Panama (2022) – Trust Is a Loaded Weapon

Behind every deal is a war. And behind every war is a lie

Panama (2022) is a slick, sun-soaked action thriller set against the backdrop of political instability and covert operations during the late 1980s. Loosely inspired by real events, the film dives into the murky world of arms deals, CIA manipulation, and the blurred morality of modern warfare—where everyone has a price, and no one gets out clean.

Starring Cole Hauser as hardened former Marine James Becker, the film kicks off when Becker is recruited by a shadowy U.S. government operative (played by Mel Gibson) to negotiate an illegal arms deal in Panama during the height of the Noriega regime. What starts as a simple job quickly spirals into a web of betrayals, double agents, and brutal combat that forces Becker to confront both external enemies and the ghosts of his own violent past.

Set in 1989 on the cusp of Operation Just Cause, Panama captures the paranoia and chaos of a world where diplomacy is done through back channels, and bullets speak louder than promises. As Becker gets deeper into the deal, he uncovers a conspiracy that stretches beyond money and politics—into the heart of America's hunger for power abroad. And the more he uncovers, the less he can trust anyone… especially himself.

The action is gritty and grounded, with intense close-quarter shootouts, tense jungle standoffs, and brutal hand-to-hand combat. Director Mark Neveldine (Crank) brings his trademark kinetic energy to the film, though this time with a darker, more cynical tone. Panama doesn't glorify war—it strips it bare, showing its cost not just in lives, but in identity.

Cole Hauser delivers a tough, brooding performance as a man slowly unraveling in the middle of an assignment that was never meant to end well. Mel Gibson adds grizzled charisma and menace as the manipulative handler pulling strings from the shadows. Together, they anchor a film that's less about heroism and more about survival in a world where loyalty is just another weapon to be used.

Panama (2022) may not reinvent the genre, but it leans into its grit and grime with style. It's a bullet-riddled meditation on power, betrayal, and the price of doing the wrong thing for the so-called right reasons.