Code Name Banshee – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Code Name Banshee

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2022

18%

WISE Score

A bargain-bin assassin thriller so forgettable it makes you appreciate the Bourne movies—and that's saying something.

Code Name Banshee

movie

15, 2022

18%

WISE Score

A bargain-bin assassin thriller so forgettable it makes you appreciate the Bourne movies—and that's saying something.

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Screenwise Verdict

Let's be real: this is a bad movie. A 3.8 on IMDb and 2.4 on Letterboxd are truly abysmal ratings that tell you everything you need to know. It's a generic, low-budget action thriller about assassins that brings nothing new to an already oversaturated genre.

The bizarre 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score is an outlier that doesn't match any other platform—possibly review-bombed or just a statistical fluke with low sample size. Every other signal screams 'skip this.'

If your teen is really into action movies, show them John Wick, The Bourne Identity, or even a Marvel film instead. This is the kind of movie that exists purely to fill content quotas on free streaming platforms. It's not offensively bad enough to be entertaining in a so-bad-it's-good way—it's just forgettable and poorly made.

Not recommended unless you've literally watched every other action film ever made and need something to fall asleep to.

Age Fit

This is for older teens (15+) who can handle action violence and are really, really bored. Honestly though, there are dozens of better action films to watch first—this is the movie equivalent of gas station sushi.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A film about assassins, bounties, and killings offers little in terms of emotional health or prosocial modeling. The premise centers on violence as conflict resolution, and the tone is dark and action-heavy rather than balanced or uplifting.

Imaginative

Generic action-thriller premise with no apparent originality. The 'retired assassin comes out of hiding' trope has been done countless times with more flair. No evidence of creative world-building, unique storytelling, or anything that invites curiosity or exploration.

Safe

An action film centered on assassins and bounty hunters will contain significant violence, likely gun violence and potentially intense sequences. Common Sense Media rates it for 15+, suggesting mature content. While not exploitative horror, the violence is central to the plot and not unexpected for the genre, but still makes it inappropriate for younger viewers.

Enriching

With an IMDb rating of 3.8 and Letterboxd 2.4, this appears to be a poorly-executed action film with little to offer in terms of insight, character development, or meaningful themes. No awards recognition, and the abysmal ratings suggest it fails even as entertainment. Hard to find enrichment in a badly-made assassin movie.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

If you're desperate for any action movie and have exhausted literally every other option on nine streaming services
The 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score suggests some viewers found... something to like? (Though the 3.8 IMDb rating tells a different story)
It's free on multiple platforms, so at least you're not paying for disappointment

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What to Watch For

Significant violence—it's literally about assassins hunting each other
Rated for 15+ by Common Sense Media, so definitely not family viewing
The quality gap between the 81% RT audience score and the 3.8 IMDb rating is wild—this is not a hidden gem
Generic action violence with guns, fighting, and likely some blood

Conversation Starters

"Why do you think so many action movies use the 'retired assassin' storyline?"
"What makes a good action movie versus a forgettable one?"
"If you had to pick a career that wasn't being an assassin, what would you choose?"

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