Boss Level

Yes, it's another time-loop movie, but this cheerfully relentless action flick comes out fighting and keeps up the pace, with pauses for a few clever ideas and some genuinely touching moments. Directed by Joe Carnahan, Boss Level proves once again that you can borrow the Groundhog Day idea and, like Edge of Tomorrow, Happy Death Day, and Palm Springs, still add something new to it. In keeping poor Roy off-balance for the first chunk of the movie, the movie establishes a careening momentum that's positively energizing. Roy gets more sympathetic as we realize that, after some 140 days, he's given up; his main goal is to make it to the bar and drink until he's killed.

But hope comes in many forms. Roy running into his son (played by Grillo's real-life son, Rio), discovering the connection to Jemma, taking sword-fighting lessons, finding a tracking device, and using trial-and-error to learn and adapt all become touching, exhilarating checkpoints. Dreamed up by Chris and Eddie Borey, the story of Boss Level is thick and complex, with many events happening in many places, but Carnahan -- who's at his career best here -- keeps everything nicely balanced and beautifully paced. The main flaw is that there's so much going on that the ending ends up feeling a little unfinished. But Grillo, who finally has a solid breakout role here, gives a final little wink that makes it all seem OK.