Intrigue and treachery are hand maidens in "Crank" director Mark Neveldine's "Panama," a suspenseful but superficial geo-political saga set on the eve of the U. S. invasion of Panama and the subsequent overthrow of corrupt dictator General Manuel Noriega. Eventually, U. S. authorities convicted Noriega on drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering charges, and he drew a 40-year prison sentence. Primarily, "Panama" casts Mel Gibson as Stark, a savvy American defense contractor, who recruits a grief-stricken, former Marine, Becker (Cole Hauser of Paramount's "Yellowstone"), to enter a snake pit of double-crossing dastards who would sell their moms without a qualm. Unless you remember the chaos that swept Central America in 1989, you'll neither know nor care about the historic basis of Daniel Adams and William Barber's screenplay. As predictable as it is, "Panama" musters just enough grit and gunplay to hold you in its nominal grip during its brisk 94 minutes of R-rated pugnacity. Initially, before Gibson came aboard, the producers approached not only Morgan Freeman but also Nicholas Cage to play Stark. Meantime, virile Cole Hauser makes a serviceable leading man who survives by wits alone in this melodramatic merry-go-around of mayhem. Each time Gibson's Stark appears in "Panama," you can feel a sizzle of electricity surge through this formulaic fodder. Neveldine and company lensed this visually lush feature on location in Puerto Rico.
"Panama" opens in a cemetery. Stark finds our protagonist Becker sleeping at his wife's gravesite. Becker has spent almost an entire year mourning his wife Sarah's demise. Periodically, Becker's sister-in-law Tatyana (Kate Katzman of "Survive the Game") checks up on him. Stark wants Becker for a "dirty job" in Central America. Becker is still reeling from the weight of complicity in his wife's death. "She died," Becker grimaces, "because I didn't protect her from me. From what I do." Eventually, Becker sobers himself up and takes Stark up on his offer. Becker must procure a $10-million helicopter from Noriega's fleet that Stark will hand over to Steadman Fagoth Müller (Julio Ramos Velez of "The Rum Diary"), a Contra guerrilla leader who plans to use it to assassinate Noriega! In return, the Contras will provide the CIA with Soviet weaponry and intelligence. Becker works undercover as a consultant at a popular Panamanian casino. A colleague warns him not to eyeball the books since the owners are likely laundering millions of bucks. Meantime, the Latino brokering the chopper deal is Enrico Rodriguez (Colombian actor Mauricio Hénao), a clean-cut, coke-snorting, womanizer working for Noriega's segundo, Colonel Justines (Néstor Rodulfo of "Human Animals"), the most dangerous viper in the pit. This degenerate dispatches squads of midnight assassins to liquidate unsuspecting rivals and their relatives. Justines loves to spike the drinks with poison that he serves to his minions who think they can conceal their deceit from him. All of the Latino villains are depicted as charming but gimlet-eyed Frito banditos.
A contentious enough character himself, Becker is out of his element among the predatory Panamanians. Although he has ice water flowing in his veins, Becker allows his sentiments to nearly cost him his life. Accompanying the Contras on a raid, Becker balks at killing a doctor and nurse. Müller mows them down without a second thought. Naturally, Becker is appalled. Nobody guns down civilians! Frisking their slain bodies, Müller confiscates concealed firearms and explosives much to Becker's chagrin. Later, Enrico challenges Becker to a dirt bike race through dense jungle foliage, along muddy trails, with a hair-pin curve that will plunge the unsuspecting cyclist off a precipitous cliff. Director Mark Neveldine generates some genuine adrenalin-laced thrills with this grueling race. Meantime, Becker's deadliest nemesis is neither Enrico nor Justines. Instead, a sassy, spellbinding femme fatale, Camila (Puerto Rico's Kiara Liz), blindsides him with her beauty. Make no mistake, when he realizes the error of his ways, Becker strikes back without mercy. The scene where assassins try to surprise him in the sack evokes memories of a similar scene in the initial James Bond movie "Dr. No" (1962) where Sean Connery fooled an assassin into shooting up pillows rather than himself. Later, like the exhilarating mountain bike race, Neveldine stages an exhaustive foot chase where Becker runs down an elusive felon.
Cole Hauser does his best as Becker, but Becker cannot compare with Hauser's Rip Wheeler in "Yellowstone." A rambunctious Mel Gibson easily steals every scene he has, and his narration is often amusing. Gibson's best scene comes near the end when he disarms a sniper. Laced with profane language, "Panama" earned its R-rating in large part for Kiara Liz's casual nudity in her steamy bedroom scenes with Hauser. Mind you, none of the characters are role models, and "Panama" will probably discourage tourism with its portrayal of all Latinos as liars and cutthroats. Fair-to-middling at best, "Panama" qualifies as a plausible but pallid B-movie thriller that suffers from too much talking and not enough action set against the turbulent backdrop of Latin American diplomatic history.
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