THE FIX

If you're an adult hunting for something in the vein of ZERO DARK THIRTY or BLACK HAWK DOWN, but a little less gritty and with a little more heart, this one might sound tempting on paper. In practice, it's better left unwatched.

While the movie tries to build a moral core around guilt, redemption, and sacrifice, these themes can't hide poor execution, nudity, and graphic, occasionally unrealistic violence. At 141 minutes, the movie also drags, requiring considerable patience as viewers try to follow its convoluted story.

Still, there is more here than a standard military thriller. Beneath the gunfire and heists lies a story about broken people who struggle to atone for their failures and choose to do better rather than repeat the same mistakes. The road to redemption is rough, but the path to becoming a better person doesn't always follow a straight line.

Ultimately, the story's hopeful moral core is outweighed by its faults. Graphic violence, frequent profanity, nudity, and sexual content make the movie inappropriate for most Christian families and a definite no for children and teens. Adults willing to wade through considerable darkness and mediocre filmmaking may find opportunities for meaningful discussion, but better movies explore these themes with greater clarity and purpose.

After a disastrous mission during the war in Afghanistan leaves a team of operatives grieving and ashamed, Tucker reconnects with his former mentor, Larry, who suffers from serious cognitive decline and babbles about a hidden fortune in Tehran. Tucker gathers his old team to retrieve the money from Iran.

Their dangerous heist involves betrayals and mishaps, but when an opportunity arises to rescue people suffering under the Iranian regime, Larry and his men must decide whether they value a payday to soothe their guilt or a chance at redemption by using their skills for a greater good..

Ultimately, this one is a 2-star movie with worthwhile themes buried beneath a clunky, mature plot. The bones have more potential than the movie that made it to the screen. The premise combines military action, political espionage, a heist, and a redemption story, giving the filmmakers several promising directions that never fully develop.

The screenplay tries to do too much, introducing war trauma, international politics, dementia, a heist, rescue missions, and complicated questions about morality without letting any of these elements develop naturally or reach a satisfying resolution. The action sequences occasionally create tension but often fall flat, and despite the lengthy runtime, the movie accomplishes very little.

Liam Neeson brings the gravitas expected from him, but his character plays a much smaller role than the marketing suggests. Zachary Levi gives Tucker some presence but remains largely one-dimensional. Neither performance can overcome the movie’s uneven dialogue and structural problems. The hardened war veterans also come across as unusually touchy-feely and emotionally self-aware, making their characters feel less believable.

A surprisingly moral core runs through this story despite its violence, language, and nudity. Its characters carry no spotless heroism, only the weight of broken people who search for redemption. Each must decide whether to stay trapped in shame and distract themselves with worldly treasures, or confront their failures and choose to do better. Regardless of a person's past, the story argues, they can choose courage, sacrifice, and service. The morality stays messy but genuine, as Tucker also struggles to mend his relationship with his son. Its strongest idea reflects a biblical truth: our failures do not have to define the rest of our lives.

Still, the picture of redemption here stays largely self-directed. A quotation from Matthew 24:6-8 opens the story, and John 8:32 appears later, but these passages serve as a lens for the story rather than the foundation of the characters' worldview. Good deeds, sacrifice, and redemption all get promoted, but the deeper question never gets fully answered: what does redemption ultimately mean without Christ? That gap keeps the movie short of a true Christian worldview, even with real virtue running through it.

A strong critique of oppression also surfaces here, particularly the treatment of people, especially women, under Iran's authoritarian regime. In response, the main characters develop genuine concern for others and risk their lives to help those suffering under the regime.

The movie wrestles with whether redemption remains possible after failure. People can overcome the sins and mistakes of their past, it argues, but it never points to Christ as the source of true redemption. Its worthwhile moral questions also sit buried beneath profanity, violence, and sexual content.

Adults who love military thrillers and crave a gritty heist story with real heart might feel tempted by THE FIX. In truth, the poor execution will disappoint plenty of adults, and the mature material earns the movie a pass for most Christian families. Skip it. This FIX doesn't hold.