Central Intelligence

Bantucinema

Central Intelligence 8/10

By William Rivers

 

Palpable chemistry and a surprisingly touching and complex story!

Central Intelligence, starring

Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson, is a classic tale about not judging a book by its cover, a classic buddy cop comedy, a mystery, and a bomb action flick all rolled into one! I enjoyed this movie even more than I assumed I would, going into it. From the trailers, I could tell that this was a perfect pairing of comedians. I'm not normally much of a Kevin Hart fan. I enjoy some of his performances, but believe that he falls into the common cycle of comedic yelling that many decently funny performers tend to end up in. We get it, you're small, you're loud and angry and you're overly confident. When it comes to Dwayne Johnson, I am and always will be a fan. This man is pure charisma, looks and power. I am a straight man, and yet I am not ashamed to say that smile gets me every time! He has such a great balance between social likeability and "taking care of business", that makes him the highlight of any movie he's in. Even Why Did I Get Married Too, was made barely passable simply because he was in the last 2 minutes of the film.

Together, these two have some amazing chemistry! You can really tell that these guys probably hang out in real life, because they just play off of each other so well. What really made this movie great though, wasn't just their ability to work well together, but their individual abilities to turn off their usual performances and trade off when necessary. This film is definitely different for them as actors. For the first time, we are seeing Dwayne Johnson, the master of likeability, being the most abrasive and awkward man-child you can imagine, and will all of that size, he can be downright creepy at times! Kevin Hart on the other hand is really the straight-man to Johnson's comic foil. Sure he has his moments where he nears his usual over-the-topness, but he never really breaks the surface. He is just a moderately eccentric guy who wants to rid himself of the chaos that Dwayne Johnson's character has introduced into his life. This change of pace for them is insanely refreshing because you know that this isn't who they are naturally, especially with Dwayne Johnson. The fact that the man who is normally the smoothest of the smooth is hugging people and wearing a pony muscle shirt, while also kicking ass, really amps up the laughs. The sheer absurdity of it all keeps the comedy flowing for a good majority of the film.

Don't be fooled! This movie is not as it appears in the trailer. It is enormously better! What appeared to be a very simple yet fun buddy cop flick is made surprisingly deep by the overarching message, and by the "Who do I trust" plot. I was pleasantly startled at the fact that a movie like this would have me really questioning certain characters' motivations and intentions. The confusion of Kevin Hart's character is shared with the audience, as you never really know what to think or what to believe. Do you judge based on appearance, or do you trust your friends and hear them out? This is something that we can all identify with, coupled with the struggles that I and many other viewers can personally identify with: being the outcast.

"I don't like bullies." Yet they exist, and a good number of us have had to deal with them at one time or another. This film shows you both sides of the fence when it comes to appearances and popularity. The people who are beloved in high school are not always the most successful, and the fat kids who get picked on, sometimes grow up to be Dwayne Johnson! This relatable setup, makes questioning these characters all the more shocking, as you were sure you had them sized up and you were sure you knew where this movie was going. As I said, this movie seemed to be very simplistic from the trailer, but it really turned out to be touching and gripping.

The only issues I really have with this movie are that near the beginning of the 3rd act, the comedy hits a bit of a lull point. This doesn't last long, and this isn't terrible, it's just relatively noticeable in one scene in particular because up until this point, you have been laughing uncontrollably, and now you're just kinda watching the screen. That and a few major actions from the characters that should have been addressed but really weren't, brings the movie down just a tiny bit. You really can't do THAT to somebody and have nobody really question you.

Other than that, Central Intelligence was (as cliché as this is) a breath of fresh air. It was really nice to see these guys in a way that you've never seen them before. They are very good actors, who just happen to play the same types of characters in every other movie. This is the type of film that can only happen once though, as there could be no other setup that would explain these two men playing similar characters again. I think this is a perfect movie for the two of them because it is a welcome change, that can't be recreated. Even if you aren't a fan of these actors, you should take a look at this one. Actually, especially if you aren't a fan, you should check this one out! Like I said, people who think Kevin Hart is too loud, will really like him in this movie, and if for some odd reason, that signature Dwayne Johnson smile and charisma is just too much for you to handle...you won't have to worry about the charisma.