Marine (Blu-ray) (2006)

"...entertaining action flick.  Ken Fox, TV Guide
"A throwback to all those guilty pleasure action movies.  Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
"...a terrific vehicle for world-class heavy Patrick, who is clearly enjoying himself...  Scott Tobias, The Onion A.V. Club

Editor's Note John Cena of the WWE stars in this barrelhouse brawler of a film as John Triton, a marine who gets discharged after he disobeys orders while rescuing prisoners in Iraq. Now he's back home in South Carolina with his wife, Kate (Kelly Carlson), and a lame security job. Meanwhile, a gang of colorfully violent jewel thieves knock over a diamond business and blow a police car 30 feet in the air while making their getaway. John and Kate are driving out in their SUV for a weekend in the mountains and wind up at the same gas station as the robbers. Shots get fired, the fuel tanks explode, and the bad guys hightail it out of there--with Kate as a hostage. Triton must now use his formidable Marine training to track the bad guys via car chase, boat chase, and knife-in-hand swamp-stalking. Despite the rampant violence, this is suitable for the WWE fanbase, as it downplays the blood and death and ups the quotient of sucker punches, throwing guys through walls, and leaping away from fireball explosions in slow motion. Robert Patrick plays the lead bad guy, shrugging off wry in-jokes about his role in TERMINATOR 2 while he shoots witnesses. Abigail Bianca is the evil girl in the gang--she and Kate get to have a fight of their own before it's all over. Fortunately Cena manages to hold his own onscreen amid the amusing dialogue and flying fists, making for a satisfying addition to the ranks of action heroes.

	Anthony Ray Parker
	John Cena
	Kelly Carlson
	Robert Patrick
	Alan B. McElroy - Writer
	Dallas Puett - Editor
	Daryl Porter - Art Director
	David Eggby - Cinematographer
	Don Davis - Original Music By
	Joel Simon - Producer
	John Bonito - Director
	Michelle Gallagher - Writer
	Vince McMahon - Executive Producer

Variety 6 of 10
"The Marine" will trigger a strong sense of deja vu for anyone who recalls the slapdash, slam-bang action fare that was standard-issue drive-in fodder during the 1970s. Junky, jokey and sometimes both at once, pic marks yet another attempt by World Wrestling Entertainment to establish one of its burly superstars as a movie lead. In the title role, however, frosh thesp John Cena evidences little of the swaggering dynamism he has demonstrated while grappling -- and, occasionally, rapping -- in the ring...Exteriors shot in Australia double convincingly for South Carolina locales. (At least half of the storyline involves a long trek through swamp country.) Overall, though, "The Marine" looks like a production that placed great premium on the pinching of pennies and the cutting of corners. - Joe Leydon

Reel.com 6 of 10
Stuff blows up in The Marine. A lot. Wrestler-turned-bad-actor John Cena, as the titular former Marine John Triton, gets blown out of no less than three exploding buildings. But that does not even include the exploding cars or the lavish gunplay (no one ever seems to run out of ammo in this movie). And one thing is certain in this bullet-sprayed unholy marriage of Rambo and Die Hard: Nobody is ever going to accuse director John Bonito or screenwriters Michell Gallagher and Alan McElroy of subtlety. This brain-damaged action mistake is about as understated as a mortar blast. And in case you've never seen one of those, The Marine is proud to offer a demonstration. - Pam Grady