The suspense goes over a bridge in an uninspired heist thriller starring Sylvester Stallone

Sylvester Stallone has rarely played the villain on screen, and judging by the mastery of his line in “Armor,” it seems unlikely he wanted to. That lack of enthusiasm will be echoed by most viewers who watch this uninspired action-programmer, in which Jason Patric’s chauffeur and Josh Wiggins’ co-worker’s son are accosted by armed robbers while transporting bank funds – and, without knows, some even more – valuable contraband.

Taking place primarily on a rural bridge where good guys and bad guys have a protracted showdown, Justin Routt’s Mississippi-set film is expertly crafted. But neither the staging nor its performances overcome the limitations of Adrian Speckert and Cory Todd Hughes’ script, leaving the mediocre material unredeemed by any particular emotion, style or character detail. Lionsgate is releasing the film simultaneously in theaters, digital and on-demand platforms in the US on November 22.

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When he’s not behind the wheel of an armored vehicle, ex-cop James Brody (Patric) moderates AA meetings. He’s reportedly been sober for six years since hitting rock bottom after his wife died in an accident he blames. But he’s actually still drinking on the sly, a fact that seems to have escaped the detection of son Casey (Wiggins), who himself now has a wife and a baby on the way. You’d think Junior would notice considering they work together most days moving cash between banks. But then “Armor” has more basic improbabilities.

The main thing is that somehow no one notices, or calls the police, when their well-planned route is hijacked by Rook (Stallone) and his small team of co-conspirators. Chased and rammed, the truck is eventually stopped in the middle of a rural bridge with lots of structures in view – so it doesn’t make sense that this squealing brawl, let alone the ensuing gunfire and explosions, wouldn’t immediately attract the officers. of the law. Also, wouldn’t an armored vehicle carrying that much cash be monitored via GPS tracking? What’s going on here isn’t really interesting enough to make you stop asking those nagging questions.

In any case, father and son are up against half a dozen heavily armed men in black, including Dash Mihok, Joshua David Whites and Blake Shields, as well as Stallone. They plan to make off with a booty that turns out to include drug cartel riches our heroes had no idea they were transporting. When resistance is encountered, tactics turn dirtier on both sides, with Brody retreating inside the armored truck after Casey is wounded. There, they endure trials of being gassed and sweated, but also find ways to defeat opposing forces.

“That rent-a-cop is some tough shit,” says a bad guy in possibly reluctant admiration… and in what is unfortunately a fair example of the generic dialogue here. About halfway through, we get a flashback to the tragedy that derailed James’ life, with Erin Ownbey as his late wife. It also feels strictly memorable as the script’s only notable attempt at backstory and character depth.

You can’t blame the actors here for not being able to pull off many roles so undistinguished in writing. Nobody’s bad, exactly, but nobody’s trying very hard either. In Stallone’s case, trying doesn’t seem to be the order of the day—this appearance is his equivalent of some of Bruce Willis’s later ones, where the big name star can’t or won’t hide that he’s just showing up. for a salary. His murderous mind is softened by the late statement that “I’m not a killer…it’s not in my nature.” But since he’s the boss of this outfit, this statement makes it puzzling that up until now his underlings have seemed quite keen to remove our protagonists. Besides, if Brody’s lives were going to be spared, why don’t the bad guys do anything to hide their faces from easy identification?

As sloppy as such logic is, “Armor” would have been entertaining if there had been more humor or if the modest action sequences had been executed with some panache. Instead, we’re all too aware that we’re stuck on a bridge with lots of argumentative discussion, unsure why no other cars come to notice the blocked road…let alone why the police aren’t rushing to what must be a rare explosion. of very noisy crime in this rural area. What should ideally play out like a real-time pressure cooker thriller becomes far less tense than it should be, never getting boring but coming dangerously close.

The best elements of the professionally produced ensemble are Cale Finot’s widescreen cinematography and the bayou locations—neither of which are exploited to their full potential, but they’re attractive nonetheless. Also earning points for at least trying to add a regional vibe is a soundtrack filled with cuts by various artists in a bluesy, vibrant Southern rock way.

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