Interceptor (film)
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''Interceptor'' is a 2022
action Action may refer to: * Action (philosophy), something which is done by a person * Action principles the heart of fundamental physics * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video gam ...
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
directed by
Matthew Reilly Matthew John Reilly (born 2 July 1974) is an internationally bestselling Australian action thriller writer.
". Retrieved 10 ...
in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Reilly and
Stuart Beattie Stuart Beattie (born 4 August 1971) is an Australian filmmaker. His screenplay for '' Collateral'' (2004) earned him nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay and Saturn Award for ...
and a story by Reilly. An international co-production between Australia and the United States, the film stars
Elsa Pataky Elsa Lafuente Medianu (; born 18 July 1976), known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish model and actress. Pataky is known for her leading role of Raquel Alonso in the Spanish teen drama '' Al salir de Clase'' (1997-2002)'','' before garn ...
and
Luke Bracey Luke Bracey (born 26 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is known for his work in films such as '' Elvis'', ''Monte Carlo'', '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', '' The November Man'', ''Point Break'', and ''Hacksaw Ridge''; and for television serie ...
. It follows a tough and reality-bruised army officer who finds herself in charge of a lone
nuclear missile Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. All nine nuclear states have developed some form of medium- to long-range delivery system for their nuc ...
interceptor base in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
after she is wrongfully drummed out of her dream job at
the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense, in Arlington County, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The building was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As ...
. The film began streaming on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on June 3, 2022, and climbed to number one on the streamer's top 10 list with about 50 million hours viewed. It received mixed reviews from critics, and was nominated for Best Production Design at the
12th AACTA Awards The 12th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (generally known as the AACTA Awards) was an awards ceremony to celebrate the best of Australian films and television of 2022. The main ceremony occurred on 7 December 2022 at the ...
.


Plot

The United States has two interceptor launch sites aimed at intercepting any nuclear warhead launches; the first,
Fort Greely Fort Greely is a United States Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles located about southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska. It is also the home of the Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC), as Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas ...
in
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, is attacked by unknown assailants presumably affiliated with a
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
faction, while 16 nuclear warheads are simultaneously seized from Russian territory. The second site is a remote platform in the middle of the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
.
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
Captain J. J. Collins is recently reassigned to the latter of the two interceptor missile launch sites. Following a high-profile case where she reported
sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...
by her superior, she experienced
hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
,
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...
and threats and a new deployment as retaliation. Under Lt. Colonel Marshall, and working alongside Cpl. Beaver Baker and Cpl. Rahul Shah in the station's command center, Collins is part of the last line of defense after the hostile takeover of Fort Greely. The station is infiltrated by a small group of operatives led by ex-military intelligence soldier Kessel, who promptly kill Marshall and the other occupants of the base, leaving only Collins, Shah, and an unconscious Baker (who was grazed by a stray bullet) in the command center. The infiltrators attempt to enter the command center, by which they can disarm the interceptor system and leave the U.S. open to nuclear attack from the sixteen stolen warheads. However, they are rebuffed and attempt to forcibly enter instead with
blowtorch A blowtorch, also referred to as a blowlamp, is an ambient air fuel-burning tool used for applying flame and heat to various applications, usually in metalworking, but occasionally for foods like crème brûlée. Description Early blowtorches ...
es. An operative launches a surprise attack after entering via a floor hatch, but is defeated and killed by Collins and Shah. Baker regains consciousness and reveals himself to be an
inside man ''Inside Man'' is a 2006 American crime thriller film directed by Spike Lee and written by Russell Gewirtz. It centers on an elaborate bank heist-turned-hostage situation on Wall Street. The film stars Denzel Washington as Detective Keith Fr ...
for the infiltrators and motivated by a big payday and
xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
, holding both Collins and Shah at gunpoint while allowing Kessel and the remaining operatives to enter and assume control. Kessel hijacks a live feed and streams his
manifesto A manifesto is a written declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government. A manifesto can accept a previously published opinion or public consensus, but many prominent ...
about the failures in the
history of the United States The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of Peopling of the Americas, the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization of the Americas, European colonization beg ...
online, naming the sixteen American cities to be destroyed, and instructing the terrorist faction to launch the nukes immediately. Collins breaks free of her restraints and locks Kessel, Baker, and a henchman back out of the command center, while defeating and killing Kira, the lone enemy operative still in the room, and another henchman. Kessel attempts to force Collins to surrender, torturing her father, but she refuses and her father is apparently killed when the transmission is cut. Kessel then plans to scuttle the station if he cannot take control of it. As the station begins to sink, Shah volunteers to drop through the floor hatch to the ocean below and manually re-engage the station's hatches, such that the interceptors are still able to launch and destroy the warheads when they eventually pass through the airspace overhead. Shah succeeds, but he is killed by Baker. Collins hides in the command center and lets Kessel, Baker, and the remaining henchman take over and disable the seemingly empty center. Her ruse works, with Baker going to check up on the station's roof to find and eliminate her. Collins is able to stealthily dispatch the remaining henchman while Kessel flees the room. Grabbing a
laptop A laptop computer or notebook computer, also known as a laptop or notebook, is a small, portable personal computer (PC). Laptops typically have a Clamshell design, clamshell form factor (design), form factor with a flat-panel computer scree ...
, Collins ascends to the roof and plugs the device in, planning to manually launch the interceptor missiles using this method. She is found by Baker and they engage in
hand to hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...
, with Collins emerging victorious after killing Baker. Kessel, who had called in a Russian submarine to pick up the team of operatives earlier, finds Collins just as she successfully launches the interceptor missiles with a fraction of a second left before the nukes would have crossed the point of interception. His plan failed, he engages in combat with Collins, who manages to defeat and subdue him, just as the Russian submarine ascends from the sea. A pair of Russians emerge from the submarine tower, but rather than shooting Collins, they fire at Kessel instead, and the Russian Captain salutes Collins before departing. Collins later recovers from her ordeal in the hospital, and she is personally given a promotion by the U.S. president for her efforts. She also receives a visit from her father who had been rescued by friends who had witnessed his plight on the live broadcast, and he comforts her over her grief for Shah's death.


