Striking Distance

I'd be lying if I didn't admit this is yet another patterned Bruce Willis flick. The kind where he plays the hard boiled cop with a colorful past, but I gave it a chance. This one finds Willis as Tom Hardy. A cop from a family of cops and things aren't going too well. First off, he's just ratted out his violent partner (Robert Pastorelli) at an official police inquiry and that doesn't win him any fans in the department. All of the while there's this killer on the loose and when he lets it be known he thinks the killer is a cop - suddenly he's reassigned to River Patrol.

This movie succeeds on a basic level -- it's entertaining. Sure the story is loose and the film's surprises are somewhat stale, but it's all in good fun. Willis gets to look aptly serious and hunt for the killer on the waters and there's just enough suspense to sustain interest and the story moves at a good pace. Meanwhile the rounded supporting cast keeps things lively and keeps the viewer going, "Where have I seen him before?" or "Hey that's such and such".

I've read on here how people think this is stupid, dumb and lacks any suspense or thrills. Like any of the Die Hard movies had exceptionally smart stories or you didn't know what was gonna happen next. Of course not. For a entry level Bruce Willis flick, this one satisfies. Now if I can only get that 'Little Red Riding Hood' song out of my mind!