Fake Review: “The Bricklayer (2023)” – Action Rebuilt from the Ground Up

“You don’t retire from the CIA. You get buried under it.”

The Bricklayer (2023) smashes its way onto the action scene with a surprisingly sharp edge and a whole lot of grit. What starts off like your typical “ex-agent dragged back in” plot quickly evolves into a globe-trotting, double-crossing espionage thriller that lays its bricks with precision—and then blows them up.

Starring Aaron Eckhart as Steve Vail, a former CIA operative turned quiet stonemason (yes, literally a bricklayer), the film wastes no time reactivating him when a rogue faction begins targeting American intelligence operatives. But this isn’t your average assassin-hits-list movie. Vail isn’t just a man with a past—he’s a man who built his own moral code, and the agency just bulldozed over it.

Eckhart delivers his most compelling action role in years—stoic, weathered, and perfectly believable as a man who can lay a patio or dismantle a kill squad without breaking a sweat. Nina Dobrev is a welcome surprise as the young agent tasked with shadowing him, bringing a mix of dry wit and heart to what could’ve been a one-note role.

The film’s biggest strength? Pacing. It never lingers too long in one location or cliché. From back-alley Athens to snowy Eastern European rooftops, the cinematography is slick but grounded, never over-stylized. The fight scenes are brutal and satisfyingly raw—more Bourne than Bond.

Sure, some of the dialogue leans into spy-movie cheese (“I’m not here to build walls—I’m here to bring them down”), but it’s delivered with just enough self-awareness to make it work.

Final Verdict: 8.2/10
The Bricklayer might sound like a B-movie title, but don’t be fooled—this is a solid slab of modern action cinema. Smart, sharp, and far more than just another brick in the wall.