Shadow Force (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – In SHADOW FORCE, Kyrah (Washington) and Isaac (Sy) were once the leaders of a multinational special forces group called Shadow Force. They broke the rules by falling in love, and in order to protect their son, they go underground. With a large bounty on their heads, and the vengeful Shadow Force hot on their trail, one family’s fight becomes all-out war.

My Take – Over the past two decades or so, director Joe Carnahan has helmed some exciting action flicks that includes the likes of Narc (2002), Smokin’ Aces (2006), The A-Team (2010), The Grey (2011), Stretch (2014), Boss Level (2020) and Copshop (2021), the very underrated Kerry Washington only recently re-showcased her dramatic range with The Six Triple Eight (2024), and French actor Omar Sy‘s international star power continues to be on the rise with increasing roles in blockbusters and of course, the Netflix-produced series Lupin (2021–present).

Yet, there is no possible way to comprehend or explain why these three would choose to attach themselves to a project which despite possessing all the ingredients for a slick, adrenaline-pumping experience, never manages to quite rise above its mediocrity. Instead, choosing to settle as a pale retread of better films.

Structured as a character-driven drama wrapped up in a monotone action-thriller wrapper, the story line is just all too familiar, offering little new within its overdone on-the-run premise with a bounty twist that lacks both emotional complexity or the necessary spectacle.

Sure, the direction is competent but the narrative is simply uninspired, and the performances, while watchable, doesn’t bother to break any molds. Rounding everything up in its 104 minutes run time, personally, I found myself completely unable to get invested in the overall tone of the film. As all I really wanted was a fun action thriller, but those few moments were so in between that I struggled to even recall them when the end credits began to roll.

The story follows Kyrah Owens (Kerry Washington) and Issac Sarr (Omar Sy), two former elite operatives who worked for a covert black ops unit called Shadow Force, who upon falling in love, eloped and had a son. But since their on the run lives was always in danger, in an effort to protect their family from the violent world they left behind, the two decide to go their separate ways.

With Kyrah taking on a mission to eliminate anyone and everyone associated with their former boss, Jack Cinder (Mark Strong), while Issac takes up on the role of a single dad to Ky (Jahleel Kamara).

However, five years later, when Issac is caught on camera botching an intended bank robbery, Kyrah is forces to come out of hiding to help take on the former members of their team of skilled assassins, who have been sent to kill them in exchange of the new bounty placed by Jack. Once again forced to go on the run, the two must rely on their instincts and combat skills to survive.

From Mexico to Spain to Bolivia, the action-packed journey unfolds with high-speed chases, near-death encounters and Lionel Ritchie songs.

Co-written by Carnahan and Leon Chills, the film initially holds great potential for mixing elements of drama and action, but fails to execute them to the best possible degree. It’s a very drama-heavy film focusing more on the world-building and family aspect than the action thriller elements that the marketing suggested. In fact, the film mostly just focuses on the family members talking about music, loving each other, and how they are going to be together than actually doing something about it.

It doesn’t help that Kyrah is a very poorly written action lead, who seemed entirely incapable of doing anything right. Every step she takes, lands the trio in trouble, a result of which even when she actually triumphs it end up landing with a thud. Meanwhile, Isaac’s only character development moment comes when it seems that he may have lost a step with his shooting, but turns out it’s not true.

Even though, the elite team looks deadly, they weren’t fully integrated into the narrative, nor specialized to give them all a unique look.

Yes, there are some fun moments there, like their love for Lionel Richie, but the action is simply mediocre as compared to the other scenes. Instead, it all feels so pedestrian. Add to that the how generic the story is, it all just feels like a retread of something we’ve seen time and time again. And by the time we get to an incoherently edited climax, which includes a third-act reversal that comes basically out of nowhere, featuring a couple of guys we’ve seen before, it has all come to a point where it has become difficult to even care about anything happening onscreen.

Performance wise, given the poorly written character, Kerry Washington‘s turn is a mostly letdown, especially when compared to her past work. Though she gets a few moments to shine as a caring mother, but her overall portrayal feels uninspired and flat, lacking the depth and intensity needed for such a high-stakes role. The same goes for Omar Sy, who gets a little more heavy-handed and repetitive. However, the loving father and dutiful husband role comes off as comparatively believable.

Mark Strong is playing the same old antagonist character and doesn’t stray far from his usual shtick. In what is probably a cash grab for him, Strong needs to realize he is too good of an actor to keep getting typecast into such basic villain roles.

In supporting roles, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Method Man at least make for a fun pair, while Jahleel Kamara often steals the show from his much experienced onscreen parents, especially when the musical aspects kick in and he just has to sing. On the whole, ‘Shadow Force‘ is a forgettable action flick which despite a few bright moments, mostly works as a pale retread of better films.