Movie Review: 'Security' (2017)

Antonio Banderas stars in this engaging action thriller as Eduardo "Eddie" Deacon, a retired Marine captain, who takes a job working overnight security for a mall. As one might suspect, this job soon takes a suspenseful turn.

While being shown the ropes by the hilarious head honcho (an impressive Liam McIntyre), a frantic girl (Katherine de la Rocha) comes running to the doors begging for help. Someone is coming for her and it is up to Eddie and his new colleagues to protect her.

Contrary to typical action movies, “Security” has a character-driven storyline that enables its characters to undergo a range of emotions as they evolve through various forms of themselves. The film seizes on how their being challenged with this dangerous situation reveals their true colors.

No character ends the story, the way they begin it, and that makes for a particularly refreshing narrative that allows the story to expand past the claustrophobic walls of the mall. Part “Under Siege” and “Commando,” “Security, ” tells a classic tale in revitalized fashion.

Making this possible is the excellent turn of Antonio Banderas, who gives an enthralling performance as Eddie, a veteran trying to adjust to life on the home front. Banderas executes his action scenes with seamless precision and an underlying passion that keeps the action from ever turning stale. Elevating material is Banderas’ forte and “Security” proves to be no exception.

[Image by Millennium Films]

Ben Kingsley makes for a rich villain, as the silver-tongued leader of the sinister group determined to bring the girl into their custody. In their scenes together, Kingsley and Banderas forge strong chemistry as foes and that antagonistic energy propels the movie’s latter half.

“Security” would have benefitted from a location shoot at an actual mall, as it is a character in its own right. However, what the movie provides gets the job done and there are enough moving parts to keep one distracted from its shortcomings.

While the action ebbs and flows, it is exciting to watch when it transpires. The movie does an excellent job of building up Banderas’ Eddie, encouraging the audience’s excitement to see what he is capable of. A few more scenes that properly showcased his abilities would have helped drive that point, further along.

Surrounded by a sturdy ensemble, Banderas and company make compelling work of “Security." One can only hope to see more movies of this vein from Banderas and given what IMDB has to say about his filmography, it looks like audiences will not have to wait long for such an opportunity.

Rating: 6.5/10

[Featured Image by Millennium Films]