Shadow Force (2025) (4K Ultra HD Review)
DIRECTED BY: Joe Carnahan
STARRING: Kerry Washington, Omar Sy, Jahleel Kamara
RATED: UR/Region: 0/2:39/2160P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Lionsgate Films
Nothing says an unhealthy work environment quite like your former employer putting a bounty on your head and sending an elite team of assassins to make sure you never collect unemployment. That’s the situation in Shadow Force, where an estranged couple finds themselves on the run with their son after their former shadow-ops unit decides that the best way to handle former employees is to murder them. HR probably isn’t going to be much help here.
The setup gives us a pretty straightforward action-thriller premise: two people with a complicated history, a kid caught in the middle, and a whole bunch of highly trained killers who apparently have nothing better to do than chase their former colleagues around. You’d think working in covert operations would come with a decent retirement package, but apparently the benefits include a lifetime supply of people trying to put bullets in you.
The family angle adds another layer to the usual cat-and-mouse action routine, because now it’s not just about surviving the people hunting them. They also have to keep their son alive while dealing with their own relationship baggage. Nothing brings a couple closer together quite like being hunted by an organization that knows all your weaknesses. Forget couples therapy; try a high-speed getaway and a few near-death experiences.
Of course, the movie’s biggest selling point is the action, and the premise certainly gives it plenty of opportunities for shootouts, chases, and the sort of professional-level violence that makes you wonder what these people were doing during their performance reviews. The story isn’t exactly reinventing the action-thriller wheel, but sometimes you don’t need groundbreaking cinema. Sometimes you just want to watch people with extremely questionable employment histories try not to get killed.
Final verdict: Shadow Force brings together assassins, family drama, relationship problems, and a workplace dispute that has gotten wildly out of hand. It’s a familiar action-thriller setup, but the idea of having your former employer send a kill squad after you definitely makes quitting your job seem a little more complicated. Two weeks’ notice? More like two weeks to live.
