The Action of Victor

The Action of Victor is a 2006 American action-adventure spy-crime drama-thriller film directed by Richard Eyre. Based on the novel of the same name by James McNeon, the film is produced by James G. Robinson, Mark Wahlberg and Neal H. Moritz based on a screenplay by Thomas Lennon and Charles Leavitt and a story by Allo Velas and written by Billy Hank, Charles Leavitt and James McNeon.

The film stars Mark Wahlberg, alongside Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Sizemore, Brian Markinson, Liv Tyler, Ricky Gervais, Kal Penn, Aubrey Plaza, Sam Rockwell, Halle Berry, Charlie Sheen, Elisabeth Shue, Common, Clark Gregg, James Bell, Jennifer Connelly, Julianne Moore, and Val Kilmer. The film follows the story of a retired CIA agent named Victor Ochoa (Wahlberg) who is forced to come out of retirement to take down a dangerous arms dealer named Cyrus (Kilmer).

The film is produced by 20th Century Fox, Graphic Random Productions, Morgan Creek Productions, Closest to the Hole Productions and Original Film. Principal photography commenced in New York City, with additional locations including Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx. Production lasted from November 21, 2004 until October 14, 2005. Produced on a budget of $243 million, it is one of the most expensive films ever made.

The Action of Victor was released on May 26, 2006 by 20th Century Fox after premiering in New York City on April 25, 2006. The film received positive reviews from critics and was a box office success, grossing $2.104 billion worldwide on its budget of $243 million, and some critics describe the film as Mark Walhberg's redemption in film. A sequel was released on May 22, 2009, titled The Action of Victor: The Agent War.

The film had been in development since 1990 at Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, and TriStar Pictures at various times, before Graphic Random Productions acquired the production rights in 2003. Graphic Random Productions put the project in production as its first self-financed film, with Victor Hugo Pictures as its distributor. Eyre signed on as director, aiming for a naturalistic feel. It was the final Graphic Random Productions film before it was folded into Juan Pictures in 2007. As of 2023, Juan Pictures now owns the current film rights, with 20th Century Fox sharing its ownership.

Plot
The film follows the story of Victor Ochoa, a retired CIA agent who has been living a quiet life with his family after retiring from the agency. However, his peaceful life is shattered when his former partner and close friend, Agent Harrison, is murdered.

Victor is forced to come out of retirement, determined to find out who is behind Alex's death, and his investigation leads him to a notorious arms dealer named Cyrus Kane. Cyrus is a cunning and ruthless criminal who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Victor discovers that Cyrus has been smuggling advanced weaponry and technology to various criminal organizations around the world.

Victor teams up with a group of fellow agents, including his former love interest, Agent Sarah Pierce, and a tech expert named Barry, to take down Cyrus and his organization. However, their mission is complicated by the fact that Cyrus has a mole within the agency who is feeding him information.

As Victor and his team close in on Cyrus, they find themselves in a race against time to prevent him from carrying out his latest plan, which involves the launch of a deadly weapon that could destroy an entire city. Along the way, Victor also has to confront his past demons and come to terms with the sacrifices he has had to make in his career as a spy.

Victor and his team engage in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with Cyrus and his henchmen, with each side trying to outsmart and outmaneuver the other. They conduct surveillance on Cyrus and his associates, track down their smuggling routes, and gather intelligence on their operations.

Meanwhile, Victor also deals with personal issues, including his strained relationship with his wife (Michelle Rodriguez) and his guilt over the death of a fellow agent in a failed mission years ago. His past comes back to haunt him as he realizes that the mole within the agency may be someone he knew and trusted.

As the deadline for Cyrus's plan draws near, Victor and his team launch a daring raid on his base of operations, hoping to catch him off guard and prevent the launch of the deadly weapon. They engage in a fierce firefight with Cyrus's heavily armed guards, with Victor and Sarah leading the charge.

In the end, Victor manages to apprehend Cyrus and his remaining henchmen, but not without suffering losses of his own. He and his team are hailed as heroes for their bravery and dedication, but Victor knows that the fight against crime and terrorism never truly ends. He reflects on the sacrifices he has made and the toll it has taken on his personal life, but he also takes solace in the fact that he has made a difference in the world.

Cast

 * Mark Wahlberg as Victor Ochoa, the protagonist of the film, who is a skilled spy and a master of martial arts.
 * Colin Farrell as Jack Dempsey, a fellow spy who works alongside Victor and is his best friend.
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Harrison, a high-ranking government agent who gives Victor and Jack their missions.
 * Tom Sizemore as Detective Johnson, a local detective who often crosses paths with Victor and Jack during their missions.
 * Brian Markinson as Simon Hackett, the main villain of the film, who is a powerful crime lord and international terrorist.
 * Liv Tyler as Sarah Pierce, a journalist who becomes entangled in the espionage world and assists Victor and Jack in their mission.
 * Ricky Gervais as Barry, a tech-savvy member of Victor and Jack's team who provides them with gadgets and intelligence.
 * Kal Penn as Raj Patel, a rookie spy who is assigned to work with Victor and Jack on their mission.
 * Aubrey Plaza as Victoria Steele, a seductive spy who works for the enemy and tries to thwart Victor and Jack's plans.
 * Sam Rockwell as Ray Miller, a former spy who has turned rogue and now works for Hackett.
 * Halle Berry as Agent Thompson, another government agent who assists Victor and Jack in their mission.
 * Charlie Sheen as Billy Ray Valentine, a former con man who is recruited by Victor and Jack to assist them.
 * Elisabeth Shue as Joanna, a scientist who is kidnapped by Hackett and held captive.
 * Common as Agent Williams, a government agent who assists Victor and Jack in their mission.
 * Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, another government agent who assists Victor and Jack in their mission.
 * James Bell as Harry, Victor's mentor and trainer.
 * Jennifer Connelly as Dr. Sarah Lowell, a scientist who provides Victor and Jack with important information.
 * Julianne Moore as Agent Jordan, a government agent who assists Victor and Jack in their mission.
 * Val Kilmer as Cyrus Kane, a domestic terrorist, working with a secret government agency and is the main antagonist of the film, who has a rivalry with Victor.

