Project Power is a 2020 American science fiction action film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, produced by Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless, and written by Mattson Tomlin. It stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Dominique Fishback, alongside Colson Baker, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker and Allen Maldonado, and follows a drug dealer, a police officer, and a former soldier who team up to stop the distribution of a pill that gives the user superpowers for five minutes.

The film was released on August 14, 2020, by Netflix. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast, action sequences and visuals but criticized the screenplay.

Plot 
In near-future New Orleans, a mysterious distributor offers a free supply of "Power"—a pill that grants various superpowers for five minutes—to a group of drug dealers, including one named Newt.

Six weeks later, Newt's teenage cousin Robin, a dealer herself, is nearly robbed by customers seeking Power. She is rescued by NOPD Officer Frank Shaver, one of her regular buyers. Art, a man hunting for the distributor "Biggie", tracks down Newt, who dies after a struggle when he overdoses on Power. Frank foils a bank robbery by a Power-enhanced thief, but is suspended for using Power himself. His captain reveals that government personnel are pressuring him to terminate any investigation into Power, and gives Frank a picture of the man they suspect to be the source of the drug: Art.

Using Newt's phone to find and abduct Robin, Art forces her to take him to the drug cartel's safehouse. He is shot while eliminating several of the cartel's men, and discovers that Power users throughout New Orleans are being monitored as test subjects for the drug. Art bonds with Robin as they treat his wounds, and reveals that after leaving the military, he was recruited by Teleios, a private defense contractor who experimented on him to create superpowers. His daughter Tracy, born after the experiments, exhibited powers without ever taking the drug, and was abducted by Wallace, a Teleios operative.

Art and Robin find Biggie hosting a private demonstration of Project Power for a potential buyer near the Superdome, where large groups of Saints fans are arriving for a home game. Biggie claims that Power represents "the next evolution of the human species", with the pill's powers derived from the abilities of animals, such as the chameleon or the wolverine frog. Art interrogates Biggie at gunpoint and learns of a ship, the Genesis, but Frank intervenes, having tracked other users to the demonstration. Biggie takes a dose of Power, forcing Art, Robin, and Frank to flee as Art kills Biggie in an explosion.

Frank arrests Art and informs his captain, but Art explains that the Power epidemic in New Orleans is mass testing to stabilize the drug, and that Tracy is the source of the drug's powers. Having convinced Frank that his captain is actually taking orders from Teleios, Art purposely has himself captured by Teleios and taken aboard the Genesis. Frank and Robin infiltrate the ship, and Art persuades a guard to free him. Frank and Art kill Wallace, while Robin finds Tracy and reunites her with her father.

As the four attempt to flee, Robin is captured by Dr. Gardner, the head of Project Power, who demands Tracy in exchange for Robin's life. Art confronts Gardner, using Power, which gives him the ability of a pistol shrimp to finally kill Gardner and her men. Despite this costing Art his life, Tracy ultimately resurrects him with her powers. They all escape the ship.

Frank intends to expose Project Power to the press, while Art decides to move on. He gives Robin his truck and a bag full of money to cover her mother's medical needs, telling her to use the greatness inside of her. Art and Tracy depart, finally free. Meanwhile, Robin begins a new career as a rapper.

Cast
 Jamie Foxx as Art; a U.S. Army Major and Delta Force operator who was one of Power's original test subjects; he possesses the ability inherited from a pistol shrimp, thus being able to launch powerful heatwaves from his body.
 Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Frank Shaver; a NOPD detective. He receives Power that hardens his skin, effectively making him bulletproof. This ability is probably inherited from an armadillo and does not give invulnerability, but just lowers the amount of damage received to the point Frank does not receive any serious injuries. His ability also gives him a strength boost.
 Dominique Fishback as Robin Reilly; a street-smart Power dealer who aspires to be a rap artist.
 Colson Baker as Newt Lasalle; Robin's cousin and fellow Power dealer, who possesses the ability of thermal regulation that allows him to generate fire from his body. However, this ability only offers him limited fire resistance, leaving him with serious burns on his body from overuse.
 Rodrigo Santoro as Biggie; one of Power's creators, who possesses the ability to rapidly increase in size and strength.
Amy Landecker as Gardner
Allen Maldonado as Landry
Kyanna Simone Simpson as Tracy; Art's daughter who possess the ability to heal organic matter; her powers were inherited from her father and come naturally.
Andrene Ward-Hammond as Irene
Courtney B. Vance as Captain Crane; Shaver's NOPD commanding officer.
Casey Neistat as Moto, Candy's boyfriend.
Jim Klock as Mr. Luker
Luke Hawx as Bouncer
Janet Rose Nguyen as Deli Girl
Rose Bianco as the Matriarch
Tait Fletcher as Wallace; an employee of Gardner's who possesses the ability of superhuman strength, which he probably inherited from a rhinoceros or a gorilla. Downside is that he receives damage as usual since he does not have an ability to protect his body from taking damage.
Yoshi Sudarso as Knifebones; a henchman of Gardner's who possesses the ability of turning his bones into weapons. His power was inherited from a wolverine frog.
Jane Chika Oranika as Akeela; Robin's classmate.
Jazzy De Lisser as Candy; Moto's girlfriend who was given a pill to test it out. She inherited an ability of thermal regulation, but instead of Newt's immolation, she can lower the temperature of her own body and her surroundings to extremely low temperatures.
Cory Demeyers as Griff; a Power user and bank robber, that Frank pursues. He inherited the ability of skin camouflage from an octopus or chameleon.
C.J. LeBlanc as Miggs
Azhar Khan as Guello; one of the drug dealers standing higher in the chain after Robin. Art asks Robin to go to him to find information of the one who kidnapped his daughter. He inherited an ability of spontaneous regeneration, allowing him to heal with increased speed from a lizard.

