Boys will be be overgrown boys in this Yankee Doodle riff on James Bonding. Since the athletic prowess of the leading men isn't complemented by any similar agility as actors, this globe-trotting adventure seems to be missing a few pieces.
To prevent criminal mastermind Keller (Neil Delaima) from activiating an espionage device pilfered from the US, fed agent Jerry (Sean Donahue) hides The Mosaic Project before taking a rooftop plunge to his death. (Implanting Mosaic computer chips into the brain transforms an average spy into a
superhero programmed with multiple languages and a wide range of lethal self-defense capabilities.) By accident, two Fresno ne'er-do-wells, Ken (Jon Tabler) and Jeff (Ben Marley) discover the secret weapon. Whisked away to Washington, DC, Jeff and Ken receive instant brain surgery (instead of a
reward) and new careers in the challenging world of espionage. Not cognizant of the fact that their new boss Fred (Joe Estevez) is in league with Keller, the former day laborers embark on a series of dangerous escapades with fellow Mosaic, Ash (Colleen Coffey). After putting a gaggle of martial
artists out of commission, Jeff and Ken exit an international crimeworld party with counterfeit forgery plates. Later, a raid on Keller headquarters costs Ash her life, although she does eliminate Keller's first-in-command, Frank (Billy Million), and reveal Fred's treachery to her cospies. Now on
the run, the accidental agents realize that Fred plans to subject them to a deadly chip removal operation. Defeating three new-improved Mosaics sent to unemploy them, the James Bond-wannabees allow the feds to think they've been dispatched by one of the human Mosaic bombs. After Keller and Fred
re-enact the climax of DUEL IN THE SUN, Ken and Jeff are free to test their implanted dexterities in the upscale job market.
Although this film's premise is flexible enough to supply a TV action show with a season full of plot lines, this direct-to-video just squeezes into the marginally entertaining category. Fortunately, the basic wish fulfillment of two Average Joes becoming Napoleon Solo and Ilya Kuryakin overnight
should appeal to college-age action buffs who feel invulnerable after a few beers. Showing its martial artistry during some combative Interpol skirmishes, THE MOSAIC PROJECT kenpos with a lot more vigor than style. What ultimately sinks this escapism is a failure to freshen up stale spy jinks with
action ingenuity, and the low wattage of the cast. In addition to the dim contributions of junk veterans like Estevez and Robert Z'Dar, leading men Tabler and Marley demonstrate they need acting chips implanted in their brains before birthing future performances. Despite its sci-fi twist on the
How-I-Spent-My-Summer-Vacation fantasy syndrome, THE MOSAIC PROJECT is unable to maximize a series of padded adventures into dynamite bursts of action. As vocational guidance thrillers go, this undistinguished body-blocking pic is light years better than MONEY TO BURN but not nearly as jazzy as IF
LOOKS COULD KILL. (Graphic violence, profanity.) leave a comment
