish CGI presentation and flat characters.
• John Cena and Jackie Chan can't save the film from its meandering plot, lackluster action, and generally poor construction.
• Hidden Strike ultimately falls flat and is a forgettable, tedious film.

Early on in Hidden Strike , an action-comedy whose humor comes less from the jokes than the bizarre nature of every element of its presentation, we get one of the most strange character introductions put to screen in some time. After a more straight-faced one for Jackie Chan ’s Luo Feng, we then shift to a scene elsewhere that sets the tone for what is in store. It is there where we see John Cena ’s Chris Van Horne standing by a car for a deal with a group of armed characters in the middle of the desert. Did I say desert? What I should have said was one of the most cartoonish CGI approximations of one where it doesn’t feel like the characters are even in the same room, let alone actually talking to each other. If only this had been more integral to the otherwise standard film. Perhaps it would have been more bonkers as opposed to persistently boring. Instead, it is the worst thing an action film can possibly be: forgettable.

Hidden Strike

Two ex-special forces soldiers must escort a group of civilians along Baghdad's "Highway of Death" to the safety of the Green Zone.

The story, for what little it matters, is of two ex-special forces soldiers who find themselves brought together for a common goal. They must battle against thinly sketched villains on the infamous "Highway of Death" in Baghdad. While Chris was initially part of a group of mercenaries on the other side, he is supposedly a good guy at heart. We know this because he plays catch with a kid and seems vaguely concerned about the state of this corner of the world where he is a hired gun. When he is subsequently betrayed and aligns himself with Luo, the goofy duo will have to face down a variety of enemies who want to take them down. At least, that is eventually what we halfheartedly get. It is a meandering movie that frequently seems like it wants to create something resembling George Miller ’s magnificent Mad Max: Fury Road , but is revealed to be nothing more than a cheap imitation. Directed by Scott Waugh , who previously made the inert Need for Speed adaptation and is behind the upcoming Expendables 4 , what holds this film back from being more unrestrained fun is both its belabored setup and the general tediousness with which it all then unravels. For every unintentionally funny visual or clunky line of dialogue, most of it ends up going in circles.

Banal Buddy Comedy or Lackluster Action Film? 'Hidden Strike' Is Both

The issues at the core of the film are structural in a narrative sense and technical in terms of its presentation. It is nearly an hour before the leads even meet up, which is supposedly the whole premise of the movie, with this buildup all feeling like it is just filling time until we do. The first full scene they share is defined by slapstick that feels like it could have been lifted from the Rush Hour films which, while hardly the pinnacle of action cinema, at least felt grounded in a reality that helped give the jokes some actual weight. When they get pinned down, even the bullets supposedly making contact all around them never feel real for even a second. It makes the deadly game of hot potato the two must play to throw grenades back to defend themselves feel stiff as opposed to silly. What is meant to endear us to them in the hopes of creating a sense of camaraderie is too flimsy and forced to be convincing. It is always a bad sign when the blooper reel (remember those?) that runs during the credits sees each of them having better chemistry and comedic timing than anything in the actual film.

Both the action and the story feel like it is just checking boxes with no real heft behind them. Even when they eventually go head-to-head with the villainous Pilou Asbæk , most known for Game of Thrones who was also wonderfully menacing in last year’s Run Sweetheart Run , the foundation wasn’t there to make this feel remotely significant. The greatest problem is that Cena and Chan can only do so much as they navigate an otherwise hollow film that gets hopelessly lost in a CGI desert purgatory. The poor effects only make it feel like you're having a fever dream from which you can't wake up. There is a world in which the film leaned into this more to give the otherwise empty experience something resembling life. It wasn’t ever going to be something like last year’s outstanding RRR , but one could at least hope for something close to it. Instead, we get a more generic story about an item being retrieved, a humdrum heist that is without even a hint of any thrills, and a whole lot of vamping. One moment that encapsulates the experience is when characters are doing some so-so schtick in a moderately serious situation at night only for us to suddenly cut to the next day. While it is clear this is meant to be about launching us into the anti-climatic climax of the film, there is no rhythm to any of it. It merely goes through the motions without any creativity to be seen for miles.

'Hidden Strike' Lacks a Prevailing Punch

Near the end, there is a moment where the action grinds to a halt for Cena to riff a bit on the recurring question of a nickname he was trying to come up with for a forgettable mid-level antagonist. Rather than feel like a rewarding punchline that we had been waiting for with bated breath, clumsy execution makes it fall flat. When the duo then splits up to try to stop the heist to save the day or whatever, the sequences with Chan aren’t terrible as he takes part in a leaping battle of stunts. Even if it isn’t the most well-edited action scene you’re ever likely to see, with its cuts hiding some of the rough edges and breaking the immersion we have with the fight, at least it feels like there was something resembling a vision to its staging. The one with Cena? More of the same with poor effects that never for a second create any sense of investment. That this becomes the culmination of the movie, the supposed big finale, is a testament to just how tepid the whole film was. Even when it tosses everything it can at the screen, it all comes crashing down once more. The only question you have left is if a flop of a movie is dumped on streaming and no one is around to see it, does it still land with a thud?

Hidden Strike is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

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Parents' guide to, hidden strike.

