Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of Movie Reviews 2025, where action and thrills are the order of the day. Or at the very least, that’s the intention behind some of this week’s movies.
Speaking of which, let me tell you which movies are putting their heads above the parapet. For better or worse, Scott Eastwood and Sylvester Stallone headline Mission Alarum; Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe go head-to-head in The Man in My Basement; and Mark Wahlberg and LaKeith Stanfield star in Play Dirty.
Plus, this week Dwayne Johnson takes on arguably the biggest challenge of his acting career in the sports bio-pic, The Smashing Machine. This film has been creating some buzz for a while now, so let’s see what Johnson brings to the table.
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Now streaming…
Mission Alarum (2025)
First up this week is the action-thriller (and I’m using those words generously), Mission Alarum (aka Alarum). Directed by Michael Polish, and starring Scott Eastwood, Sylvester Stallone, Willa Fitzgerald, and Mike Colter, the film focuses on two former spies who find themselves dragged into a dangerous situation.
In the movie, two rival agents are on a mission in Prague, but instead of killing each other they fall in love, get married, and start a life together. Ah, what a romance!
Five years later, the agents – now going by the names of Joe and Lara Travers – are in Poland when Joe comes across a downed plane. The pilots have been shot, and it becomes clear this is an organised attack.
While searching the crash scene Joe retrieves a flash drive, but before he can get to the bottom of the situation a team of mercenaries appear. He manages to escape being bumped off, but quickly becomes a target.
To make matters worse, another agent from Joe’s old organisation is sent into the field to do some clean up work. His job is to defeat the mercenaries, eliminate Joe and Lara, and ensure everything is tied up neatly.
Filled with every cliché in the book, and devoid of any originality, Mission Alarum is a tedious, by-the-numbers action flick. The story is dull, the scenes of spectacle are run-of-the-mill, and some of the acting (including a few accents) are questionable.
Scott Eastwood does his best with the material he is given, and Sylvester Stallone brings a little star power to the picture as fellow agent Chester, but there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done many times before – and better! Mission Alarum is the sort of movie that was going direct-to-video back in the ‘90s, clogging up bargain bins at Woolies in its wake, and quite frankly it should have remained there.
Anyway, should you wish to check it out/avoid it* (*delete as applicable), Mission Alarum is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. It isn’t the worst film in the world, but it’s simply not that good either.
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Now streaming…
The Man in My Basement (2025)
Over to Disney+ now for the dark thriller, The Man in My Basement. Directed and co-written by Nadia Latif, and based on Walter Mosley’s book of the same name, the film stars Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe and follows the story of a man who rents out his basement to a stranger.
In the film, Charles Blakey is strapped for cash. Since his mother passed away he has struggled to pay the bills on his family house in Sag Harbor Hills and is now in a desperate situation.
One day, while trying to figure a way out of his financial nightmare, Charles receives a knock at the door. Standing in his doorway is Anniston Bennet – a curious man who tells Charles he wishes to rent out his basement.
Charles finds the proposition quite odd, and declines the offer. Anniston leaves his card and suggests if he changes his mind to give him a call.
A few days later, Charles reconsiders his position and calls Anniston’s number, leaving a message on his answer machine. When Anniston calls back, he makes Charles an offer which is too tempting to resist.
Anniston wishes to rent out Charles’ basement for 65 days, at a cost of £1000 a day. The arrangement is a ‘don’t tell anyone’ kind of deal, but one with prompt payment.
Charles agrees, and within days Anniston moves into the basement. However, once Anniston settles in, his reason for renting the basement becomes less than clear.
With an intriguing premise, as well as the inclusion of Willem Dafoe amongst the cast, The Man in My Basement has at least two things going for it, and this is certainly enough to pique the interest. Dafoe is always top value entertainment, while the mystery surrounding Anniston is an interesting hook.
It’s just a shame then the film fumbles things by struggling to decide what kind of tale to tell. At times The Man in My Basement plays like a psychological thriller, at other times it seems to be veering into supernatural territory, and at no point does it lock down a clear identity.
Then to add to these nit-picks, the pacing is all over the place. The Man in My Basement is built on many, many peaks and troughs, with momentum created and squandered with frustrating regularity.
On the plus side, the aforementioned Dafoe is excellent as Anniston, and likewise Corey Hawkins is great as Charles. The interactions between the two is where The Man in My Basement is at its strongest, and there’s some good stuff in here.
The staging is also pretty solid, as is the cinematography, and the central mystery does work for the most part. It just never quite comes together as intended, and the end result is a mixed bag that’s neither here nor there.
Take a look if you are curious, but don’t expect to be fully satisfied. The Man in My Basement has potential, it just doesn’t make the most of it.
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Now streaming…
Play Dirty (2025)
In Play Dirty, Parker is a career criminal and the head of a gang who have just pulled off a $400,000 heist. However, before anyone can spend the money, one member of the group betrays the rest, kills everyone except Parker, and leaves him for dead.
Once Parker is back on his feet he tracks down the rogue member. He plans to take back the money and pull the trigger in an act of revenge.
But Parker soon learns there is a bigger game in play, which includes the opportunity to earn far more than $400,000. Agreeing to holster his gun, he joins a new team to pull off a huge heist which promises to be his biggest payday to date.
Directed and co-written by Shane Black, Play Dirty stars Mark Wahlberg, LaKeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Jane, and Tony Shalhoub. The movie is an action-thriller based on the Parker book series by Donald E. Westlake, and is a fairly slick picture, very much in keeping with Black’s standard playbook.
