American Ultra

The stoner comedy gets a new, violent twist as slacker Jesse Eisenberg is unwillingly thrown into a high-octane battle with the government when he discovers he is a highly trained assassin whose memory has been wiped. From a tender, humorous beginning the film leaps into action and becomes a surprisingly traditional action movie, with the very witty script interjecting less than it perhaps should. Eisenberg wanders through in a haze of bewilderment, with an innocence it's hard not to like and capitalises on his great chemistry with on-screen girlfriend Kristen Stewart. Topher Grace goes all out as the villainous government official on their tail, turning up the energy too high at points. It may lose its thread towards the blood-spattered finale, but the two effective leads spearhead a fast, amiable comedy that never outstays its welcome, and will be great fun for fans of films such as 2008's Pineapple Express.