Reviews
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Overrated horror "masterpiece"
"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", made in 1974, has influenced numerous people and established itself as a classic of its genre. While watching it, I could not figure out why. All that I saw was a poor excuse for blood to be shed. Director Tobe Hooper can direct a good movie, as he proved 8 years later with "Poltergeist". But with this, his first film, he faltered and faltered badly. Basically, he has taken an hilariously bad plot (based on a true story!), combined it with some terrible acting, and the end result is almost despisable. Yes, I'm aware that the low budget couldn't call upon big name performers, but I found myself laughing at some of this film. And it's reputation of being one of the most gory films ever made is sorely misguided. Check out another, far better low budget film called "The Evil Dead" if gore is what you're looking for. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is realistic, but that alone does not make it a good movie. In fact, this one aspect is the only positive thing that I could fathom from this entire motion picture. So if you enjoy hearing a girl screaming almost non-stop for about 40 minutes, this is for you, but everyone else should stay a clear distance away.
3/10
The Untouchables (1987)
Terrific film
My Age: 13
In the early 1930's, in Prohibtion Chicago, Al Capone, played by Robert de Niro, ruled. He smuggled illegal liquor into the city and defied the law. Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, swore he'd bring him down and assembles a team to help him. They include an Irish beat cop, Jimmy Malone, played by Sean Connery, an FBI accountant, Oscar Wallace, played by Charles Martin Smith, and a recruit sharpshooter, George Stone, played by Andy Garcia. They could not be bought. They were The Untouchables.
The acting in The Untouchables is great. Kevin Costner, Charles Martin Smith and Andy Garcia are all good, Robert de Niro plays Al Capone well, and Sean Connery walked away with an Academy Award. The Oscar-nominated music score by Ennio Morricone is great as well. The film has plenty of action to satisfy action fans, and is a very interesting and thrilling story. The only part that I didn't really enjoy was a scene that so many others loved. The slow-motion baby/shootout scene was highly praised, but I thought it was a bit awkward. But other than that, The Untouchables is terrific.
Australian Classification: M 15+
Rating: 85 out of 100
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Low budget, bad acting, but still fairly good
My Age: 13
When police ambush and kill gang members in Los Angeles, other gang members swear a blood oath to strike back. On his first day as a cop, Lt. Bishop, played by Austin Stoker, is told to go to the police station at Anderson, which is about to be closed and relocated. A bus carrying prisoners (including Napoleon Wilson, played by Darwin Joston) must stop by when one of the prisoners gets sick. While travelling with her father, a girl is shot by a gangster, and the father responds by shooting him back. Other gang members follow him as he runs into the almost deserted police station. The gang members conduct a siege on the police station to the death and Bishop, Wilson, and others must fight for their lives.
Assault on Precinct 13, despite its low budget, manages to be an exciting and suspenseful film. The acting is quite lousy (people don't respond when they get shot) which is a downside but its rarely boring and usually exciting. John Carpenter's music score is also very good and captures the atmosphere and mood of the film well. Some scenes are quite unrealistic and some are quite cheap-looking, but what else can you expect from a film made for this kind of budget.
Australian Classification: R 18+
Rating: 72 out of 100
On Deadly Ground (1994)
If you're an action fan, you'll probably like the ending. Other than that, this film is dull and has nothing to offer.
My Age: 13
Forrest Taft, played by Steven Seagal, is a man who works for an oil company and loves the environment. Michael Jennings, played by Michael Caine, is in charge of the oil company, and doesn't care about the environment. The oil can spill in the ocean or poison the native people for all he cares. Taft's buddy, Hugh Palmer, played by Richard Hamilton, has a disk in his possession that could put Jennings out of business. When he is killed and Taft gets the disk, Jennings wants him killed.
I am an action movie fan, and I must admit that I enjoyed the ending. It provided the only reasonable action in the entire film. The rest of the film is definitely not as good. It contains some strange and awkward scenes, maybe trying to make the film a little different, but it just ends up making it bad. The plot in the film is also rather stupid, and barely even there. Steven Seagal's directing debut was bad enough to make sure that he never directed ever again, and his acting is also terrible. He is a terrible actor, and puts in another terrible performance. Michael Caine is also rather ordinary as the villian. Overall, Steven Seagal proves that he can't make a decent movie outside the Under Siege films.
