One of the latest film releases including the topic of repetition (as in “Groundhog Day,” “Palm Springs,” and similar) is “Boss Level,” where the main character is being chased and killed every time by different assassins, literally from the moment he wakes up.
In “Boss Level” we follow a retired special forces officer, Roy Pulver (played by Frank Grillo), who tries to survive throughout the whole story in order to understand the reason he’s being wanted and killed again and again, by dozens of killers. His research takes him back to the visit of his ex-wife, who created an important and almost lethal device, which can influence time and space. Suddenly, everything starts to unfold.
The simple storyline and the low expectations here work as entertainment, and lead you to enjoy and actually like this action flick, where you see the combined ideas from “Groundhog Day,” “Crank,” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” It is a nonstop thrill-ride with greatly choreographed fight scenes.
Frank Grillo also serves as a somewhat positive surprise as the lead, since we’re used to picturing him mostly as a supporting role, not necessarily in the ‘good guys’ team. Undoubtedly, this must be his best career performance to date, since the whole plot demands such different displays of emotions, including all the fight scenes.
Freud wrote about repetition to be very much needed to reach order, which brings satisfaction to human beings—this is what the main character by the end is trying to develop and also acquire.
Whilst “Boss Level’s” opening credits somehow deceive the viewer with its simplicity from the above statement, they actually direct you within this simplicity saying life is a (like a) game, and you should play it, in order to gain the satisfaction you deserve…or seek.
*You can watch “Boss Level” on Hulu.