• Common Sense Says
• Parents Say 1 Review
• Kids Say 0 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Violent action thriller has some language, peril.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Hidden Strike is a Middle East-set action film starring Jackie Chan and John Cena with significant violence. The story starts with Chinese security forces trying to extract scientists out of a war zone when mercenaries attack their caravan and take several people hostage. A village…

Why Age 14+?

The action film starts with Chinese security forces extracting scientists out of

"S--t," "bulls--t," "son of a bitch," "damn," "goddamnit," "hell," "ass," "idiot

Chris makes lewd comments about Luo's daughter before he realizes they're relate

Military-grade weapons and machines, Land Rover, other Chan and Cena films.

Any Positive Content?

People with shared purpose can benefit from teaming up, no matter the national,

Luo wants to protect his daughter as well as his countrymen and women. Chris, de

The film is set in the war-torn Middle East and pairs Chinese and American actio

Parents need to know that Hidden Strike is a Middle East-set action film starring Jackie Chan and John Cena with significant violence. The story starts with Chinese security forces trying to extract scientists out of a war zone when mercenaries attack their caravan and take several people hostage. A village with children is threatened by both mercenaries and a perennial lack of water. There are fights of all kinds, involving all sorts of weapons. People are threatened or killed at point blank (including a mother's son and a man's brother). Expect blood, injuries, dead bodies, explosions, crashes, falls, fires, and buildings collapsing. The film is shot in Mandarin and English, and the characters make cross-cultural jokes. A character makes lewd comments about another character's daughter before he realizes they're related. Later he tells her he's single and assures her he is "disease-free." Language includes "s--t," "bulls--t," "son of a bitch," "damn," "goddamnit," "hell," "ass," and some milder insults.

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Violence & Scariness

The action film starts with Chinese security forces extracting scientists out of a war zone when mercenaries attack their caravan and take several people hostage. A village with children is threatened by both mercenaries and a perennial lack of water. There are fights of all kinds involving all sorts of weapons. People are threatened or killed at point blank (including a mother's son and a man's brother). We see significant blood, injuries, dead bodies, and an apocalyptic war zone. There are also explosions, crashes, falls, fires, and buildings collapsing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

"S--t," "bulls--t," "son of a bitch," "damn," "goddamnit," "hell," "ass," "idiot," "tramp," "weird."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Chris makes lewd comments about Luo's daughter before he realizes they're related. Later he tells her he's single and assures her he is "disease-free," to Luo's disapproval. This is all played for laughs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive messages.

People with shared purpose can benefit from teaming up, no matter the national, racial, linguistic, or cultural divides between them.

Positive Role Models

Luo wants to protect his daughter as well as his countrymen and women. Chris, dealing with guilt over his father's death, also wants to avenge his brother's murder. He plays with and helps take care of a group of children in a village.

Diverse Representations

The film is set in the war-torn Middle East and pairs Chinese and American action heroes. The film is shot in Mandarin and English, with running jokes about Cena's character, Chris, speaking a low level of Chinese. Chris jokes about America ("guns everywhere") and comes across as not very bright but a friendly guy with a heart. In a wise-guy tone, he teases Chan's character, Commander Luo, with: "Okay, Confucius." Luo is the more reliable fighter. The chief of the bad guys is played by a Danish actor. A lead scientist is female, and Luo's daughter jumps in to help save the day. Two other women have fight scenes.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents Say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Another Islamophobic promotion

What's the story.

Former soldier Luo Feng ( Jackie Chan ) is leading a private security group into the war-torn Middle East to rescue a group of scientists from an oil refinery under threat at the start of HIDDEN STRIKE. The only way out for the caravan of buses carrying hundreds of refinery workers and their families is via the so-called Highway of Death. There, the buses are overrun by a group of well-equipped and -trained mercenaries, led by Chris Van Horne ( John Cena ) and his brother Henry (Amadeus Serafini), who manage to capture the lead scientist and others. Chris has been duped by Henry into participating in the raid under false pretenses. It turns out Henry is working for bad guy Owen Paddock ( Pilou Asbaek ), who is behind the raid on the oil refinery. Luo Feng and Chris will have to team up to save the civilians, and both have personal interests at stake.

Is It Any Good?

If you're fine with far-fetched fight sequences and clunky dialogues, and so long as you don't dig too deep into the proverbial sands of this film's messages, the desert-set buddy thriller may entertain. Hidden Strike features rousing choreography carefully tailored to its lead duo's talents, namely Chan's martial arts skills and Cena's brute strength. The action is paired with buddy humor and a dash of cross-cultural commentary. In between fight sequences, and sometimes during, Chan and Cena engage in goofy verbal spars and mutual jabbing (the Americans come off worse). The storyline taps into fatigue with the so-called forever wars in the Middle East and a plague of mercenaries and corporations looking to profit off the devastated region. But don't expect much commentary on either.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the relationship between Chris and Luo in Hidden Strike . Why do you think they trust each other? Did you find their dialogues funny? Why or why not?

How does the choreography of the fight scenes differ for the two main stars?

In what ways does the film exploit its desert setting?

Did you detect any political commentary in the film's storyline?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : July 28, 2023
• Cast : Jackie Chan , John Cena , Pilou Asbaek
• Director : Scott Waugh
• Inclusion Information : Asian actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Sports and Martial Arts , Friendship
• Run time : 143 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : August 10, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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