Sylvester Stallone has seldom performed the villain onscreen, and judging from the stolidity of his flip in “Armor,” it appears unlikely he’s needed to. That lack of enthusiasm will likely be echoed by most viewers watching this uninspired motion programmer, during which top-billed Jason Patric’s driver and coworker-son Josh Wiggins get waylaid by armed robbers whereas transporting financial institution funds — and, unknown to them, some even-more-valuable contraband. 

Primarily going down on a rural bridge the place good guys and dangerous have a chronic standoff, Justin Routt’s Mississippi-shot function is competently made. However neither its staging nor its performances transcend the constraints of Adrian Speckert and Cory Todd Hughes’ script, leaving mediocre materials unredeemed by any particular thrills, fashion, or character detailing. Lionsgate is launching the movie concurrently in U.S. theaters, digital and on-demand platforms Nov. 22. 

When not behind the wheel of an armored car, ex-cop James Brody (Patric) is moderating AA conferences. He’s ostensibly been sober six years since hitting backside after his spouse died in an accident he blames himself for. However the truth is, he’s nonetheless imbibing on the sly, a undeniable fact that’s seemingly eluded the detection of son Casey (Wiggins), who himself now has a spouse and a child on the way in which. You’d suppose Junior would discover, on condition that they work collectively most days transporting money between banks. However then “Armor” has a number of core implausibilities.

The primary one is that one way or the other no one notices, or calls the police, when their tightly scheduled route is hijacked by Rook (Stallone) and his small squad of co-conspirators. Chased and rammed, the truck is lastly stopped in the midst of a rural bridge with loads of constructions close by — so it is not sensible that this squealing-tires fracas, not to mention the gunfire and explosions that observe, don’t instantly draw officers of the regulation. Additionally, wouldn’t an armored car bearing a lot money be monitored by way of GPS monitoring system? What occurs right here isn’t actually thrilling sufficient to make you cease asking these nagging questions.

In any case, father and son discover themselves going through a half-dozen closely armed males in black, together with Sprint Mihok, Joshua David Whites and Blake Shields in addition to Stallone. They intend to abscond with loot that seems to embody drug cartel riches our heroes had no thought they have been transporting. When resistance is met, ways get dirtier on either side, with the Brodys retreating to the armored truck inside after Casey is wounded. There, they endure makes an attempt at being gassed and sweated out, but in addition discover methods to winnow the opposition forces. 

“That rent-a-cop’s a tricky sumbitch,” says one dangerous man in eventual grudging admiration … and in what’s sadly a good instance of the generic dialogue right here. About midway via, we get a flashback to the tragedy that derailed James’ life, with Erin Ownbey as his late partner. That additionally feels strictly rote because the script’s sole notable try at character backstory and depth. 

You may’t blame the actors right here for failing to make a lot of roles so undistinguished within the writing. Nobody is dangerous, precisely, however nobody is making an attempt very exhausting, both. In Stallone’s case, making an attempt in any respect doesn’t appear to be on the agenda — this look is his equal to a few of Bruce Willis’ later ones, during which the massive star identify can’t or received’t cover that he’s simply exhibiting up for a paycheck. His felony mastermind is softened by the late declare that he’s “not a killer … it’s not in my nature.” However as he’s the boss of this outfit, that assertion makes it complicated that hitherto his subordinates appeared fairly wanting to off our protagonists. For that matter, if the Brodys’ lives have been going to be spared, why don’t the dangerous dudes do something to cover their faces from straightforward identification?

Sloppy as such logic is, “Armor” would possibly’ve been enjoyable if there was extra humor to it, or if the modest motion setpieces have been executed with some panache. As an alternative, we’re all too conscious that we’re caught on a bridge with a whole lot of argumentative blowhards, unsure why no different vehicles come by to notice the blocked roadway … not to mention why police aren’t hustling to what should be a uncommon outburst of very noisy crime on this rural space. What ideally should play out as a pressure-cooker thriller in actual time comes off far much less tense than it ought to, by no means fairly rising uninteresting however edging dangerously shut. 

The perfect parts within the skilled manufacturing meeting are Cale Finot’s widescreen cinematography and the bayou areas — neither of that are exploited to their full potential, however are engaging nonetheless. Additionally incomes factors for no less than making an attempt so as to add some regional ambiance is a soundtrack stuffed with various-artist cuts in a bluesy, twangy Southern rock mode.