Summary

• Despite initial mixed reviews,
  Land of Evil
  became famous on Netflix with an all-star cast.
• The film’s realism is based on real JTAC elements and the influence of consultant Jason Kinney.
• The action-packed military thriller
  Land of Evil
  is a homage to the films of the 90s with precise details.

Despite its initial release in February 2024 and less than stellar reviews, William Eubanks Land of Evil gained new fame when the film made its Netflix debut on July 18, 2024. The action thriller even managed to snag a spot on Netflix’s global top 10 list for the week of July 22-28. The film features an all-star cast, with Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe taking on the lead roles. The actors are joined by Hemsworth’s brother Luke, as well as Milo Ventimiglia, Ricky Whittle, Chuka Ikogwe and Daniel MacPherson.

Land of Evil, Although it is another entry in the highly saturated genre of war/military action thrillers, it is Eubanks’ first attempt at making a purely action-oriented film. The director has previously worked on numerous science fiction films, including The signal, and dealt with the horror genre, as the name behind 2021s Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin. Despite his experience with genre films, each film brings its own difficulties, and Land of Evil was no different for Eubank. The original idea for the film was developed by Eubank and co-writer David Frigerio more than a decade ago, and since then The film has undergone many changes, including those that Land of EvilAction and accuracy.

Is “Land of Bad” based on a true story?

Read our review

Although Land of Evil is primarily a work of fiction and not based on a true story, the narrative does contain certain factual elements. For example, the role of the protagonist Kinney in the operation, that of a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC), is a real role in the United States Armed Forces. The JTAC coordinates ground support, directs actions, and controls the course of military aircraft during missions.

Land of Evil’s biggest real-life appeal has to do with his leading man, Liam Hemsworth’s character JJ ‘Playboy’ Kinney. Hemsworth’s Kinney has a real-life counterpart who partially influenced the film personality. Real-life JTAC instructor Jason Kinney, who lives in Fort Irwin, California, served as an advisor to Land of evil. However, not much is true other than the character’s name, as the film’s plot was hatched long before Eubanks met Jason Kinney. The real Kinney never went on a rescue mission in the southern Philippines and, unlike Hemsworth’s character in the film, was highly trained, confident and skilled.

Military precision in the country of the band

One of the main focuses of Land of Evil is drone warfare and the role of the human soldier in a technologically driven military. Since the idea for the film was developed long before production began, Eubank has expressed that the plot has some gaps in regards to drone warfare. The team realized the problem as more work and research was done and real drone pilots were met. When they realized they had gotten the story wrong, Eubank abandoned the original script for Land of Evil, Opting for military precision.

In conversation with Task and purposeEubank spoke about how the production team “got into the details” and developed “an understanding of the day-to-day” after contacting Jason Kinney. The influence of the team’s interactions also extended to the construction of the drone controller sets, with Russell Crowe able to learn from real pilots, allowing him to perfect his portrayal of the Reaper. Speaking to The Hollywood Reportersays Eubank:

“(Jason) Kinney, a real JTAC instructor at Fort Irwin, called us and said, ‘Hey, you guys need to come over and see what we really do.’ So we went there and stayed for two weeks giving 9-line commands to the F-35s. That changed our perspective on everything, including the script. We met real drone pilots and just scrapped how we had written the original movie. We started over.”

Land of Bad is a military thriller reminiscent of the 90s

Land of Evil is undoubtedly action-packed, with guns, explosions and fights galore. Set in the southern Philippines, the film follows a four-man Delta Force team sent on a rescue mission. The fourth man is Liam Hemsworth’s character Kinney, aka Playboy, who unexpectedly becomes part of the delivery team. The JTAC operator is a stranger to the mission on the ground and is nervous and unprepared for the demands of the operation. However, he grows into his situation, to become the hero his team needsTo do this, he teams up with Air Force drone pilot Reaper, played by Russell Crowe, who, along with Staff Sgt. Nia Branson (Chika Ikogwe), serves as the elite team’s eyes in the sky.

Although the action and fights in the film are supported by sophisticated technology, the film still exudes the aura of a 90s military film. William Eubank has claimed that the production Land of Evil Remembering the 90s was a deliberate step. In conversation with Task and purposeThe director said he was a big fan of jungle action from the 90s. This is where the idea came from, Land of Evil in the jungles of the southern Philippines, rather than the usual sands of the Middle East or Afghanistan. The director expressed that he wanted to offer viewers a different narrative, one that deviated from the backdrop of military thrillers of the past decades. The solution was a return to the action films of the 90s, and if audience reviews are to be believed, Eubank has fulfilled his mission.

The awareness that the production team behind Land of Evil has ensured that the film and the core elements it focuses on are as military accurate as possible, which pushes the film even higher on a list of must-see military thrillers. Putting Liam Hemsworth in a military setting, pairing him with Oscar winner Russell Crowe and giving the film a throwback to 90s action, Land of Evil does a lot of things right.

While the narrative is somewhat tried and tested, an elite team on a rescue mission, the way Eubank lets the plot progress, the accuracy sprinkled throughout the narrative, and the dynamic between Hemsworth and Crowe make Land of Evil an action-packed, entertaining experience. Land of Evil is streaming on Netflix.