Project Power

Project Power is a 2020 American superhero film[3] directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, produced by Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, and written by Mattson Tomlin. It stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback, alongside Colson Baker, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker and Allen Maldonado, and follows a drug dealer, a police officer, and a former soldier who team up to stop the distribution of a pill that gives the user superpowers for five minutes.

Project Power
Official promotional poster
Directed by
Produced by
Written byMattson Tomlin
Starring
Music byJoseph Trapanese
CinematographyMichael Simmonds
Edited byJeff McEvoy
Production
companies
  • Screen Arcade
  • Supermarche
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • August 14, 2020 (2020-08-14) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$85.1 million[2]

The film was released on August 14, 2020, by Netflix. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, action sequences and visuals but criticized the screenplay for not taking full advantage of its premise.[4]

Plot

In near-future New Orleans, a mysterious distributor offers a free supply of “Power” – a pill that grants unpredictable superpowers for five minutes – to a group of drug dealers, including Newt.

Six weeks later, Newt's teenage cousin Robin, a dealer herself, is nearly robbed by customers seeking Power. She is rescued by NOPD Officer Frank Shaver, one of her regular buyers. Art, a man hunting for the distributor “Biggie”, tracks down Newt, who dies after a struggle when he overdoses on Power. Frank foils a bank robbery by a Power-enhanced thief, but is suspended for using Power himself. His captain reveals that government personnel are pressuring him to terminate any investigation into Power, and gives Frank a picture of the man they suspect to be the source of the drug: Art.

Using Newt’s phone to find and abduct Robin, Art forces her to take him to the drug cartel's safehouse. He is shot while eliminating several of the cartel's men, and discovers that Power users throughout New Orleans are being monitored as test subjects for the drug. Art bonds with Robin as they treat his wounds, and reveals that after leaving the military, he was recruited by Teleios, a private defense contractor who experimented on him to create superpowers. His daughter Tracy, born after the experiments, exhibited powers without ever taking the drug, and was abducted by Wallace, a Teleios operative.

Art and Robin find Biggie hosting a private demonstration of Project Power for a potential buyer. Biggie claims that Power represents “the next evolution of the human species”, with the pill’s powers derived from the abilities of animals, such as the wolverine frog or chameleon. Art interrogates Biggie at gunpoint and learns of a ship, the Genesis, but Frank intervenes, having tracked other users to the demonstration. Biggie takes a dose of Power, forcing Art, Robin, and Frank to flee as Art kills Biggie in an explosion.

Frank arrests Art and informs his captain, but Art explains that the Power epidemic in New Orleans is mass testing to stabilize the drug, and that Tracy is the source of the drug’s powers. Having convinced Frank that his captain is actually taking orders from Teleios, Art purposely has himself captured by Teleios and taken aboard the Genesis. Frank and Robin infiltrate the ship, and Art persuades a guard to free him. Frank and Art kill Wallace, while Robin finds Tracy and reunites her with her father.

As the four attempt to flee, Robin is captured by Dr. Gardner, the head of Project Power, who demands Tracy in exchange for Robin’s life. Art confronts Gardner, revealing that Power gives him the abilities of a pistol shrimp, which he uses to kill Gardner and her men and rescue Robin. Using his power costs Art his life, but Tracy resurrects him with her own powers, and they all escape the ship.

Frank intends to expose Project Power to the press, while Art decides to move on. He gives Robin his truck and a bag full of money to cover her mother's medical needs, telling her to use the greatness inside of her. Art and Tracy depart, finally free.

Cast

Production

In October 2017, it was announced that Netflix had acquired Mattson Tomlin's spec script Power in a bidding war with several other studios. Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost would direct the film, with Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless producing.[5] In September 2018, Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback joined the cast of the then-untitled film.[6][7] In October 2018, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Allen Maldonado, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Machine Gun Kelly, and Casey Neistat joined the cast of the film.[8][9] In November 2018, Jim Klock joined the cast of the film.[10] In December 2018, Courtney B. Vance joined the cast of the film.[11] In July 2020, it was announced that the film would officially be titled Project Power.[12]

Filming

Principal photography began on October 8, 2018 and concluded on December 22, 2018.[13][14] Filming took place in New Orleans.[15][16] On October 31, 2018, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was injured during filming while riding a bicycle.[16] The film had a total production budget of $85.1 million, with $80.4 million spent on-location in Louisiana.[2]

Release

Project Power was released by Netflix on August 14, 2020.[17]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 61% based on 92 reviews, with an average rating of 5.67/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Although it wastes some of the potential of its premise, Project Power is a slick, fun action thriller - and features a star-making turn from Dominique Fishback."[18] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19]

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said that "what makes Project Power entertaining is its canny combination of familiar ingredients in a textured real-world milieu that gives it fresh flavor."[20] Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "C+" and said that "Project Power wrestles with a litany of thorny moral issues (and not only those of the 'great power, great responsibility' vibe) but never fully engages with them. There's broad strokes about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans residents, and a paper-thin exploration of the criminal implications of a cop not only using the drug, but buying it off a teenage dealer."[21]

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References
  1. "Project Power". Netflix. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  2. "Initial Certification Search" (Type "Power" in the search box). Fastlane NextGen. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  3. "'Power' player: Jamie Foxx on his new Netflix film and becoming the first Black Pixar lead". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  4. Ho, Pang-Chieh (August 14, 2020). "Is The Jamie Foxx Superhero Movie 'Project Power' Any Good? Here's What The Reviews Say". DIGG. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  5. Lang, Brent (October 16, 2017). "Netflix Wins Bidding War for 'Power,' White Hot Spec Script (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 20, 2018). "Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Join Netflix's Untitled Henry Joost-Ariel Schulman Sci-Fi Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  7. D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 27, 2018). "Jamie Foxx & Joseph Gordon-Levitt Netflix Sci-Fi Movie Finds Female Lead In 'The Deuce's Dominique Fishback". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  8. N'Duka, Amanda (October 10, 2018). "Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Colson Baker & More Join Jamie Foxx/Joseph Gordon-Levitt Netflix Film". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  9. Neistat, Casey (November 5, 2018). "weird flex but ok". YouTube. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  10. N'Duka, Amanda (November 28, 2018). "Bree Condon To Play Kimberly Guilfoyle In Jay Roach Fox News Film; Chelsea Harris Books 'Top Gun: Maverick'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  11. Schulman, Ariel (December 20, 2018). "That's a wrap on @courtneybvance . guy is cooler than a polar bears toenails". Instagram. Retrieved December 25, 2018.
  12. Hersko, Tyler (July 15, 2020). "'Project Power' Trailer: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Team for Netflix's Next Summer Tentpole". IndieWire. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  13. Schulman, Ariel (December 22, 2018). "🥂 THATS A WRAP 🥂 Love to every single person that worked on this thing. coming to Netflix in a little while..." Instagram. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  14. Schulman, Ariel (October 8, 2018). "Day one cheesin. 🎬". Instagram. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  15. Scott, Mike (November 5, 2018). "Is that Joseph Gordon-Levitt wearing Steve Gleason's Saints jersey? Yep. Here's why". NOLA.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  16. Levine, Daniel S. (November 1, 2018). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt Injured in On-Set Bike Crash". PopCulture.com. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  17. Staff, EW. "The 25 must-watch movies of the strangest summer ever". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  18. "Project Power (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  19. "Project Power Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  20. Rooney, David (August 13, 2020). "'Project Power': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  21. Erbland, Kate (August 13, 2020). "'Project Power' Review: Jamie Foxx and Dominique Fishback Fight Pill-Popping Superheroes". IndieWire. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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