April 12, 2024 (NYC)–   Eckhart Rises in Chief of Station.  A Look at Chief of Station the new action film by filmmaker Jesse V. Johnson.  Chief of Station will hit theaters and arrive on demand on May 3, 2024

REVIEW:

Aaron Eckhart has had a solid movie career.  He has a varied catalogue of starring and supporting roles in films like Erin Brockovich, Thank You For Smoking, and The Dark Knight.  My take on him is that you can always expect a solid performance; however, Eckhardt has not been the determining factor in selecting a film to watch.  That may all change with Chief of Station.  This independent action film may be one of his finest performances, to date.

Chief of Station is an action spy thriller that capitalizes on the highest level of international tensions between the United States and Russia since the end of the Cold War.  The film is smartly written by George Mahaffey.  Chief of Station plays out like a modern Americanized James Bond novel with action, romance, grit, spy drama, and violence.  It is a good story, and a good film.

The film is Directed by Jesse V Johnson.   Whether Johnson is directing something he has written, like last year’s brilliant historical action film, Boudica, or written by others, like Chief of Station, you are guaranteed to get a lot of bang for the buck.  Johnson has a masterful eye, particularly for action.  In Chief of Station, his sharp eye elevates the film to a top notch notch spy thriller. The Direction, cinematography, and editing are all very good.

The film, like many of Johnson’s projects, is littered with many cast members that have worked with him on prior films.  Nina Bergman, Josef Cannon, and Nick Moran, just to name a few, all provide solid performances in this one and all have history with Johnson at the helm. Olga Kurylenko, star of Johnson’s Boudica and White Elephant, has a small, but significant role here.

Alex Pettyfer is one to watch.  His performance in Chief of Station is memorable and very good.

Daniel Bernhardt, star of Johnson’s best film, Hell Hath No Fury, is dynamic in this film, and really shines as a deadly villain that is reminiscent of Robert Shaw’s performance in From Russian With Love.  Bernhardt truly is a modern day action star, whose character and performances are always “stand out” in the films he appears in.  I love watching him work.

While all of the elements of the film are strong, it is Eckhardt’s performance as the American Intelligence Officer on a mission to avenge his wife’s death, at any cost, that is an elevation from all of his prior works.  His balance of intellect and aggression is well tempered in this, and he never crosses the line into becoming a caraciture.  The performance has grit and realism, and has many of the same qualities I admired in Daniel Crag’s take on the Ian Fleming’s iconic British spy. At 56 years old Eckhardt, like Liam Neeson after the “Taken” films caught the public’s attention, may find himself perceived in a whole new light, and at the forefront of a new genre for him.

This film releases in limited capacity on May 3, 2024.

The film is a worthwhile and I highly recommend it.  At its core it has good storytelling, great action, acting, and Direction. .

–review by Master Marc Zirogiannis