Section Eight (film)

Section Eight (also known as Section 8) is a 2022 American action film directed by Christian Sesma and starring Ryan Kwanten, Dolph Lundgren, Dermot Mulroney with Scott Adkins, Mickey Rourke, and Justin Furstenfeld.

Plot
During the US war in Afghanistan (initial scene says in Mosul, Afghanistan which is incorrect because Mosul is in Iraq), a Marine platoon is ambushed by the Taliban, leaving only Jake Atherton and his commanding officer Captain Tom Mason as survivors. After being discharged, Jake works as a mechanic in an auto-shop owned by former gang member Earl. After Jake dispatches a group of Mexican gangsters who come to collect the debt Earl owes them, the gangsters slaughter his family in retaliation. Jake enters the nightclub where the gang members gather and kills them all. Before he is executed, the leader of the gang tells Jake that someone forced them to kill his family. Jake is extricated from prison by Mason to be recruited by a man named Sam Ramsey for a secret organization called Section 8, which is sanctioned to “eliminate any threats, anywhere in the world.” The group of assassins goes on various missions including one to kill a senator. At this point Jake realizes the secret organization is not what it seems. He must eventually turn against the people he’s working with.

Cast

 * Ryan Kwanten as Jake Atherton
 * Dolph Lundgren as Captain Tom Mason
 * Dermot Mulroney as Sam Ramsey
 * Scott Adkins as Leonard Locke
 * Mickey Rourke as Earl Atherton
 * Robert LaSardo as Fresh
 * Maurice Compte as US Attorney General Martin Savoy
 * Geoffrey Blake as Senator Jim Graham
 * Jessica Medina as Miss Martinez
 * Justin Furstenfeld as Ajax Abernathy
 * Dan Matteucci as FBI Agent
 * Tracy Perez as Liza Mueller
 * Kimi Alexander as Ashton Atherton
 * Noah Alexander Sosnowski as Weston Atherton
 * Mary Christina Brown as Agent Morrow
 * Paul Sloan as Roland Brunner
 * Stephen Cyrus Sepher as Edward Grayson
 * Robert Laenen as Enod Bacharav
 * Zachary Michael Cruz as Landon

Casting
The casting of Lundgren, Adkins and Kwanten was announced on October 20, 2021. The casting of Mulroney and Furstenfeld was announced on October 29, 2021. The casting of Rourke was announced in November 2021.

Theatrical
In July 2022, it was announced that RLJE Films and AMC+ acquired the rights to the film, which was released on September 23, 2022.

Critical response
In a negative review of the film, Ewan Gleadow wrote that the feature relied on "blind patriotism and villainous stereotypes" yet marked "the most minor improvements" in Christian Sesma's direction.