5 Days Of Bore

Ah, the highs and lows of Renny Harlin's career. He came from humble Finish roots to America directing low budget horror movies like Prison and Nightmare On Elm Street 4 before going on to direct mega budget epics like Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Cutthroat Island. After royally screwing the pooch a decade ago with Stallone starrer Driven, Harlin returned to his smaller budget roots with the likes of the dumb (Mindhunters), the dumber (The Covenant) and the dumbest (Exorcist 4).

With 5 Days Of War, Harlin attempts to get his mojo back with an action drama that relives the Invasion of Georgia back in the summer of 2008. Told mainly from the viewpoint of a pair of independent TV journalists, it's a critique of the apathy of the international political and media community who were much more interested in showing the opening ceremony of the Chinese Olympics than the inhumane atrocities that were occurring at the same time. The film is certainly big in scales with tanks, attack choppers and battalions of troops filling the screens on occasion in authentic rubble strewn locations.

But the script and the cast are often quite lacking. Despite the invasion that forms the background to the plot, the drama is rarely gripping. It's not helped by the casting of Rupert Friend (where the cuss did they find this stiff) as the lead journalist and Emanuele Chriqui as a local Georgian girl he's determined to see to safety. Fortunately the supporting cast are up to some heavy lifting with Richard Coyle, Heather Graham, Andy Garcia and Fatty Fat Fat Kilmer all great in their roles.

Harlin still hasn't lost his touch for composing a striking image or a strong action sequence but in an attempt to remain relevant he's sacrificed a lot of his trademark visual style for a more contemporary and predictable hand held feel. That technique might go hand in hand with the video journalists of the script and the more serious nature of the story but one can't help but wish for the high octane bullshit of his past triumphs. Worthy but annoyingly dull.