Rent Panama (2022)

Tired Action Thriller - Panama review by GI

A disposable action thriller that is another where a burned out ex-soldier with a 'special set of skills' heads off to danger and redemption. Here there's an attempt to give it all gravitas by setting it in the run up to the US invasion of Panama in 1989 and attempting to interweave political intrigue with real footage, a bit of unnecessary slo-mo and plenty of sex. It adds up to nothing much and Cole Hauser doesn't come across as particularly awesome in the lead role. Mel Gibson as his mentor does what he always does of late which is very little. This is a throwaway and hardly worth your time.

Third rate dull thriller - Panama review by RD

There is a plot, although it's so thin you could read a newspaper through it. Mel Gibson has an unimportant role as the base manager of a rather plump and odd looking misfit who is sent to Panama to oversee a deal involving a Russian helicopter. Mr Gibson acts well in the character but like all the other characters they are struggling with an amateur and humourless script for the whole film, so it stumbles along and it doesn't really warrant the description of "thriller".

It's a shoot 'em up sort of a film without much story content, but with plenty of grungy rock music to try and inject some excitement, and plenty of gratuitous swimsuit shots to appeal to the younger males who seem to be who the film is aimed at. Sudden sex scenes are peppered throughout to appeal to the lads, and are sadly devoid of passion or any meaning apart from the nudity.

There is quite a bit of action as chases, shootings abound, but so badly directed and written it's a relief when the end titles roll up.