American Ultra

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1:10

American Ultra

R

2015

1h 36m

Action

Comedy

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

44%

Tomatometer

174 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Small-town stoner Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) spends most of his time getting high and writing a graphic novel. 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 former handler activates his latent skills, turning the mild-mannered slacker into a deadly weapon. Now, the utterly surprised Mike must use his newfound abilities to save himself and his girlfriend from getting smoked.

Critics Consensus

American Ultra has some interesting ideas, but like its stoned protagonist, it's too easily distracted to live up to its true potential.

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Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Complex

02/24/2017

3.5/5

American Ultra, built upon ridiculous premise and casting, is not only the funniest but unexpectedly one of the best action movies of the summer.

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Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

05/27/2016

A loud, ugly, slapdash combination of action movie, pot comedy, criminal romance, and conspiracy thriller - and about as lumpy and ungainly as you'd imagine such a stew would be.

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Alex Abad-Santos

Vox

12/17/2015

2.5/5

There are patches where the film stalls and crumbles under too much explanation. That's a shame, because the movie does have bite and sterling moments. But you shouldn't have to be stoned to appreciate them.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

05/27/2022

3/4

A rather exciting, downright visceral, very often romantic, and unexpectedly fun experience.

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Therese Lacson

Nerdophiles

10/09/2021

4/5

"American Ultra" is Explosively Fun and Completely Ridiculous

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

02/26/2021

That the filmmakers have some consciousness of the criminal role of the CIA makes the movie, that is neither funny nor well made, a shameful project from the start.

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David B.

@RT14283473 4h

I WAS ENTERTAINED!!!

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roe T

@RT16238843 14h

It was good but not great. Scenes are predictable. There was this one scene in the ending where it says the location was in Manila, PH but the hotel staff and guests are foreigners and the captors are Chinese. There. That was the comedic scene.

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Oaklee D

@ODie63 Apr 16

One of the least funny action "comedies" I think I have ever seen.

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Nicholas I

@Nickybags Jan 6

If you miss movies being "good" AND fun, check this one out.

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Thiago B

@RT84504788 Nov 30

feels like a movie built entirely around a single pitch: "What if a stoner discovers he’s actually a government sleeper agent?" It’s a fun idea, but the execution is so uneven that the film can’t decide whether it wants to be an action-comedy, a parody, or something genuinely emotional. In the end, it doesn’t succeed at any of them. The script is the biggest problem. The jokes rarely land, the dramatic moments feel unearned, and the dialogue is filled with faux-edgy banter that tries way too hard to sound clever. The film wants to be chaotic, but instead it just comes across as loud and unfocused. Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart do their best, but their chemistry is buried under a messy tone and a story that constantly works against itself. Every emotional beat gets interrupted by cartoonish violence, and every action scene is cut so erratically that it’s hard to feel invested.

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Lisa Mark

Nov 21

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Nima Nourizadeh

Director

Jesse Eisenberg

Mike Howell

Kristen Stewart

Phoebe Larson

Topher Grace

Adrian Yates

Connie Britton

Victoria Lasseter

Walton Goggins

Laugher

American Ultra: The Tough Guy Operatives

2:11

American Ultra: I Just Killed Two Gentlemen

2:31

American Ultra: You Got the Monkey Virus?

2:09

American Ultra: Escaping the Basement

2:17

American Ultra: I'm Your Handler

2:53

American Ultra: I Hate You, Man!

2:52

American Ultra: The Old Frying Pan Bullet Trick

2:38

American Ultra: Supermarket Skirmish

2:53

American Ultra: Not So Different

3:10

American Ultra: Engaged and Tased

2:07

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American Ultra: Trailer 3

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American Ultra: Weapon Trailer

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Synopsis

Small-town stoner Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) spends most of his time getting high and writing a graphic novel. 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 former handler activates his latent skills, turning the mild-mannered slacker into a deadly weapon. Now, the utterly surprised Mike must use his newfound abilities to save himself and his girlfriend from getting smoked.

Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Producer: Anthony Bregman, Kevin Scott Frakes, Raj Brinder Singh, David Alpert, Britton Rizzio
Screenwriter: Max Landis
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Circle of Confusion, PalmStar Media
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Some Sexual Content|Strong Bloody Violence)
Genre: Action, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 13, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.4M
Runtime: 1h 36m