Today’s quick review: Aftermath. Roman Melnyk (Arnold Schwarzenegger) loses everything he cares about when his wife and pregnant daughter die in a plane crash. As he tries to cope with his grief, he focuses his energy on getting an apology from the airline. Meanwhile, Jake Bonanos (Scoot McNairy), the air traffic controller on duty at the time of the crash, struggles with crippling guilt and public pressure over his role in the accident.
Aftermath is a drama about two men coming to grips with a tragic plane crash that irrevocably alters their lives. The movie follows Roman and Jake as they attempt to move on with their lives, only to succumb to anger and depression. Aftermath is a slow burn that focuses on the mental states of its characters and the obsessive nature of grief. However, in spite of good performances from its leads, the movie never does much with its story.
Aftermath suffers from an incredibly passive plot. The movie focuses on the mental states of Roman and Jake to the exclusion of nearly everything else. There’s no external action that could fuel a revenge story, and neither character makes it far enough through the healing process to make Aftermath a tale of redemption. Instead, what the audience gets is a sluggish, one-note drama that captures the emotion of sorrow but never goes farther than that.
Aftermath holds some value for fans of low-key, grounded drama that focuses on characters over plot. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Scoot McNairy do a fine job of acting out the film’s many somber moments. But most viewers will find that the movie has very little to offer, with neither the dark thrills of a revenge movie nor the emotional catharsis of other dramas.
For a more exotic drama about a plane crash, try Cast Away. For a revenge movie with more violence, try Rage, Acts of Violence, The Brave One, or Edge of Darkness. For a more intricate drama about a mother dealing with grief, or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
5.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.5 for decent performances that can’t make up for a dull plot.