AMERICAN ULTRA      3.2***

         Small-town stoner ( a hard core pot user) Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) spends most of his time getting high with his girlfriend (Kristen Stewart) and writing a graphic novel about a superhero monkey. What Mike doesn't know is that he was trained by the CIA to be a lethal killing machine. When the agency targets him for termination, his sympathetic former handler activates his latent skills, turning the mild-mannered slacker into a deadly weapon. ( shades of the “Bourne Identity” with same plot of the CIA trying to kill the sleeper agent) Now, the utterly surprised Mike must use his newfound abilities to save himself and his girlfriend from getting wasted.

Obviously, this isn't Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart's first rodeo together. You can see how effortless  the dynamic is between the two, such ease, so in sync, they can read and understand each other very well. And because of that, there's something real about their characters' relationship. So even at its silliest or most frenetic points, the movie lets its romantic heart shine through. The picture seems to say that when the world is at its craziest, having someone who loves you by your side is the surest way to survive.

Jesse Eisenberg nails the role of stoner/sleeper agent perfectly. He's a chilled out lovable guy who just wants to be with his girlfriend and a joint of marijuana. Stewart is strong as the loyal steadfast girlfriend.  I also have to give credit to Topher Grace who plays the villain, he's like a little brat demanding respect which he doesn't deserve and Grace plays it perfectly.  

American Ultra is a film with many pleasures, but the one that stands out is watching a stoned, utterly baffled Eisenberg stab, shoot, and dismember highly trained killers bent on his destruction. It is a weird little movie—a somewhat careless, all-over-the-place mishmash. But the film is entertaining because of the acting and the way it fearlessly marches to the beat of its own drummer. American Ultra is a real odd duck, and I like odd ducks.

Warning here: The movie is Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, drug use and some sexual content.

Clark