Production
In October 2017, it was announced that Netflix had acquired Mattson Tomlin's spec script Power in a bidding war with several other studios. Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost would direct the film, with Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless producing. In September 2018, Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback joined the cast of the then-untitled film. In October 2018, Rodrigo Santoro, Amy Landecker, Allen Maldonado, Kyanna Simone Simpson, Andrene Ward-Hammond, Machine Gun Kelly, and Casey Neistat joined the cast of the film. In November 2018, Jim Klock joined the cast of the film. In December 2018, Courtney B. Vance joined the cast of the film. In July 2020, it was announced that the film would officially be titled Project Power.

Filming
Principal photography began on October 8, 2018 and concluded on December 22, 2018. Filming took place in New Orleans. On October 31, 2018, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was injured during filming while riding a bicycle. The film had a total production budget of $85.1 million, with $80.4 million spent on-location in Louisiana.

Reception

Viewership
Project Power was released by Netflix on August 14, 2020. It was the top-streamed film on the platform in its first two weekends before finishing in second place in its third. In October 2020, Netflix reported 75 million households watched the film over its first four weeks of release. In November, Variety reported the film was the 12th-most watched straight-to-streaming title of 2020 up to that point.

Critical response 
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of  based on  reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics' consensus reads: "Although it wastes some of the potential of its premise, Project Power is a slick, fun action thriller - and features a star-making turn from Dominique Fishback." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said that "what makes Project Power entertaining is its canny combination of familiar ingredients in a textured real-world milieu that gives it fresh flavor." Kate Erbland of IndieWire gave the film a "C+" and said that "Project Power wrestles with a litany of thorny moral issues (and not only those of the 'great power, great responsibility' vibe) but never fully engages with them. There's broad strokes about the impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans residents, and a paper-thin exploration of the criminal implications of a cop not only using the drug, but buying it off a teenage dealer."

Accolades

References

External links
 
 
 Project Power at Rotten Tomatoes 

2020 films
2020 science fiction films
2020 action thriller films
2020s superhero films
American superhero films
American action thriller films
American science fiction thriller films
American science fiction films
Superhero thriller films
Smart drugs in fiction
English-language Netflix original films
2020s English-language films
Transhumanism in film
Fictional portrayals of the New Orleans Police Department
Films directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Films scored by Joseph Trapanese
Films set in New Orleans
Films shot in New Orleans
Films with screenplays by Mattson Tomlin
2020s American films
《프로젝트 파워》()는 2020년 넷플릭스에서 공개된 미국의 SF 스릴러, 슈퍼히어로 영화이다. 제이미 폭스, 조셉 고든 레빗, 도미니크 피시백, 호드릭 산토루, 에이미 랜데커가 출연하고 헨리 주스트와 아리엘 슐만 콤비가 연출했다. 5분간 초능력을 발휘할 수 있는 약물 '파워'를 막기 위한 마약상 소녀와 경찰관, 전직 군인의 추적극을 다룬다.

2020년 8월 14일 넷플릭스를 통해 공개되었다.

줄거리 
가까운 미래의 뉴올리언스. 5분간 초능력을 발휘하게 해주는 마약 '파워'가 유통되기 시작한다. 6주가 흐른 지금, 각지에서 초능력자들의 범죄 사건이 일어난다. 뉴올리언스에 사는 소녀 로빈은 래퍼를 꿈꾸지만 홀어머니의 건강 때문에 큰 돈이 필요했고, 사촌인 뉴트를 통해 손에 넣은 파워를 몰래 유통한다. 로빈의 뒤에는 초능력 범죄자들에 대항하기 위해 마찬가지로 파워를 이용하는 경찰관 프랭크도 있었다.

그 무렵 뉴트는 파워의 공급원을 홀로 추적하는 남자, 일명 '소령'의 습격을 당한다. 소령에게 공급원을 추궁당한 뉴트는 파워를 복용하고 불꽃 인간이 되지만, 소령의 기지로 인해 무력화된 후 약물 과다복용으로 인해 사망한다. 소령은 그에게서 '비기'란 남자의 이름을 듣는다. 한편 프랭크는 투명인간에 의한 은행강도 사건에 뛰어든다. 은행강도의 총에 맞지만 파워를 복용하고 강철인간이 되어 목숨을 건진다. 다행히 범인을 잡았지만 파워를 사용한 것을 이유로 경찰서장에게 정직 처분을 당한다. 서장은 '소령'의 사진을 보여주며 그가 파워의 공급원인 것 같으니 그를 쫓으라는 지시를 내린다.

