Thoughts on The Machine (2023) · 7:16pm Oct 18th, 2023
Watched this with my sister and her husband last Friday. It's very much a "turn your brain off and just enjoy" kind of film.
Basically, in a nutshell, it's the story of a comedian's drunken fratboy exploits on a trip to Moscow in the 90s coming back to haunt him years later, when vengeful mobsters (after an heirloom pocket watch stolen during said exploits) abduct said comedian and his father to Russia to either find what was stolen, or exact retribution.
But really, that story is mostly window dressing to the real thrust of the story, which is dumb comedy antics and the like. There's stuff along the way about fathers and kids, sprinkled with some odds and ends about regret for the past or the power of making people laugh, but the real core of the story is the humor between seeing Bert Kreischer and Mark Hamill's characters (and Iva Babic as the lady mobster who kidnaps them) navigating the world of Russia and the mob.
Mark Hamill was my favorite part of the movie. He provides a great presence to clash with Bert, playing the role of the critical father (and inconvenient pacifist) dragged into an insane world of mobsters, drugs and idiocy. The scene where his character winds up dosed on "so, so, so many drugs" is a comedic highlight. Some of the other set-pieces didn't do much for me (none of them were "bad," objectively, just not quite to my taste) but that moment was my favorite.
To be fair, some of these setpieces are quite fun. I definitely have to give major props to a fun dual action sequence where Bert downs a bottle of vodka and does battle with some thugs; while Irina (Iva's character) mows down another group of thugs elsewhere. It's an inspired back-and-forth, whizzing between Jackie Chan-esque slapstick and John Wick-style gun-fu. Highly entertaining! 
Won't be winning any awards for me, but between seeing Mark Hamill babbling while blitzed on speed, and the imaginative back-and-forth of the penultimate fight, this one still makes it by with a plus in my book. Just don't take it seriously, for the love of God, don't take it seriously, and you'll have a fun enough time with it. 
