Haunted by memories of places he’s never visited, a man joins forces with a group of reborn warriors to stop a madman from destroying the endless cycle of life and reincarnation.
Antoine Fuqua is a director I’ve long admired. From his directorial feature film debut, the John Woo-inspired “The Replacement Killers,” to “Training Day,” “Shooter,” “Olympus Has Fallen,” “The Magnificent Seven,” and both “Equalizer” movies, he has always infused his films with incredible vibrancy and excitement. Sadly, while “Infinite” incorporates many of Fuqua’s signature trademarks, fast cars, explosions, fistfights, et al, they are presented in haphazard and erratic listlessness. Both star and director appear to wander aimlessly through the motions, delivering a film that, at the outset, promises an intriguing concept but ultimately fails to provide anything substantial.
Wahlberg plays Evan McCauley, a man diagnosed with schizophrenia who finds it difficult to land a job because of a past institutionalization due to violent behavior. Evan has an uncanny ability; he can forge Katana swords without any formal training. When a local gangster requests a sword, Evan delivers it to him, but the gangster rescinds his end of the deal, and all hell breaks loose. Evan manages to escape but is later arrested.
At the police station, he meets a man who calls himself Bathurst (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who tells Evan that he is Heinrich Treadway and that both men have known each other for centuries. Naturally, Evan thinks he is crazy, but Bathurst manages to get him to remember memories of a past life. Upon this realization, a car crashes through the jail wall, and a woman named Nora Brightman (Sophie Cookson) rescues him. Bathurst gives chase, but they outmaneuver him and slip away.
After catching his breath, Nora tells him that she is part of a group that calls themselves Infinites, people who can remember their past lives and that reincarnation is real. Nora and her colleagues believe Evan is Heinrich Treadway reincarnated, their previous leader and friend, and using state-of-the-art technology, retrieve his past memories. When Bathurst appears on their radar, Nora tells him that he is part of a group called Nihilists, who believe that reincarnation is a curse, whereas Nora and the Infinites believe it is a gift. Now Evan and Nora must try to recover the Egg, a device Bathurst created to destroy the world, therefore eliminating reincarnation, but Treadway, in his previous incarnation, stole the Egg and hid it in a secret place. Now Evan must remember where he hid it and prevent Bathurst and his sycophants from world annihilation.
The premise of reincarnation in film is always intriguing and, when executed satisfactorily, can make for a compelling and thought-provoking narrative. Unfortunately, while “Infinite” touches upon this subject matter, it never rises above the mediocre action and narcoleptic plot that surrounds it. Wahlberg seems bored; obviously, this was a paycheck and the opportunity to work with his “Shooter” director again, but he never once exhibits any genuine interest in what he or his co-stars are saying. While there are a few impressive set-pieces, they are not enough to save this tired excuse of an action film. Hopefully, Wahlberg and Fuqua’s next collaboration will be worth the wait.
Now available on Digital HD and on 4K Ultra HD™, Blu-ray™, & DVD May 17th
