Time loop movies are coming at audiences these days with such an increased frequency that moviegoers might feel like they're trapped in one of their own. But despite the increasingly familiar plot device, Boss Level is a ton of fun, impressive both with its action and its darkly comic sensibilities. It's a star-making turn for Frank Grillo, and the sort of film that will likely develop its own devoted cult of fans, eager to put another quarter in the machine and play this shoot-'em-up game again and again.
The film is centered around Grillo's Roy Pulver, the sort of ex-military badass that says things like: "Liam Neeson? He's a fake tough guy. I'm the real guy." That theory is put to the test immediately, as Roy wakes up to an action scene playing out in his apartment: machete-wielding hitman, helicopter with machine guns blazing outside the window, no time for breakfast. We quickly learn that this is how Roy has woken up every day for months, as his life has been skipping like a record, with the same bloody ending happening over and over.
A big part of his daily downfall comes at the hands of a crew of eccentric assassins who all feel like deleted scenes from Kill Bill. He assigns funny names to many of the killers (because although they've murdered him dozens of times, he's never had the chance to engage them in small talk): Kaboom the bomb-loving little person, sword-wielding Guan Yin (whose name means "goddess of mercy" and is anything but), hillbilly Smiley, the German twins — and Roy number 2, who inexplicably looks just like him. Boss Level is written and directed by Joe Carnahan, and as those who remember his Smokin' Aces will attest, the man knows how to craft depraved, memorable mischief-makers.
As anyone who has seen Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, Palm Springs, Happy Death Day, or even the Huey, Dewey and Louie segment of Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas will tell you, eventually the protagonist needs to figure out a way to escape the time loop; it's almost always just a theory, and it almost always proves true. Roy's theory slowly comes together: his ex-wife (Naomi Watts, in a thankless role) was working on a time-travel machine, she was killed by a gang of military-adjacent murderers led by Colonel Clive Vector (Mel Gibson), so perhaps she put him in this loop so he could keep replaying events until he manages to save the day?
If you can't tell by the title, Boss Level takes on all the trappings of gamer culture, making it feel as though Roy is our avatar and each villain a level to be conquered. If he mistimes the leap from a building, gets hit by a bus or beheaded by a baddie (which he does frequently), it's no big deal; in a moment, we know the game will reload, he'll wake up in his apartment, and there will be another life to play with. As he's ripping out his own teeth with a pair of pliers, telling an observer "Don't worry, it'll grow back," the movie hits an infectiously fun sweet spot that feels like Run Lola Run meets Groundhog Day, with a pinch of Crank for seasoning.
