Dirty Angels (2024)
Chaos and Chuckles: Dirty Angels Unleashes Martin Campbell’s Gritty Gambit
Dirty Angels, released December 13, 2024, by Lionsgate in theaters and on-demand, is a $25 million action thriller that struggles to soar despite its gritty promise. Directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), it stars Eva Green as Jake, a U.S. soldier haunted by a botched Afghan rescue in 2021, where her team was slaughtered by ISIS leader Amir (George Iskandar). Years later, she leads an all-female commando unit—disguised as medics—to save kidnapped schoolgirls, including daughters of diplomats, from Amir’s clutches amid Afghanistan’s chaos post-U.S. withdrawal. With a 104-minute runtime, it’s a bloody sprint through explosions and shootouts, co-written by Campbell, Alissa Sullivan Haggis, and Jonas McCord. It’s earned $10 million globally so far, a modest haul reflecting mixed buzz.
The chaos is palpable—ISIS storms a school, Jake’s squad infiltrates via niqabs, and double-crosses pile up like spent shells. Campbell aims for a Dirty Dozen vibe with a gender twist, but the script’s a mess—plot threads (ransom, a freed prisoner) tangle without payoff. Chuckles are thin—Jake’s “I don’t do names, just jobs” sets a dour tone, though Maria Bakalova’s “The Bomb” quips “This beats babysitting” amid gunfire. Shot in Morocco and Greece’s Nu Boyana Studios, its dusty realism nods to Campbell’s Edge of Darkness, yet critics split: Rotten Tomatoes sits at 30% (20 reviews), Metacritic at 43/100, with NY Times calling it “a bore” despite the gore. X posts echo “Eva Green deserves better.”
The pacing lurches—slow setup yields to a frantic final 20 minutes, per Flickering Myth. It’s chaotic, yes—Humvees explode, heads roll—but the chuckles are grim, the gambit uneven. Campbell’s action chops shine, but the film’s soul feels AWOL, a gritty shell chasing past glories.
The cast is Dirty Angels’s ammo, firing with mixed precision in its chaotic fray. Eva Green’s Jake is a steely standout—scarred from her 2021 capture (shown in a brutal opener), she’s all grit and gravelly American accent, barking orders like “Move or die.” Her sword-and-fist brawl with Amir, per MovieWeb, proves she’s an action star, though Roger Ebert notes she’s “washed out” by a script giving her little beyond toughness. Maria Bakalova’s “The Bomb,” an explosives whiz, brings fleeting levity—“Boom’s my therapy”—her Borat 2 spark dimmed by thin writing. Ruby Rose’s “Medic” is a surprise—muted dialogue lets her physicality shine, a step up from John Wick 2, per JoBlo.
Jojo T. Gibbs (“Geek”) and Rona-Lee Shimon (“Mechanic”) round out the squad, competent but faceless—Campbell’s “function over name” ethos reduces them to cogs, per Hollywood Outsider. George Iskandar’s Amir snarls cartoonishly—“You’ll beg for death”—overshadowing the heroines, a Dirty Dozen villain minus the depth. Christopher Backus’s Delta Force vet and Reza Brojerdi’s chatty driver Malik (“Doors fan, huh?”) die fast, their charm wasted. The ensemble’s chaos is kinetic—Green’s glare, Rose’s sprint—but chuckles are rare, limited to Bakalova’s quips or Malik’s doomed rock banter. Collider laments “thinly drawn” roles, and X posts agree: “Great cast, weak script.” They fight hard, but the gambit’s on them.
Visually and sonically, Dirty Angels is a chaotic blast, rough-hewn yet striking. Rico Torres’s cinematography turns Morocco’s deserts and Greek studios into a war-torn haze—dust chokes the air, niqabs flap in gunfights, per Chicago Sun-Times. The action’s old-school—point-blank headshots, a Humvee fireball—shot practically with spotty CGI (drones look “amateur,” per IMDb reviews). Campbell’s staging shines in the cave finale—Jake’s blade dance with Amir, girls fleeing through smoke—though NY Times flags “cartoonish” excess. The chaos peaks there, a visceral jolt after a sluggish build, per Flickering Myth’s “entertaining jingoism” nod.
Luke Gibleon’s score—thumping percussion, no melody—mirrors The Protégé’s pulse, less Casino Royale’s polish. Sound design pops—gunfire cracks, blood squelches—earning a “visceral punch” from Sun-Times, though Letterboxd calls it “cheap.” Chuckles—like Geek’s “Wi-Fi’s down, we’re screwed”—land dryly amid the din. The R-rated gore—stabbed necks, stoned soldiers—divides: Common Sense Media warns of “graphic violence,” X posts revel in “throwback brutality.” Flaws? The first hour’s talky—Collider’s “old-fashioned”—and VFX wobble. Still, it’s a gritty gambit—visuals and sound roar, a chaotic canvas that nearly saves the day.
Dirty Angels’s strength is its chaotic grit—a female-led mission flick with guts. Green’s Jake, a “tough-as-nails” force (JoBlo), and Campbell’s action savvy deliver: the finale’s cave assault, per Hollywood Outsider, is a “rousing bloodbath.” The premise—commandos in niqabs—flips gender norms, a nod to The Dirty Dozen, and Bakalova’s zingers (“Boom’s my art”) offer slim chuckles. Its $10 million haul and VOD buzz suggest cult potential, per The Numbers, with X posts cheering “mindless violence done right.” The Afghan setting—2021 withdrawal, ISIS vs. Taliban—grounds it, though Common Sense flags “stereotypes.”
Weaknesses cripple it. The script’s a cliché stew—Roger Ebert’s “blown opportunity”—with no depth for Jake’s squad or stakes beyond “get them home” (Sun-Times). Amir’s cartoon evil and a tangled plot (ransom, betrayal) bore, per NY Times’s “discord.” Pacing falters—80 minutes drag, per Flickering Myth—and CGI’s shoddy, per IMDb’s “student-level.” Legacy-wise, it’s no Casino Royale—a 6/10, gritty but flat. Collider’s “too old-fashioned” stings; it’s a gambit that fizzles, lacking The Protégé’s spark. For action junkies, it’s a bloody lark; for others, a chaotic shrug—Green’s fire can’t ignite this dud.
