The Wasteland Reviewer

The Fix (2026) Written Review

What would you do if your country turned its back on you? There is much to be said about the hypocrisy in the United States around our soldiers. You will have politicians toting the need for bigger militaries, but you won’t find those same politicians fighting for healthcare for our veterans when their job is done. The disconnect regarding support has led many veterans down dark and destructive paths. With Guy Moshe’s new geopolitical thriller, The Fix, we witness a group of soldiers making tough decisions in the field and they are left out to dry for their troubles. But when the demented rambling of their commanding officer reveals a $25 million loot in Tehran, this crew get the band back together and go on a venture full of twists and turns.

Does this screenplay, co-written by Moshe, Mark Bacci, and Ron Hutchinson deliver a compelling and layered narrative wrapped around these important themes? First off, The Fix never gives up on making the message about our veterans. This core idea is explored through the trauma of its characters and gives the film some much-needed depth. But the film does undercut itself quite often with the overly convoluted narrative and other clunky messaging. There is a bluntness to its West versus East mentality of perspective. The Fix offers up nothing new to say and never explores these ideas with depth and tact. The film also struggles with flat dialogue and clunky bits as well as attempting to keep its audience on their toes. The character work in the film is quite inconsistent as well. There is a strong emotional core behind the protagonist, Tucker, who is plagued by his guilt and pushes away his son. But the film is unable to deliver on this emotional core. The dynamic behind this crew is quite effective and is one of the most genuine elements of the script. The film has some admittedly wild twists and turns, but the film telegraphs these revelations through some poorly written characters and conveniences that feel so obvious that they are false flags. The structure of the story is also a bit too ambitious as the journey becomes too uneven to truly connect.

Does Moshe’s direction help elevate the film? The most glaring issue with the film (stemming from the structural issues) is the pacing. This is a nearly two-and-a-half-hour film. The opening sequence is nearly 30 minutes and drops you right into the thrills and danger of the story. But once that is over, the pacing becomes quite the slog. There is close to an hour of screen time until there are any real dangers or thrills in store. The film is so uneven in its pacing that the final scenes feel awkwardly trimmed down to run through quickly. The editing is also clunky which messes up the logic of scenes and the flow of the story. The visuals of the film are quite flat and look like you are watching a Syfy original TV movie. The practical effects at times are honestly quite effective but underutilized. The CGI effects throughout the film are atrocious and look artificial from the second they appear. There is some solid tension in a few scenes (especially the opening sequence) but that is not enough to overcome such clunky and plotting pacing. The film attempts to deliver such a serious and heavy experience, but it does not always discover that frequently (especially to one of the leads and their struggle to show emotion).

Does the cast of this film help with some of these concerns? Unfortunately, that is not the case with such a film. Zachary Levi is a funny performer but has yet to find his dramatic gear that feels authentic. He is a big guy and sells some physicality but every time he tries to be sad or dramatic, his eyes open wide and he looks cartoonish. Even the moments when he is supposed to be crying and emotionally devastated feel like it is going for a laugh out of you. He has the potential with his stature and the ways he carries himself, but he never felt like he solidified this character on a deep level. The biggest name in the film (who inevitably would only appear for a limited time on screen) is Liam Neeson. This man is a legend of the screen and sells the heartbreak of the early sequence, the pain and disorientation of his dissolving health, and the intensity of a grizzled veteran of this dark geopolitical landscape. The rest of the crew are rock solid and have some good chemistry together. Quincy Isaiah has an interesting turn as the youngest and most variable of Tucker’s crew. Isaish is getting his biggest break since his turn as Magic Johnson, but he never quite gets past the point of solid. There are plenty of players in the film and at least most of them do this film service by giving some care for their roles.

Is The Fix the next big geopolitical thriller to make a splash? Not quite. This is a clunky and messy film that had plenty of potential but traded it for big shocks and twists. The core themes of the film are more relevant than ever before, and Moshe does a solid job of exploring veteran-related themes and trauma. Levi has some serious shortcomings in this role but admittedly, Neeson does steal every scene he is in. There are clunky editing, effects, and narrative structure which muddy the experience so much. A lot of wasted potential in this ungodly lost geopolitical thriller.