It is a thriller that lacks qualities. It has spies and political factors, and it moves too quickly. Shadow Force is an enticing title, but the outcome is flawed. Directed by Joe Carnahan, who also wrote the film. Leon Chills was a co-writer of Shadow Force. There is a 007 feel to Shadow Force. Lots of it feels like a TV series. One that felt like it was still in development. It is just all over the place. It did not hold my attention, but it did when there was a safety area of a car for a child. Shadow Force has a creativity with gadgets and a poor foundation.

The plot of the film is set on a separated couple. They are Kyrah Owens (Kerry Washington) and Issac Sarr (Omar Sy). They have their son, Ky (Jahleel Kamara). Their old employer is on a hunt for them. Their old boss is Jack Cinder (Mark Strong). Jack is a ruthless man of wealth, greed, and always succeeding. However, the costs of livelihood are at stake.

The approach to the film is slow with pacing. Its speed to brutality is rapid, and it happens without context. It brings in a team of spies behind the scenes. Ones that relate to Kyrah and Issac, and their character names are Auntie (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), Unc (Method Man), Cysgod (Marvin Jones III), and Anino (Jenel Stevens). They are all spies behind the shadows. The hunt is hot, but Shadow Force does not boil well to sell.

The spy plot is just one that continues down the path to mingle. Some moments had me sold, and some had me in boredom. Much of the “boredom” was the instant direction to rampage violence. I understand mayhem sells in action movies, but layers of why and what is happening should have a brighter presence. There were not many “layers” of clarification for justification with Shadow Force.

The dynamic of two-faced spies and mistakes is where I feel Shadow Force had a chance. One to bring a loop of more turmoil to the story and fulfillment of what is causing karma. The hidden operations and truths do not deny lies. The context of invigoration is where Shadow Force is a blur. It is a massive smoke screen.

I will say that the cleverness of characterizations was dazzling with Shadow Force. They were just the wrong characters in the wrong spy movie. It is one where it is a bucket that is just a paint of confusion. What were the missions of the characters? How serious are politics and spy issues? Where are the layers of a puzzle? The film starts with a bam, and moving along, it begins redundancy.

To give any form of positivity, the diversity is one-of-a-kind. Sy’s character brings in the French language with a young boy. I felt there would be a correlation between bringing more international politics for a point-of-action mode on this factor. It did not suffice, only more dragging and unexpected action. They had no means of support to better Shadow Force. Two out of four stars.