Weekend Pick or Pass: The Fix (2026) on Moviebox

Here's a little bit of background on "The Fix." It's no intense, politically focused plot that graces the pages of bestseller lists, but mostly a cheesy and unsurprising action-thriller that is entertaining if you just go along with it. Like most movies, this one also asks you to put your thinking cap somewhere else. As for the plot, this one has the makings of something genuinely good, and that is the story of burned ex-CIA operatives who head out to Tehran for "the score," but this one, honestly, falls flat of expectations. There may be too much action and violence for some people, but a lack of that for others, and many will just have to get past the entire plot for the action to flow. This is the movie you would play when you don't have anything else to watch and just need to get some mindless action and an easy to follow plot.

Kicking Back with Familiar Faces and Familiar Beats

The cast of The Fix engenders a particular sense of anticipation. Liam Neeson is practically the epitome of the action hero genre of films pitting him against almost impossible odds, and Zachary Levi, whilst known for either comedic or heroic roles, adds another dimension to this film as the anti-hero. Wes Chatham rounds it off, with a ragtag group of criminals and ex-operatives to form a unit which is both capable and somewhat steely. Grimy is the world Guy Moshe has envisioned for this project to represent and enable strategically placed shoot outs which feels exciting and chaotic, even with the occasionally bland and underwhelming set piece. The action sequence abundance is somehow undercut in this film where Neeson has either been placed in a film poorly lit to the point he's difficult to see or fight scenes have been so rapid and jumbled there is no semblance of structure.

Even though it wants to be realistic, I think the tone of the film veers too much toward spectacle. It’s genre constraints are some of the culprits of that. The runtime of the movie is a little over 2 hours and 22 minutes, and feels appropriate for the amount of plot that it needs to tell. However, there really are several moments that feel like the story is dragging and unnecessarily padding itself, and could be used to better build plot points.

R-rated films have a lot of violence and use a lot of curse words, but this movie uses those things in a way that serves the plot, which a lot of people see as a really good sign of a good movie. Others look at it and think it is just more of the same old thing. In my opinion, while watching this movie, you will feel like you have seen it all before, and that it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

The concept of ex-spy ex-adventurers comes around in this movie a lot when they’re trying to find ways to get out of the business, and while it’s a good way to make drama, I didn’t see anything new and creative in it.

The Score That Doesn't Quite Land

Although the prospect of a ‘life-changing score’ in Tehran does capture the imagination, the central heist/mission in this film suffers from poor planning. The film makes a strong case for urgency, but the details of the plot often fail to create the sort of engrossing nail-biting suspense of high-end thrillers. The plot drifts, introducing characters and plotlines that end up feeling disjoined from the rest of the narrative. All this can help lengthen an already long-winded film while other plotlines seem to converge, but only almost gather by the end and leave many feels and ideals unresolved. Generally, the reviews and criticism scored at 37 out of 100, which falls into the ‘generally unfavorable’ reviews, suggesting the narrative fell short of its mark. This is not to say that the film doesn't have moment of pleasure and joy, or even that Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi don't’ have some shining moments, as apparently the general audience was able to enjoy the film enough to overlook the narrative. With general criticism that gives the film an average grade of ’B’ on a scale of A+ to F, the film audience enjoyed the cast and action enough to forgive the film of its narrative faults.

A suitable diversion for a Moviebox viewer is The Fix. The Fix delivers and has a clever premise, but is mostly forgettable. It doesn’t break the mold, but it doesn’t have to. If you’re looking for a thriller to fuel your Friday night ‘popcorn flick’ then this is it. You’ll have a lot of fun with the plot and all the explosions. The Fix is perfect for some background noise. It’s a story that is solid and entertaining enough that you’ll actually want to pay a little bit of attention, but you wont be too disappointed if you take a bathroom break to answer that Instagram DM (we’ve all been there). Watch The Fix if you’re looking for a thrill that will only last for the weekend, but will be plenty of action filled entertainment. It's probably not the best for a comfort watch Sunday shelter in and hibernate, but it’s definitely a good Saturday centerpiece watch.