Michael Jai White is Pete Stryker in the 2025 Action/Comedy Hostile Takeover. He literally has a killer job that he loves. A little too much. Director/co-writer Michael Hamilton-Wright gives us a blood drenched and violent laugh riot. This one is funny, much better than 2024’s Don’t Mess With Grandma, that was just silly. It was not very funny either.
*Hamilton-Wright shares writing credit with Christina Laughlin and Burton L. Warner.*
Hostile Takeover Story
Pete Stryker is the very best “knockaround guy” in the Acardo family. Sadly, he feels pressure from being a workaholic. He attends one meeting and gets accused of being a rat. Pete must now rekindle his romance with the boss’s daughter and clear his name, all before sunrise.
Hostile Takeover Main Cast
Michael Jai White is Pete.
Aimee Stolte is Mora.
Aleks Paunovic is Reaper.
Benjamin Joel Arcé is Muerto.
Alex Mallari Jr. is Mingjue.
Damon Runyan is Thanatos.
Sala Baker is Pequino.
Jefferson Brown is Roger.
John Littlefield is Matteo Acardo.
Let’s Talk Hostile Takeover
It’s not just about the stunts and the fight choreography here. The comedy and the chemistry between White and Stolte is almost addictive. These two, apart from sparring as a pretty kick arse duo, feel like a real couple. Their verbal sparring is spot on. We can easily believe that they have a relationship, despite the two “being on a break” at the start of the film.
Now, about those stunts. The Stunt Team rocks. Stunt Coordinator Melissa R. Stubbs, Supervising Stunt Coordinator Jeffrey C. Robinson and Action Director Markos Rounthwaite all work to make the fights look spectacular. The shootouts also look fantastic. Everything works here. Almost too well.
Hostile Takeover Works
There is an almost perfect balance of comedy and action. The running gag is that Pete thinks everyone in the Arcado family love him. However, Mora and everyone he comes in contact with, think he is an arsehole. Why? Because workaholic Pete, spends too much time doing his job.
White gives good comedy. The script, despite having three writers, is funny. Example: Nicknames. Pete grouses about the fact that he does not have a cool nickname. “Why do you guys all have cool nicknames,” he plaintively asks Reaper. His friends retort? “Nobody likes you.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise is Alex Mallari Jr as the fey fashion designer Mingjue. I’ve been a fan since Dark Matter and I know he is par excellence in terms of stunts. Comedy? He also kills the comedic purpose of his character in this film.
The Verdict
Everything about this films works. The fights, the stunts, the comedy all rock. *The tazer fight inside the SUV is side splittingly hilarious.* Hostile Takeover earns a sold 5 stars. By the end of this film I ended up being an even bigger fan of Michael Jai White. I also ended up crushing on Aimee Stolte. The film is streaming on STARZ right now. Head on over and give this a look, it will tickle your fancy.
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