Australian Classification: MA 15+: High Level Violence and Medium Level Coarse Language
Rating: 41 out of 100
Heat (1995)
Gripping crime saga
My Age: 13
Neil McCauley, played by Robert De Niro, is a master thief, who has one rule in life: Don't get attached to anything in life that you can't walk out of in thirty seconds flat when you feel the heat around the corner. Vincent Hanna, played by Al Pacino, is a homicide detective with a troubled family life. His wife is angry with him because he is never home, he is always at work, and his stepdaughter is upset with her father. Hanna becomes obsessed with bringing McCauley in, while he and his gang are preparing for their big score.
Heat is a very interesting and gripping crime saga with great characters which are matched by the fantastic acting performances. Al Pacino plays Vincent Hanna extremely well, and Robert De Niro also acts very well in the role of Neil McCauley. Tom Sizemore and Val Kilmer are also great as members of McCauley's gang. Despite the long length of the film, Heat remains gripping and compelling throughout its entire length. McCauley's love interest, played by Amy Brenneman, is also a nice added touch, and the film overall, is fantastic.
Australian Classification: MA 15+: Medium Level Violence, Medium Level Coarse Language
Rating: 85 out of 100
Get Shorty (1995)
Funny, smart, satisfying comedy.
My Age: 13
Chili Palmer, played by John Travolta, is a Miami mobster. His boss, Momo, dies from a heart attack, and his new boss becomes Ray "Bones" Barboni, played by Dennis Farina, whom he doesn't like. Bones sends him to a casino in Vegas, where they tell him to collect a debt from low-budget horror-film producer Harry Zimm, played by Gene Hackman. Chili gets swept up by the whole movie business, and tries to get shorty, Martin Weir, played by Danny de Vito, in a new Harry Zimm film, with the help of Karen Flores, played by Rene Russo, the leading lady in most of Harry Zimm's horror films. There is also the matter of the money in a locker, which Harry could use for his next film. But not everyone in Hollywood is nice. Chili soon meets Bo Catlett (the money in the locker is his), played by Delroy Lindo, and his band of cronies, who are sponsoring Harry's next production, and Bones is back in town.
Get Shorty is a very satisfying comedy. It is funny, it is smart, it isn't too complicated. The acting in the film is great. John Travolta is very good in his Golden-Globe winning performance as Chili Palmer, and Gene Hackman, Danny de Vito, Rene Russo, Delroy Lindo and Dennis Farina are all good also. It is based on an Elmore Leonard novel, so you can be sure that there are interesting characters, which there are, just like in Out of Sight. Overall, a very satisfying comedy which I recommend.
Australian Classification: MA 15+: Medium Level Coarse Language
Rating: 77 out of 100
Goodfellas (1990)
Fantastic, interesting tale of the Mob.
My Age: 13
Based on the book by Nicholas Pileggi (Wiseguy), GoodFellas follows Henry Hills' life in the Mafia throughout three decades. It begins when he is just a kid associating with mobsters. He meets James Conway, played by Robert de Niro, and Tommy de Vito, played by Joe Pesci. When he is older, Henry, played by Ray Liotta, gets a wife, Karen, played by Lorraine Bracco. His new life involves various crimes including killing other gangsters and beating up people for money.
GoodFellas, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a very interesting and intelligent look at life within the Mafia. It has a few camera shots that last a few minutes without cutting, which are very good to look at. I would warn the faint-hearted to avoid this, because there is a fair amount of violence and gore. The story of Henry Hill's life is told very well, and the character is portrayed well by Ray Liotta. Robert de Niro, Joe Pesci and Lorraine Bracco are also very good in their roles. In the end, GoodFellas is a very good film, one that I would recommend.
