Disappointing! Shadow Force (2025) || Movie Review

After seeing Omar Sy in action in The Killer (2024), I come across another of his movies released last year where he plays a lead role alongside Kerry Washington. My interest was piqued. I've seen some of Washington's movies and none of them is an action flick. That's a bold new turn in her career and if done well, she could go further in Hollywood.

Written and directed by Joe Carnahan, Shadow Force (2025) begins with the quote, “Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.” The first scene shows Isaac (Omar Sy) and a boy in a bath tub. He's the father and they bathe together. At one point, the boy remarks that he misses his mother. Another scene shows Kyrah (Kerry Washington) with a sniper gun taking out a man in a room with weapons.

It becomes clear that Isaac and Kyrah are former members of a secret task force called Shadow Force led by Jack Cinder (Mark Strong). This couple falls in love, have a baby, leave the group unceremoniously and go into hiding for years. This leads Cinder to declare a war against them.

In another scene, Isaac and his son go to the bank to sort out an issue when masked robbers storm the place. One of the robbers threatens to shoot the boy when Isaac takes off his hearing aids and deals with the robbers. This scene is captured on CCTV camera and broadcasted. Cinder sees the video and recalls members of the Shadow Force to find the couple. He doubles the bounty on them. The question remains: why does Cinder want this couple desperately?

My Review And Rating

I saw the poster, liked the cast and was excited for the movie only to wish I'd not watched it by the time the credits rolled. Shadow Force is one of those movies that gets your hopes up with its trailers and hype, only to dash it with a cliché plot, sloppy storytelling and acting.

Being an action flick, I expected more especially with the likes of Omar Sy, Kerry Washington and Mark Strong on the cast. First, the plot and storytelling is just so average and predictable. It's a familiar trope in action movies where members of a secret or classified group go rogue for some reason and turn around to attack the group that trained them. So I expected Joe Carnahan to elevate his plot by adding something fresh or original to it.

Instead he worsens the boring plot by centering it on two men fighting over the affection of a woman. Did I facepalm when the movie reached this point? Yes, I did and with disappointment. I would have preferred if the plot had included something like the couple having some classified intel that Cinder would kill for, hence the bounty on them. The ‘affection’ part of the plot is simply cheap and undermines Washington's role in the film.

The actors' performances are great for a movie with a predictable plot. I especially enjoyed Omar Sy's acting as both an assassin and a protective father. Mark Strong is always impressive as a villain. It's a role he seems very good at, particularly with the kind of facial expressions that make it clear he means business and doesn't hesitate to kill.

Kerry Washington is convincing as a tough assassin and protective mom but making Jack Cinder her ex-lover kind of weakens the strength of her character. Also, I feel Washington and Sy have no chemistry as a couple and their connection with their onscreen son is shaky and doubtful. Luckily for them, the boy is smart and his lively character attempts to steal the show.

The action sequences are good but the cinematography undermines it in some scenes. The editing and lighting are sometimes unsteady and dim. In one scene, Kyrah is beaten by her former members of Shadow Force while Cinder stands by and watches them. Instead of focusing on Kyrah and her ex-team, the camera shifts to Cinder looking down at them. We are left to imagine whatever is happening to Kyrah. That's sloppy filming and directing. The action belongs to Kyrah and not Cinder.

Rating this movie, I will give it 5 stars out of 10 for Sy and Strong's performances. The plot and acting could be better and I wish it was. I had high hopes for this one and it was dashed. If you have seen this movie, let me know your thoughts on it.