The best suspense thrillers are like time bombs that tick down to an explosive finale. Freshman director Sophia Banks and rookie writer Jinder Ho emphasize every spine-tingling second in "Black Site" (*** OUT OF ****), a cat & mouse game about global terrorism in the ultimate top-secret facility. Michelle Monaghan relies on her brains, while mortal enemies Jason Clarke and Jai Courtney battle each other with bloody fists and gimlet eyes. Everything unfolds beneath the sun-scorched sands of a Jordanian desert at a high-tech, labyrinth-like complex codenamed 'Citadel.' Five English speaking democracies-the US, the UK, Canada, Australia & New Zealand-comprise the Five Eyes Alliance. First, they share all their intel and store it on servers. Second, they maintain a clandestine prison for the world's worst terrorists. Occasionally, they let Israeli Intelligence eavesdrop on their conversations. Our heroine is a widowed CIA analyst, Abby Trent (Michelle Monaghan of "Machine Gun Preacher"), who lost her husband and daughter ten months earlier in a terrorist attack on an Istanbul hospital. Abby lives by the book. Before her superior dispatches her to Citadel, he warns her books aren't popular where she is going. Lately, she has grown obsessed with one particular suspect. Farhan Barakat (Simon Elrahi) may have ties to an infamous extremist known simply as Hatchet (Jason Clarke of "Zero Dark Thirty"), who may have masterminded the hospital strike. Incredibly, the unforeseen occurs when the CIA snatch Hatchet and haul him off in cuffs to Citadel! Elated by this turn of events, Abby watches as Hatchet emerges from a stealth chopper with a bag over his head.
However, nothing is what it seems, and trouble rears its ominous head. Twenty minutes into this violent, 93-minute, R-rated nailbiter, Hatchet pulls a Houdini, plunges Citadel into pandemonium, and embarks on a homicidal rampage. Tenacious and intelligent, Hatchet trumps every obstacle in Citadel with nonchalant ease. Not only does this intruder disable all links with the outside world, but he also jeopardizes the facility's very existence. When installations like Citadel suffer a breach, we're told the CIA waits about an hour and then orders a drone with missiles to vaporize it! Surprisingly, everybody Abby trusted turns out to be treacherous, while the few she depended on crumple like paper dolls. Even those she hated, principally Miller (Jai Courtney of "Terminator Genisys"), a brawny braggart who learns the essence of pain when he takes on Hatchet. Confining the mayhem to a claustrophobic, subterranean complex for a battle royale generates nerve-racking suspense and fuels our fears while Hatchet whittles the good guys down one by one without breaking a sweat. After the first 40 minutes of firefights and fisticuffs, things settle down with Abby and Hatchet scrutinizing each other like opponents in a chess match. Mind you, Abby fears she may be in over her head.
Tough guy Jason Clarke dominates "Black Site" as a virtually indestructible villain. He displays no qualms about murder, and nothing slows him down as he wades into his enemies like a 1980s serial killer with a mask. The difference is Hatchet wears a smirk instead of a mask. Wielding a blade at one point, Hatchet ices two adversaries, stabbing them in rapid succession a half dozen times, soaking their bodies in their own gore. Moreover, he steals a page from Hannibal Lector's playbook in "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). If you recall Lector's ruse in the Memphis scene that enabled him to escape from his cage, you'll see how Hatchet has improvised for similar results. Now, a desperate Abby confronts Hatchet and battles this one-man army to a share-all-secrets stalemate. During those final minutes, Abby grasps the irony when she realizes why her superiors sent her to Citadel as well as Hatchet's timely arrival. All the soul-eroding revelations Abby has endured cannot compare with the Herculean chore she undertakes when she catches her second wind. "Black Site" concludes with an Armageddon of an explosion. Nevertheless, the filmmakers leave things open for a sequel. Altogether, with its super-secret subterranean setting, robust performances, and white-knuckled thrills, "Black Site" keeps you in its cross-hairs until the last second!
However, nothing is what it seems, and trouble rears its ominous head. Twenty minutes into this violent, 93-minute, R-rated nailbiter, Hatchet pulls a Houdini, plunges Citadel into pandemonium, and embarks on a homicidal rampage. Tenacious and intelligent, Hatchet trumps every obstacle in Citadel with nonchalant ease. Not only does this intruder disable all links with the outside world, but he also jeopardizes the facility's very existence. When installations like Citadel suffer a breach, we're told the CIA waits about an hour and then orders a drone with missiles to vaporize it! Surprisingly, everybody Abby trusted turns out to be treacherous, while the few she depended on crumple like paper dolls. Even those she hated, principally Miller (Jai Courtney of "Terminator Genisys"), a brawny braggart who learns the essence of pain when he takes on Hatchet. Confining the mayhem to a claustrophobic, subterranean complex for a battle royale generates nerve-racking suspense and fuels our fears while Hatchet whittles the good guys down one by one without breaking a sweat. After the first 40 minutes of firefights and fisticuffs, things settle down with Abby and Hatchet scrutinizing each other like opponents in a chess match. Mind you, Abby fears she may be in over her head.
Tough guy Jason Clarke dominates "Black Site" as a virtually indestructible villain. He displays no qualms about murder, and nothing slows him down as he wades into his enemies like a 1980s serial killer with a mask. The difference is Hatchet wears a smirk instead of a mask. Wielding a blade at one point, Hatchet ices two adversaries, stabbing them in rapid succession a half dozen times, soaking their bodies in their own gore. Moreover, he steals a page from Hannibal Lector's playbook in "Silence of the Lambs" (1991). If you recall Lector's ruse in the Memphis scene that enabled him to escape from his cage, you'll see how Hatchet has improvised for similar results. Now, a desperate Abby confronts Hatchet and battles this one-man army to a share-all-secrets stalemate. During those final minutes, Abby grasps the irony when she realizes why her superiors sent her to Citadel as well as Hatchet's timely arrival. All the soul-eroding revelations Abby has endured cannot compare with the Herculean chore she undertakes when she catches her second wind. "Black Site" concludes with an Armageddon of an explosion. Nevertheless, the filmmakers leave things open for a sequel. Altogether, with its super-secret subterranean setting, robust performances, and white-knuckled thrills, "Black Site" keeps you in its cross-hairs until the last second!