'The Bricklayer' Proves Its Cast Deserves More

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Action movie veteran Renny Harlin is back with “The Bricklayer,” thanks to Netflix, fans can watch it now. The thriller stars Aaron Eckhart as a retired CIA operative tasked with bringing in his friend and former colleague. Around to babysit Eckhart is Nina Dobrev’s younger, ambitious CIA agent.

The action scenes have rhythm, reason, and rhyme. For a movie with probably a quarter of a “John Wick” installment’s budget, “The Bricklayer” does an impressive job of keeping pace with its peers. The stunt department’s work shines especially brightly.

Despite what other reviewers say, bricklaying is pertinent and nicely cemented throughout the script. The main downside is that Nina Dobrev’s screen time is not as plentiful as her fans would probably prefer. She proves a deft hand in the action genre, replete with believably snappy one-liners. Dobrev also does a nice job working off Aaron Eckhart, who leads “The Bricklayer” with finesse. 

Ever since watching Eckhart in 2012’s action flick “Erased” opposite Olga Kurylenko, I have wondered why similar projects have not followed. Aaron Eckhart can act and do action. What is Hollywood or Netflix, for that matter’s confusion? 

I do not get it. Whatever the case, “The Bricklayer” is meeting Netflix subscribers’ needs. 

Upon its release, it quickly made its way onto Netflix’s top ten most-watched movies. When you consider the action genre’s recent drought in quality, it is easy to understand why. “The Bricklayer” is a solid build.