Cast

In addition, Mark Dessaix plays the dismissive
game theory Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interactions. It has applications in many fields of social science, and is used extensively in economics, logic, systems science and computer science. Initially, game theory addressed ...
strategist advising the President, while
Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, and Bulman, Northern Territory, he rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004â ...
appears in an uncredited cameo as the laid-back salesman at a big box consumer electronics store.


Production

Reilly began writing the screenplay for ''Interceptor'' in 2017. The script's action took place predominantly on one set, as Reilly wanted to ensure that the film's budget would not go over $15 million. Beattie was so sold on the script that he contacted Reilly asking if he could rewrite it, to which the latter agreed. Beattie shared the script with producers, who were told that Reilly intended to serve as director. Reilly experienced some pushback on this, but was successful in maintaining his position as director. On March 4, 2021, it was announced that
Elsa Pataky Elsa Lafuente Medianu (; born 18 July 1976), known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish model and actress. Pataky is known for her leading role of Raquel Alonso in the Spanish teen drama '' Al salir de Clase'' (1997-2002)'','' before garn ...
and
Luke Bracey Luke Bracey (born 26 April 1989) is an Australian actor. He is known for his work in films such as '' Elvis'', ''Monte Carlo'', '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'', '' The November Man'', ''Point Break'', and ''Hacksaw Ridge''; and for television serie ...
would star in the film, with Beattie producing with Matthew Street and Michael Boughen for Ambience Entertainment. Pataky prepared for the role by training for up to five hours each day with the help of her husband,
Chris Hemsworth Christopher Hemsworth (born 11 August 1983) is an Australian actor. Born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, and Bulman, Northern Territory, he rose to prominence playing Kim Hyde in the Australian television series ''Home and Away'' (2004â ...
, who served as an executive producer and also had an uncredited
cameo role A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking one ...
as a salesman for an electronics store. Filming took place in
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
over a period of 33 days, beginning on March 29, 2021.


Release

''Interceptor'' was released globally on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on 3 June 2022. Plans to release the film theatrically in Australia in 2021 were announced, but fell through. The film instead had a short theatrical release in Australia on 26 May 2022, the week before its worldwide Netflix release.


Reception


Critical response

Paul Byrnes of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of five and wrote, "Parts of it are laughably silly, but that's intentional. It's not quite a satire, having some Serious Things to say, but mostly it's a romp." Nicolas Rapold of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' stated that it "is clunky and barely coherent anytime there's not a fight scene." Benjamin Lee of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' gave the film three stars out of five and called it "absurd yet entertaining."


Accolades


References


External links

* {{IMDb title 2022 films 2022 action thriller films 2022 crime thriller films 2022 directorial debut films 2020s American films 2020s Australian films 2020s English-language films American action thriller films Australian action thriller films English-language action thriller films American crime thriller films Australian crime thriller films English-language crime thriller films Netflix original films Films about nuclear war and weapons Films about terrorism Films about the United States Army Films set in the Pacific Ocean Films shot in New South Wales Films with screenplays by Stuart Beattie Girls with guns films Films scored by Michael Lira