‘Marauders’ just another muddled action yarn

The filmmakers hope the Bruce Willis name will draw audiences, but I’m sorry to disappoint them. It seems the actor has lost his grip on his career with far too many poor movie choices of late.

This is one of them. Marauders is another muddled action yarn. It is high on action, but low on substance and Willis has very little screen time to make an impact. Much of the focus is on Christopher Meloni, a seasoned TV actor, who plays Jonathan Montgomery, a tough FBI agent on the trail of a group of deadly criminals who commit their crimes wearing terrifying skull masks, bulletproof vests and state-of-the-art weaponry.

And they kill with impunity. These brutal men have been targeting banks owned by the high-powered Hubert (Willis), but the FBI have evidence pointing to Hubert staging his own bank heists. There is obviously a larger conspiracy at play and the team, which includes agents Stockwell (Dave Bautista) and Wells (Adrian Grenier), and local cop Mims (Johnathon Schaech), is determined to find it.

This loathsome and incompetently directed thriller provides few genuine surprises with a scenario that we’ve seen far too often before. Shaky camera work and quick cuts replace steady visual compositions, a style that makes the experience difficult to watch.The actors go through the motions, mouthing tired platitudes and showing the usual physical dexterity one expects in an action flick. But, by today’s standards, this is simply not enough.

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