The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

There’s a surreal charm hidden between the cracks of Nima Nourizadeh’s entertaining but, somewhat uneven, spy-action-comedy, American Ultra. Described as the stoner-version of Bourne Identity, Max Landis’ script manages to hit a fair number of highs; though it also falls victim to its own ambitious amalgamation of genres.

The story is centred on Mike Howell (Eisenberg); a devoted pothead with a long list of fears and general anxiety issues, who spends his days working at a run-down convenience store.  Apart from pot, his girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart) is the only other thing Mike cares about and thanks to his fear-everything-attitude, their life together – just like the small town they live in – is pretty low on the excitement front.

That soon changes, however, when Mike is approached by a mysterious woman named, Victoria Lasseter (Britton), who warns him of an imminent attack from a group of secret government agents. When the killers begin showing their faces, however, a reawakened Mike finds himself instinctively able to utilise a special set of skills – of the killing kind – and sets out to find answers.

American Ultra kicks things off to a relatively intriguing start as we are introduced to Mike; a generally unassuming young man who’s prone to panic attacks and relies on regular doses of marijuana to keep him sane. His world is a non-violent habitat, he adores his girlfriend, he enjoys what he does and doesn’t really have any aspirations to live up to. It’s difficult not to be immediately drawn to the character and the moment he discovers he has these skills is a fun turnaround to watch. However, the minute the film turns to its second-act, things begin to fall apart.

Although there are parts in American Ultra that are genuinely entertaining, the film is dreadfully off-balance and the story too cartoonish and overwritten, unlike a film like Pineapple Express – by no means a great film, but one that manages to find steadiness between its eccentric characters and its more grounded backdrop. Both Eisenberg and Stewart are charming, likable and genuinely quite seet as a couple of onscreen lovebirds who happen to find themselves caught up in a crazy killing frenzy while, the supporting characters never fully register.

All in all, American Ultra – which is also actually showing on OSN On Demand right now – isn't an entirely dreadful piece of entertainment; however, it lacks something – a notable antagonist, an epic and hilarious chase scene, or even just a memorable quote.