Australian Classification: R 18+: Occasional Graphic Violence and Very Frequent Coarse Language
Rating: 82 out of 100
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
A classic film of a crime gone wrong
My Age: 13
A bunch of criminals, given codenames of colors (Mr White, played by Harvey Keitel, Mr Orange, played by Tim Roth, Mr Pink, played by Steve Buscemi, Mr Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, Mr Brown, played by Quentin Tarantino, and Mr Blue, played by Eddie Bunker) are assembled by Joe Cabot, played by Lawrence Tierney, and his son Nice Guy Eddie, played by Chris Penn, to stage a robbery at a diamond warehouse. When the cops appear on the scene, the crime foiled, the guys meet back at their rendezvous, and conclude that one of them is an undercover cop, or an informer, but who?
Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut Reservoir Dogs is a film which is almost entirely set at the rendezvous and consists mostly of talk. Doesn't sound too promising, but it is a very good film, a classic even. The talk in the film is very amusing and there are lots of stories, anecdotes and jokes that the guys tell each other. There are some great scenes, for example when Mr White and Mr Pink are arguing and have their guns trained on each other, and when Mr Blonde tortures a cop that he has taken hostage to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle With You". The classic "Mexican standoff" at the end is very satisfying, and caps off a great film.
Australian Classification: R 18+: High Level Violence and Coarse Language
Rating: 85 out of 100
The Presidio (1988)
Waste of time for Sean Connery and whoever watches this movie
My Age: 13
There is a murder at the Presidio army base. Police Detective Jay Austin, played by Mark Harmon, is brought in to investigate, and must see and put up with his old enemy Lt. Colonel Alan Caldwell, played by Sean Connery. They had a disagreement years earlier and now hate each other, but they must co-operate if they are to solve the case. Austin is also in love with Caldwell's daughter, Donna, played by Meg Ryan.
Sean Connery is one of my favourite actors, and I am baffled as to why he is in this film. My guess is he was just picking up a paycheck. This film doesn't deserve Sean Connery or Meg Ryan either. Connery's acting isn't that great in this film, but Ryan does well, and Mark Harmon, who is not a particularly good actor, isn't great. I have never seen a plot get unravelled easier than in this film. One piece of evidence leads them straight to the killer. The film is also boring throughout most of it, and Jack Warden also has a rather small role in the film. Whether it is Caldwell or Austin, you don't care about what happens to any of the characters in this film. This film is a disappointment, one that you should avoid.
Australian Classification: M 15+
Rating: 43 out of 100
To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)
Not fantastic but still a fairly good film
My Age: 13
Richard Chance, played by William L. Petersen, is a Secret Service agent pursuing counterfeiter Eric Masters, played by Willem Dafoe. When his partner is killed by Masters, Chance swears that he will get revenge. His new partner is John Vukovich, played by John Pankow (cousin Ira on Mad About You). The two guys need money to pay Masters up-front, so that they can bust him, but it is more money than the Secret Service can authorize. Chance comes up with a plan to steal the money from a man coming in at a train station.
I must offer a rebuttal to most of the previous comments on this site, which have been saying that critics thought that this film was absolute garbage. Leonard Maltin didn't like the film, but that doesn't mean that other critics didn't like it. I suggest that the authors of those comments check out this site's external reviews section, Roger Ebert's review especially (he gave it 4 stars out of 4). Willem Dafoe and John Pankow both act well in this film, Willem Dafoe is well-cast, however John Pankow looks a little out of place. My main complaint is with William L. Petersen, though, who is not a good actor in this film, and is mis-cast. He is supposed to be a mean, ruthless guy (some say even worse than the bad guys, which I disagree with), but he definitely does not look like it, he looks more like a nice guy. The car chase in this film is great, but I liked Ronin's more (although it was copied a lot from this film). The ending is good besides one disappointing aspect of it, and the film's music by Wang Chung is also very good.
Australian Classification: R 18+
Rating: 72 out of 100
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Funny, but with one lovable character and one irritating character
My Age: 13
Professor Sherman Klump, played by Eddie Murphy, is an overweight teacher who falls in love with a new teacher at his school, Carla Purty, played by Jada Pinkett. He wants to lose weight fast and begins testing his DNA restructuring medicines (to lose weight) on himself. The new product: Buddy Love, played by Eddie Murphy. Unlike Sherman, Buddy has a sex life, and he goes out with Carla also. There is also someone on campus trying to make big money with Sherman's potion, but he is more impressed by Buddy, who he thinks is behind all the real work.
