Operation: Endgame DVD: Review By B. Alan Orange

I don't know what this is, or what director Fouad Mikati was trying to accomplish. He has an all-star cast of truly excellent comedians at his disposal, but he's not making a comedy. He has the wonderful Maggie Q by his side, but gives her little to do. He has a story, but doesn't explain himself until those final moments of the bizarrely off-kilter climax. Rob Corddry does a lot to save the film from being a purely unwatchable mess, but his riffs and angry tirades seem to be coming from the heart, not the screenplay. He plays a drunk, and I wouldn't blame him for drinking Tequila straight in every scene he has to suffer through. The beginning of the movie spends at least twenty-five minutes on unnecessary expository dialogue that serves no purpose. The story revolves around a group of eccentric assassins who carry out various jobs for the government. As Obama is sworn into the White House, a self-destruct button has been pushed on this elite group's headquarters in order to destroy any and all traces of their Bush Administration-era missions. For some reason, instead of helping each other try to find an escape from this ticking time bomb, they bounce from one scene to the next, killing each other. After we find out that there are two opposing teams, The Alpha and The Omega, which keep each other in check, we are treated to one scene after the next of each team member beating the other senseless. Short at 82 minutes, the film basically boils down to a couple of great comedians knocking the sh*t out of each other. It gets bloody, and they have to rely on office equipment. But the fun stops there. It's like watching a stack of dominoes. Rob Corddry kills Adam Scott. Maggie Q kills Bob Odenkirk. Brandon T. Jackson, wearing a weird, fake Humpty-Hump nose, kills Maggie Q, and on and on and on, esc., esc. It's tiresome and boring. And then everything blows up, and we realize none of it made much sense. Its dry, and not worth your time. Even as a late night rental.

The Behind-the-Scenes Featurette doesn't really delve into how this gang got together, or what Fouad was trying to accomplish. I would have loved to hear a commentary, but all we get are some meandering backstage videos of the actors goofing around, and some of the stunt team setting up various shots. There is an alternate opening that explains how Joe Anderson's character got his job. And an alternate ending that explains who Anderson really is, which completely shirks the alternate opening. Which just goes to prove that Mikati didn't really know what the heck he was doing. At all.

The film is presented in its original 2.40:1 widescreen aspect ratio. In color. The runtime is one hour and twenty-two minutes. The film has been rated R for strong violence and perverse language, including sexual references.

The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles are in English and Spanish.

If I were Odette Yustman, I'd be pissed. The girl is gorgeous, but she looks like some bizarre oddball on this cover. Someone was clearly f*cking with her. It's also weird to see Rob Corddry and Zack Galifianakis brandishing weapons in an action pose. I am thoroughly confused. I like the red and black color motif, but this just looks plain weird. It throws off my senses and plays havoc with my cinematic sensibility. I want to know more. I'd watch it out of curiosity. And be purely disappointed.

This is a bad movie. And I don't mean that in a fun way. Its not Z grade kitsch. It's just boring and pointless. Which is a shame considering the amazing amount of talent putting in an appearance here. This could have been cool. Or at least odd. Instead, it's just a waist of time. Boo!