Production
Back in August 1990, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that the film was officially in production, and how it is to be “Victor’s first adventure on the big screen”. The film was scheduled for a release in May 1995. Mel Gibson was cast as Victor, after the film Lethal Weapon. John McTiernan, an accomplished director and screenwriter, stepped into production as the director of the film, alongside its production company Morgan Creek Productions. Due to the addition of Morgan Creek for the production of the film, the film was delayed from May 1995 to June 1998.

On April 14, 1997, Warner Bros. Pictures announced that they no longer handled the distribution rights, leaving the film scheduled for an unknown release. 20th Century Fox stepped into the project and acquired the rights to the film on April 19, 1997. Around this time, Mel Gibson, the lead actor of the film, stepped away from production of the film. Will Smith signed to the project to portray Victor in the film, after Smith had been done with the 1996 film Independence Day. John McTiernan stepped away from the film’s ongoing production, and Richard Eyre stepped into the production scene as director, though the film still had an unidentified release date.

In late 2000, 20th Century Fox left the production, due to time constraints. The film was left in TriStar’s hands in September 2000. However, during the production, a financial issue within Sony occurred, forcing TriStar to leave production of the film on June 25, 2003. James McNeon, the writer of the film, stated in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that it was “absolute chaos”, also stating that “the film would never get released if this back and forth of exchange between studios continues”. Around the same time, McNeon had thoughts of canceling the film altogether.

On August 27, 2003, two months after TriStar was forced to resign from the project, 20th Century Fox re-acquired the film’s production and distribution rights, and now had its official planned release date of May 26, 2006. Morgan Creek was still attached to the project, but Will Smith left the project. Silver Pictures retired from the project as well. Producer James G. Robinson signed to the project, along with Original Film founder Neal H. Moritz, which in turn had Original Film signed to the project.

In August 2004, accomplished actor Mark Wahlberg was added to the project, casted as Victor. Because Wahlberg was added to the project, his production company Closest to the Hole Productions was added to the project. Wahlberg served as producer alongside Neal H. Moritz and James G. Robinson.

Principal photography commenced in New York City, with additional locations including Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx. Cameras were provided for filming by Panavision. Principal photography began on November 21, 2004, wrapping up on October 14, 2005.

Visual effects were produced in Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand by visual effects and animation company Weta Digital.

Release
Originally scheduled for a release in May 1995 by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film was slated back for a release of June 19, 1998 when Warner Bros. lost the distribution rights. Again, due to production struggles, 20th Century Fox acquired the rights from Warner Bros. Pictures. Aimed for a release of 2002, Fox left the project, and TriStar acquired the rights in 2000. Again, like Warner Bros. Pictures and 20th Century Fox, TriStar would end up leaving the project, due to a financial issue at Sony, which forced them to leave the project completely on June 25, 2003.

20th Century Fox picked up the project again on August 27, 2003, setting its official release date of May 26, 2006, as it was announced in its first teaser trailer. The teaser premiered on May 11, 2004. The 126-minute film held its premiere on April 25, 2006 in New York City, and was theatrically released on May 26, 2006 in the United States by 20th Century Fox. The film was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) for sequences of action and violence, as well as brief strong language.

Home media
The Action of Victor was released on VHS and DVD on September 26, 2006 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, making it the final 20th Century Fox film to be released on VHS. The film was released on Blu-ray on April 27, 2007, and on Blu-ray 3D on May 18, 2010.

Critical response
Upon release, The Action of Victor was opened to positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 78% based on 103 critics, with an average rating of 7.15/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Mark Wahlberg's redemption as an actor is shown in The Action of Victor, a film based on James McNeon's impressive work. Kilmer's acting stands out with his portrayal of Cyrus, though Wahlberg deserved a redemption for having been piled on for several years." It is noted as one of Mark Wahlberg's best films in the last 10 years. On Metacritic, the film was assigned a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CInemaScore assigned film an average grade "A" on its scale of A+ to F.

Box office
The Action of Victor opened on May 26, 2006 in the United States and on June 1, 2006 internationally. The film grossed $458,117,402 domestically and $1,646,260,499 overseas for a worldwide total of $2,104,377,901 against its budget of $243 million. Breaking several box office records upon its release, the film became the highest grossing film of 2006.

Trivia
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