WWE Studios Keeps Releasing Actions Movies Even If Their Stories Start To Blend Into Each Other; ‘Interrogation’ Is No Exception.
Honestly, I was thrilled when WWE began producing films. Their horror films are notable with hits like ‘See No Evil‘ and ‘Oculus‘ while action films like ‘The Marine‘ shined. But after a while, they moved away from horror and focused on these typical Hollywood action films. The newest one is ‘Interrogation‘, which stars Adam “Edge” Copeland, C.J. “Lana” Perry, and Patrick Sabongui. It is the third in a series of six WWE action films dubbed the “Action Six Pack”.
The story follows Lucas Noland (Copeland), an interrogation expert who is the best at what he does. He is joined by I.T. specialist Becky (Perry) as they attempt to stop a threat that could destroy the entire city. The pair engage in mind games with criminal mastermind Vasti (Sabongui) as they try to discover his true agenda.
Movie Review:
The plot is pretty generic when it comes to the action genre but what made it work was how well Copeland’s character was handled. His introduction where he made tactical decisions based on reading the situation was bad-ass. Timing his moves in between bullet fire and reloads, he comes off smart. The Lucas Noland character really gets going once they pair him with bad guy Vasti played by Patrick Sabongui.
The protagonist and antagonist dynamic worked well as both men were cocky about their smarts. I enjoy seeing action movies when both sides are good at what they do so they try to out-do each other. Making your bad guy seem weak as a means to push your hero as a bigger bad-ass only hurts the film’s credibility.
With a modest budget compared to widely released films, a story like this could have been scaled back a bit. To avoid becoming too procedural, I would have loved to see a more focused battle of the minds with these two actors. Both did well but couldn’t help avoiding the marketable cliched route these movies take.
The acting was fine for the most part expect when it came to C.J. Perry, who is known as Lana to WWE fans. Her role as an I.T. Specialist didn’t come off believable. Standing with Copeland and Sabongui, she looked weak in comparison. Following her character in WWE, I believe she would have excelled more in a villainous role.
Another thing I enjoyed were the action sequences. They made the entire film feel grander than the usual home video release. The introduction I mentioned was a great segment as well as the close-quarters fights. How refreshing it is to see an interrogation specialist be an awesome fighter and not just a good talker?
Final Thoughts:
Obvious flaws are present like the generic cinematography and average plot but honestly, there is some really fun sequences here. ‘Interrogation‘ is what you come to expect from WWE Studios but their formula worked well under director Stephen Reynolds. This is the second film he has done for the studio following ‘12 Rounds 3: Lockdown‘. Expect to see more of collaborations between them.
The action-thriller from Lionsgate and WWE Studios, ‘Interrogation‘, is available now on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD), DVD (plus Digital), Digital HD and On Demand.
