Security (2017) Movie Review

A former special services veteran, played by Antonio Banderas, is struggling to find work. He takes a job as a security guard at a rundown mall in a tough part of town. On his first night, he encounters a distressed young girl who has escaped from a police motorcade hijacking. The girl was supposed to testify in a trial, carrying an important briefcase. Chasing her is a dangerous hijacker, played by Ben Kingsley, along with his clever accomplices. They are determined to capture and eliminate the witness at any cost.

"Security" is like a mix of "Die Hard," "The Marine," and "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," minus the fat jokes. The film, starring Antonio Banderas and Sir Ben Kingsley, is essentially a decent copy of "Die Hard." The plot is predictable, with no surprises or memorable lines, yet I found it enjoyable as a simple, classic action movie—a nice 90-minute break from reality.

Banderas is always enjoyable to watch, and Kingsley, despite some recent not-so-great roles, plays the calm and collected British villain. You might sense he wishes he could be like Hans Gruber.

The film has good production values and solid action scenes, including a standout fight between Banderas and Cung Le. There's even a cool John Woo-like moment with Banderas sliding and shooting two guns—I half-expected some doves to appear.

The supporting cast of security guards is pretty much useless, serving as mere cannon fodder. You know they'll meet their end, but you won't feel much for them. The girl in the story is a bit annoying at first, but she becomes slightly more bearable by the end.

In a nutshell, "Security" delivers exactly what you'd expect. While it doesn't revolutionize the genre, it doesn't have to. With a few good action scenes and the cool presence of Antonio Banderas, it's worth a rental or at least a watch on Netflix.