소령은 뉴트의 휴대폰을 위장해 로빈을 끌어내어 납치·협박한 뒤, 파워 유통조직의 아지트를 찾아낸다. 조직은 뉴올리언스 전역의 파워의 공급라인을 감시하고 있었고, 소령은 이들이 뉴올리언스 시민을 실험 대상으로 이용하고 있음을 알게 된다. 이때 싸움에 휘말릴 뻔한 로빈을 소령이 간신히 구해낸다. 자신을 납치한 인물임에도 친근감을 느낀 로빈은 그를 어머니의 병원으로 데려가 치료해준다. 그런 로빈에게 소령은 자신의 과거에 대해 말해준다. 전직 군인이었던 그는 '텔레이오스'란 사설경비 업체에 고용되어 초능력 실험을 당했고, 도주하던 도중 딸 트레이시가 납치되어 그들을 쫓고 있었다. 그는 수시로 로빈에게서 트레이시의 환영을 겹쳐 보았다.

소령과 로빈은 슈퍼돔 인근에서 열리는 비기의 파워 시연회 현장을 찾아간다. 비기는 후원자들에게 파워가 인간에게 동물의 능력을 부여함으로서 진화의 가능성을 이끌어내는 약이라고 역설한다. 소령은 시연회장을 초토화하고 비기를 사로잡아 그를 추궁해 '제네시스호'라는 배와 가드너 박사란 인물에 대해 알게 된다. 그러나 로빈을 뒤쫓아 온 프랭크에게 붙잡혀 실랑이하던 사이 비기가 파워를 복용하고 거대한 괴물이 되어 버린다. 소령은 건물을 폭파시켜 그를 처치한다.

소령은 프랭크에게 체포되어 연행된다. 소령은 자신의 사정을 설명하고, 프랭크가 몸담은 경찰 조직 또한 '텔레이오스'의 끄나풀일 가능성을 제시한다. 그에게 설득된 프랭크는 서로 힘을 합쳐 텔레이오스를 추적하기로 한다. 소령이 일부러 텔레이오스에 붙잡혀 제네시스호로 이송된다. 제네시스호의 가드너 박사는 트레이시와 소령의 희생으로 인간이 더욱 발전할 수 있다고 말하면서, 소령에게서 유전인자만 추출한 뒤 처형하기로 한다. 그 사이 제네시스호에 잠입한 프랭크는 파워의 힘으로 가드너 박사의 부하들을 처단하고, 로빈은 통제실에서 그를 지원하며, 실험체가 된 트레이시의 위치를 알아낸다. 소령은 간수를 회유하여 풀려난다. 그리고 트레이시와 마침내 재회하게 된다.

그러나 탈출하던 중 그만 로빈이 가드너 박사에게 인질로 잡힌다. 소령은 로빈을 구하기 위해 파워를 복용하고, 딱총새우의 힘을 발휘해 가드너 박사와 그 부하들을 모두 처치한다. 그러나 그 자신도 몸이 버티지 못해 위독하게 되는데, 그때 트레이시가 실험으로 얻은 치유의 능력으로 아버지를 소생시킨다.

파워 프로젝트는 전 세상에 알려지게 된다. 소령은 딸과 함께 계속해서 텔레이오스를 쫓기 위해 떠나고, 프랭크는 경찰의 내통자들을 색출하기로 한다. 로빈은 소령에게서 어머니의 치료비로 쓸 거액의 돈과 함께, 꿈을 포기하지 말라는 메시지를 받는다. 그녀는 래퍼가 되어 꿈을 이어가게 된다.

출연 

 제이미 폭스 - 아트 / 소령 역
 조셉 고든 레빗 - 프랭크 셰이버 역
 도미니크 피시백 - 로빈 라일리 역
 로드리고 산토로 - 빅맨 / 비기 역
 콜슨 베이커 - 뉴트 라샐 역
 에이미 랜데커 - 가드너 역
 코트니 B. 밴스 - 크레인 서장 역
 테이트 플레처 - 월리스 역
 알렌 말도나도 - 랜드리 역
 앤드린 워드해먼드 - 아이린 역
 키야나 시몬 심슨 - 트레이시 역
 케이시 나이스탯 - 모토 역
 재지 드 리서 - 캔디 역
 코리 더마이어스 - 그리프 역
 제인 치카 오라니카 - 아킬라 역
 C. J. 르블랑 - 믹스 역
 아자르 칸 - 구엘로 역

각주

외부 링크 
  
 
 
 

2020년 영화
영어 영화 작품
미국의 SF 스릴러 영화
미국의 SF 액션 영화
미국의 액션 스릴러 영화
미국의 슈퍼히어로 영화
미국의 경찰을 소재로 한 작품
약을 소재로 한 영화
초능력을 소재로 한 영화
뉴올리언스를 배경으로 한 영화
뉴올리언스에서 촬영한 영화
넷플릭스 오리지널 영화