"I wanna play for the New York Giants." Who wouldn't. Who wouldn't wanna be Sam Huff before Sam Huff or become the next Mel Hein. But first son you have to go off and fight in World War II. The aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the waves of Guadalcanal, and a football game await you in 2026's The Mosquito Bowl.
Anyway "Bowl" is an American war film brimming with danger and carnage and spite and hope. I mean it's the type of pic that's based on a true story but sadly doesn't have enough of a diegesis to assist said true story. Four college players enlist in the Marine Corps and end up fighting in the Battle of Okinawa. Oh and they play a pigskin match in between that's initially two-hand touch. Oh come on, you just knew they were gonna eventually beat the living crap out of each other like Lawrence Taylor hunting his prey. Natch.
So OK, The Mosquito Bowl is a product of Netflix and Imagine Entertainment. It stars Nicholas Galitzine, Ray Nicholson, and Tom Francis, actors who are unknowns and about as aloof and likable character-wise as the faceless enemies they are dueling against.
Detestable combat barbarity, tons of close-ups, gray cinematography consisting of salt and peppery hues, a football sequence that lasts about five minutes of screen time when the flick's title suggests otherwise (you'll see). Yeah "Bowl" is never colorless or lifeless but it sure comes out to being a very jagged viewing experience. Add director Peter Berg's penchant for elongated closing credit sequences, his penchant for extra rowdy sound mixing, his need to make a cameo (it's so clear), and his numbness for musical scores and his Mosquito Bowl is a poor man's version of something more brimming like his Patriot's Day from back in the day (2016). "Bowl cut."
Written by Jesse Burleson
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