Frank Grillo must figure out how to stay alive in Hulu’s sci-fi action comedy Boss Level

It’s taken a few years, but Joe Carnahan’s sci-fi action comedy Boss Level is finally about to be unlocked.

Carnahan (who’s got some great movies like Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team, The Grey, and Stretch under his belt) first announced the project way back in 2012 while under the 20^th Century Fox banner, and a few years later Craig told us how Frank Grillo and Mel Gibson were in talks to play the leads. Production wrapped in 2018 and the movie was due to be released in the latter half of 2019, before unfortunately being delayed. In February 2020 Carnahan and Grillo were on hand for an advance screening of the movie, just as a global pandemic was starting to rear its ugly head and we all know what happened to movie releases after that. Finally though, after some limited releases in overseas countries, the movie is getting a broader release through the streaming platform Hulu.

Well that’s a long history lesson, but I still haven’t told you what it’s all about.  

Grillo (Captain America: Winter Soldier) plays an aimless former special forces operative who’s desperate to reconnect with his ex-wife (Naomi Watts – The Impossible) and young son (played by Grillo’s actual son, Rio, in his first movie role). However much to his surprise, and thanks to his e-wife’s secret research project, he’s caught in a time loop that sees him reliving the same day over and over again until he dies. And he dies a lot, because he’s the target of a group of eccentric assassins dispatched by his ex-wife’s villainous boss, Colonel Ventor (Mel Gibson), who sees him both as a threat to his own power and desire for power over time itself.

The movie also features a top notch supporting cast that includes Annabelle Wallis, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong, Will Sasso, Meadow Williams, Mathilde Ollivier, and Selina Lo.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

Trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder, former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) uncovers clues about a secret government project that could unlock the mystery behind his untimely death. In a race against the clock, Pulver must hunt down Colonel Ventor (Mel Gibson), the powerful head of the government program, while outrunning skilled ruthless assassins determined to keep him from the truth in order to break out of the loop, save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts) and live once again for tomorrow.

Let’s take a look:

This basically looks like a combination of Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, Carnahan’s earlier Smokin’ Aces, and Groundhog Day – and it looks like an incredibly good time. The action looks superb and I really enjoy the over-the-top characters and humour on display.

What do you think?

Boss Level will premiere on Hulu on 5 March.

Last Updated: January 20, 2021