If you’re curious about the sci-fi thriller and want to take the risk despite our clear warning later in the text: “The Jerico Project“ runs today, February 9, 2024 at 10:25 PM, commercial-free on Saturday 3. If the date does not suit you, there are of course other options. So you can stream it anytime as part of your Netflix subscription. The FSK-16 title is also available from online retailers such as Amazon as Blu-ray, DVD or paid video on demand:
If you’re an Amazon Prime customer, you can watch the film there too free streaming*. All you have to do is sign up for Filmtastic Channel’s seven-day free trial. If you don’t want to cancel again, you pay 3.99 euros per month after the trial period, look at all those big names.
Many stars and still a flop
Virtually no other film outside of the Marvel and DC star cast in recent years has offered an ensemble of greater class than “The Jerico Project“. The impressive list starts with an Oscar-winning trio of Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”), Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”) and Gary Oldman (“Darkest Hour”). They are joined by blockbuster superstars Ryan Reynolds (“Deadpool”) and Gal Gadot (“Wonder Woman”), who play his wife.
But that’s not all the popular faces on stage. Also mixing are German DC star Antje Traue (“Man Of Steel”), Spaniard Jordi Mollà (“Bad Boys II”), Michael Pitt of “Boardwalk Empire”, Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”) and Alice Eve ( “Star Trek Into Darkness”) and martial arts fanatic Scott Adkins (“One Shot”).
It’s remarkable that such a brilliantly cast effort is then almost completely driven into the wall. Because it wasn’t just the US box office gross of $14.7 million that was downright pathetic. Global criticism also did not spare itself with name-calling. Our FILMSTARTS review, which earned only a disappointing 1.5 stars, cites two major reasons for the shipwreck of ‘The Jerico Project’: the script written by Douglas Cook and David Weisberg – after all, the authors of the action hit landmark ‘The Rock’. – Rock of Decision” – as well as Ariel Vromen’s poor production.
Author Andreas Staben writes about the thriller, which was released directly for home cinema in this country: “The Israeli director chases his prominent cast through a poorly put together Gaga plot and – also in terms of tension and sensation – remains far behind the recognizable role. models like the ‘Bourne’ films Back.” Furthermore, he is of the opinion that Vromen has no eye for nuance and prefers to concentrate on incomprehensibly brutal outbursts of violence. With this he literally burns his noble cast and only Kevin Costner manages to provide a few bright spots.
That’s what “The Jerico Project” is about
CIA agent Bill Pope (Reynolds), stationed in London, is in grave danger. The American is hunted by the Spanish anarchist Heimdahl (Molla) and his accomplice Elsa Mueller (Traue). The duo wants information about the whereabouts of a criminal hacker codenamed Dutchman (Pitt). Because he is apparently capable of taking control of America’s digital defense system.
When they finally caught Pope, Heimdahl and Mueller interrogated and tortured him in vain until he died in their power. This is also bad for Pope’s superior Quaker Wells (Oldman) and his assistant Marta Lynch (Eve), because they also want to catch the hacker. For this reason, Wells initiates an experimental procedure: the brutal criminal Jericho Stewart (Costner), who is in CIA custody, receives a copy of Dr. Franks (Jones) implanted parts of Pope’s brain.
Shortly afterwards, Stewart/Pope escapes from prison and struggles with the strange emotions in his head. He instinctively follows visions that lead him to Pope’s widow Jill (Gadot) and their young daughter (Lara Decaro). Together with Jill, he now tries to get hold of his new ‘two-track’ identity and find out what to do with the information that all parties apparently so urgently want from him…