Classifiedis one of the biggest movies on Paramount+ right now, but the action movie starringAaron EckhartandTim Rothis a terrible turn by the former comic book movie stars to almost everyone who has watched it. In the latest contradiction to hit the streaming world,Classifiedis one of several movies that no one has anything good to say about that has managed to find itself being watched more thanhighly praised films such asA Quiet Place: Day One.
Action movies are released thick and fast these days, and there is a good reason for that. They are always an incredible draw for audiences.Classifiedis a very good example of that, but despite having two well-known stars leading it in Eckhart and Roth, the film is so far packing nothing more than a 0% score from critics and an equally terrible 7% from audiences. The synopsis forClassifiedreads:
“Operating alone in the field for more than 20 years, a CIA hitman (Aaron Eckhart) uses the “Help Wanted” section of the newspapers to get his orders from the Agency. His long-lost daughter (Abigail Breslin), now a UK MI6 analyst, tracks him down to deliver shocking news: his CIA boss (Tim Roth) has been dead for years and the division long since shut down. Together, they set out to discover whose orders he’s been executing.”
Why is ‘Classified’ Being Panned?
Classifiedis clearly just the latest movie to land in that growing pot of films that no one likes, but thousands have watched. It is a generic addition to the action genre, with a runtime jam packed with clichés and tropes that have kept audiences flocking to the genre for decades.
A quick dive into the reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes highlights the usual common complaints about action movies – bad dialogue, one-dimensional bad guys, a convoluted and cheesy plot. However,Classified’s issues seem to go even deeper than usual, as normally any action movie can be saved by delivering some well-choreographed, exciting fight sequences, but it doesn’t even have that. As MovieWeb’s Mark Keizer noted:
“A slew of action thriller clichés, logy fight choreography, dull pew-pew shootouts and a miscast Abigail Breslin.”
Classified Director Roel Reiné Details the Action Workout He Gave Aaron Eckhart & Abigail Breslin
The prolific action filmmaker speaks to MovieWeb about working with Aaron Eckhart and the all-grown-up Abigail Breslin in Classified.
Emilie Black of Cinema Crazedhad nothing more positive to say, callingClassifieda film“that feels like it had no ambitions, no goal beyond ‘making a film.’”Meanwhile, Observer’s Leslie Fleperin called out the“shockingly bad dialogue”as the reason for their “rotten” review.
Over on Letterboxd, one review perfectly explained why these movies always tend to do well when they land on a streaming platform. In comments by userEggus, who gave the film a half-star review, they said:
“The sh*t I watch because it’s easily available on streaming. Aaron Eckhart is the lamest action lead ever. I give some credit to director Roel Reiné for atleast trying, but in the VOD action age where you have to use cheap CGI explosions, blood and gunshots the action has as much impact as a wet fart.”
Classified
