Everybody knows that smoking weed can make you paranoid. And anybody who’s spent much time in Cannabis Culture probably knows that guy, who spends too much time getting high, drawing weird comics and spouting weird theories. But what if those weird, paranoid theories turned out to be true? This is the premise around which Nima Nourizadeh‘s unlikely new stoner/action/comedy/romance American Ultra is built, and ultimately succeeds.

Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) has problems. He’s a mild-manner pothead working a dead-end job at a local supermarket in Liman, WV. Still, he is content – he’s crazy about his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart), and he’s happy drawing his Space Ape & Chimp comics. Howell just thinks kind of slowly, and has panic attacks when he tries to leave town.

Phoebe is the model of patience, however, serving as Mike’s “girlfriend/mother/landlord/& lawyer”, as the local sheriff puts it, pulling the couple over on the way back from an aborted trip to Hawaii, where Mike planned to propose.

This idyllic life would be shattered in an instant, starting with a cup of instant noodle and a cryptic woman in glasses (Connie Britton) whispering the phrase “Mandelbrot Set is in motion” at Mike’s work. He doesn’t know what it means until he sees two Men In Black tampering with his car. He stands up for himself, and is jumped by the stoolies. Lightning reflexes take over, and Howell is suddenly Vin Diesel in the Cash ‘n Carry parking lot. He kills one guy with a spoon and shoots the other in the face.

How does a pothead who has anxiety attacks boarding an airplane take down two government agents? It turns out that Mike Howell was a CIA experiment, part of a government project called “Project Wiseman”, designed to turn third-strike misdemeanor offenders into efficient killing machines. Except that it drives people crazy. Howell, however, while unstable, was still functional, but damaged. The CIA gave him a fresh identity and planted him in Liman, WV, plaguing him with panic attacks whenever he tried to leave town, to keep him contained.

After the instability of “Project Wiseman”, a new program was initiated, “Project Strongman”, spearheaded by government lapdog Adrian Yates (Topher Grace). The assets of “Project Wiseman” were deemed to be too unstable and needed to be neutralized. Yates enlisted a team of human robot psychopaths to invade Liman, WV and take out Howell.

Thankfully, Mike and Phoebe are not entirely out of luck. The mysterious woman in glasses from the supermarket turns out to be a woman named Victoria Lasseter, who programmed Mike in the CIA. She has a conscience about “Project Wiseman”, and feels responsible for Howell. She goes rogue, helping Mike and Phoebe, with the aid of a loyal desk jocky in Washington, Petey (Tony Hale).

Once the fuse on the action is lit in American Ultra it lights up like a powder keg, exploding into a fiery tornado of adrenaline, that grabs you by the throat and never lets go. There are enough slo-mo shoot ’em up scenes to make any Matrix fan happy, while the martial arts scenes are crisp and razor-quick, benefiting greatly from sharp editing and powerfully stunning sound design.

Jesse Eisenberg is a surprisingly effective action star. He builds on his roots as the sensitive, nervous, introverted kid, who then tips over the precipice into a maelstrom of violence. He’s tense and high-strung, until the action takes over. Kristen Stewart also builds upon and expands on her roots, starting from the foundation of her typical tough girl stoicism, but the facade cracks and breaks, and she shows real depth, warmth, and emotional range.

There’s an almost frightening amount of character actor talent in American Ultra. From John Leguizamo playing a beefed-up drug dealer, to Arrested Development‘s Buster playing a government insider. Many of these actors, including Eisenberg and Stewart, get pigeonholed and typecast, never getting to show their full range.

What makes American Ultra work so well is Nima Nourizadeh and writer Max Landis‘ playing with these iconic roles and characters. And in the instance that, in your wildest, weirdest fan-fic moments, you’ve ever wanted to see Bella kick the crap out of Eric Foreman, here’s your chance.

American Ultra also benefits greatly from absolutely face-numbing cinematography, worthy of a big budget action flick, a kick-ass soundtrack, and some novel storytelling devices, and the emotional subtext between Phoebe and Howell.

It’s a lot to take in, a lot going on. But that’s part of what makes American Ultra so great. It’s ambitious. It goes for it! And it works. The movie got big laughs at all the right places, and gasps when the punches land. It’s a great, solid-A effort, for people who want to see these actors push themselves, those that like a bit of story with their explosions, and a bit of fire with their romance.