If you’re a fan of the filmmaker’s back catalogue, whether as writer (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout) or director (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Nice Guys), you’ll find enough to like about Play Dirty. This film is very much cut from the same cloth and puts audiences on familiar ground.
There’s a recognisable lead star, plenty of witty banter, a good dose of action, a jazzy soundtrack, and a nice Christmas backdrop. Play Dirty also has a couple of strong scenes of spectacle, including a train sequence which takes place midway through the film and is a lot of fun to watch.
Is this a Shane Black film by the numbers? Yeah, a bit, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Unlike some action thrillers that are doing the rounds (Mission Alarum being a prime example), Play Dirty has style and substance. It’s also likeable, it suits streaming, and would be perfect as a bit of disposable entertainment for a Saturday night in with a curry and a couple of beers.
It’s a tad too long, but what isn’t these days? The important thing is that Play Dirty maintains enough momentum to get from A to B, plus it looks great thanks to some beautiful cinematography from Philippe Rousselot.
Should you wish to check out Play Dirty, the movie is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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In cinemas…
The Smashing Machine (2025)
And finally, over to the cinema for this week’s big new movie. Big because it is a film with a theatrical release, and big because it stars Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, and in terms of pure muscle mass, you don’t get much bigger.
The film is The Smashing Machine – a biographical sports drama from writer/director Benny Safdie. Based on John Hyams’ book, The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr, the movie sees Johnson take on the role of Kerr, a former wrestler turned mixed martial arts fighter.
In the film, Johnson stars alongside Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, and Oleksandr Usyk. Chief amongst the cast is Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s wife Dawn, and sees Blunt reunite with Johnson following their previous on-screen pairing in 2021’s Jungle Cruise.
As for the story, The Smashing Machine charts Kerr’s career between 1997 and 2000, with a particular focus on the highs and lows during ‘99. Like most sports bio-pics there are tragedies and triumphs, as well as an examination of the problems in his personal life along the way.
OK, so it’s fair to say Johnson is one of the most successful entertainers on the planet. Whether you’re personally a fan of his movies or not, he is a big box-office draw, and often the reason audiences watch his films, rather than being interested in the movie themselves.
Yet up until now, one thing has always eluded Johnson, and that is being recognised for his acting ability. His charm and charisma is so effervescent, that it stands front-and-centre in all his work (and helps carry him through some of his not-so-good pictures), but it has sort of gotten in the way of his acting.
Put simply: It’s difficult to see Johnson playing anyone other than himself. With over 392 million followers on Instagram alone, and various products attached to his name (tequila, deodorant, etc), he has become a brand which is bigger than any film role.
So, with The Smashing Machine, Johnson is aiming to correct this. He has taken on a part with more depth and a lot more heft than any of his previous roles, in order to challenge himself and showcase his skills, and do you know what? He pulls it off.
The Smashing Machine is very much Johnson’s picture, and one which will become a touchstone in his film career. Benny Safdie delivers a solid movie, which ticks all the boxes expected from a biography of this nature, but the selling point here is Johnson’s performance.
With the aid of a few prosthetics, as well as pure commitment to the part, he becomes Kerr. A great deal of the sheen seen in his usual characters is left at the door, and what remains is an impassioned turn from the actor.
OK, so at times it does feel like Johnson is perhaps drawing from his own experiences, particularly his years in the wrestling ring, but playing to what you know is never a bad thing. He takes what he’s learned from his years competing in WWE, applies it to this part, and delivers accordingly.
As for everything outside of Johnson, The Smashing Machine is sturdy stuff. Blunt proves once again she is a great sparring partner; Safdie demonstrates he has a firm hand on the material; and the overall experience is strong.
Despite being set in the late ‘90s, at times The Smashing Machine also has the feel of a gritty ‘70s picture. This in turn attaches it to a great era of filmmaking, adding extra weight to what’s on offer.
All-in-all, The Smashing Machine does what it sets out to do and does it well. It doesn’t push the envelope, but it gives Johnson the opportunity to expand his portfolio in what some might suggest is a more meaningful way.
Although, for the record, I have no major issue with what Johnson does in his other films. If it ain’t broke, why sweat the details?
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Movie of the Week
Onto Movie of the Week which this week (not surprisingly) goes to The Smashing Machine. Dwayne Johnson silences the naysayers with his committed performance, proving he has what it takes in the acting department.
And if you like The Smashing Machine you might also like:
- Jungle Cruise (2021) – Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt team up for this frothy fantasy adventure movie based on the Disney theme park attraction of the same name.
- Uncut Gems (2019) – The Smashing Machine director Benny Safdie teams up with brother Josh to helm this Adam Sandler crime-thriller.
- The Iron Claw (2023) – Zac Efron stars in this biographical sports drama about the Von Erich wrestling family.
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Forthcoming attractions
OK, that’s all for this week, but don’t worry, more is on the way.
Coming soon Channing Tatum stars in the comedy-drama, Roofman; Jared Leto leads Tron: Ares; and Kiera Knightly takes charge in The Woman in Cabin 10. Plus, Frankenstein, The Twits, Black Phone 2, John Candy: I Like Me, and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle are all on the horizon.
Sound good? Great stuff – I’ll see you back here next week!
Alex
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Thank you for taking the time to read Movie Reviews 2025 on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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