The Nutty Professor is quite a funny film, with a lovable and good character in Professor Sherman Klump, but it also has a character who you like at first, but then there's too much of him, and his quick tauntings get annoying and irritating. That character is Buddy Love. However, this character does not stop The Nutty Professor from being a good film. I enjoyed the conversations at the Klump family's dinner table and the whole idea of the miracle potion. The romance in this film is also better than expected, and I loved how Eddie Murphy played almost his entire family. The make up and effects done to make Eddie Murphy into a fat, overweight man like Sherman are also very good. Overall, the only annoying thing in the film is Buddy Love.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Sexual References
Rating: 66 out of 100
Apollo 13 (1995)
One of the best dramas around
My Age: 13
Jim Lovell, played by Tom Hanks, is selected, along with Ken Mattingly, played by Gary Sinise and Fred Haise, played by Bill Paxton, to fly to the moon on Apollo 13. Ken Mattingly, however, is pulled out of the mission, when his tests reveal that he could have a case of the measles coming on (they never do) and is replaced by Jack Swigert, played by Kevin Bacon. There isn't much public interest in this flight, as it has been done before, that is until things start to go wrong, among them oxygen venting out into space. The possibilities of a safe return begin to go away.
I don't normally enjoy dramas, but Apollo 13 is one of the select few (others including The Shawshank Redemption, Mr Holland's Opus) that I do like. First of all, the acting is superb in this movie, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris and Kathleen Quinlan all excelling in their roles. Unlike most dramas, this one was actually moving to me. The science used in the film seems accurate (though I wouldn't really know) and you never get really bored watching this. Overall, Apollo 13 is a compelling drama and one of the best around.
Australian Classification: PG: Low Level Coarse Language
Rating: 74 out of 100
Death Becomes Her (1992)
Academy-award winning visual effects are the only good thing in this laughless black comedy
My Age: 13
Helen, played by Goldie Hawn, hates Madeline, played by Meryl Streep, because she always steals her boyfriends. Helen is currently in love with Dr Ernest Menville, played by Bruce Willis, but Madeline steals him as well and they get married. Years later, Helen and Madeline both take a potion that allows them to be immortal and beautiful forever. Helen returns to try and win Ernest back, but when Helen and Madeline both die, they stay alive (due to the potion) and they must rely on Ernest to save their skin from rotting.
For a black comedy, I must comment on this film's lack of laughs. I don't recall once in the whole movie when I laughed. The plot is preposterous and absurd and the acting isn't too hot, either. I didn't even really enjoy the characters, and the ending climax was also quite poor. However, the academy-award winning visual effects of Death Becomes Her provide the only real satisfaction. They include people with heads turned backwards, holes in their stomachs, and nice rotting skin. However, Death Becomes Her is a poor black comedy without laughs. Avoid it if you can.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Low Level Violence and Adult Themes
Rating: 42 out of 100
Coming to America (1988)
Occasionally funny, but a bit silly
My Age: 13
Akeem, played by Eddie Murphy, is the Prince of Zamunga, in Africa. He is waited on hand and foot all the time. People tie his shoes for him, brush his teeth for him and even bathe him. It is his 21st birthday, and the day that he must marry someone that he has never met. This woman will have absolutely no opinions of her own, except that her husband is always right. Akeem doesn't want this, he wants an intelligent woman who can think for herself as a wife, so he takes a trip to America to find her. Travelling with him is his devoted servant, Semmi, played by Arsenio Hall.
Coming to America has what I think is a silly premise but the movie it is made into is not too bad. Eddie Murphy is good in his role, and there are quite a few laughs in it. The romance in it isn't too bad either and most of the characters are well-conceived and enjoyable. I think the plot and some silly parts bring it down, but it is not a bad film.
Australian Classification: M 15+
Rating: 60 out of 100
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Stupid, stupid second half
My Age: 13
Two criminal brothers, Seth and Richard Gecko, played by George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino, begin a crime spree driving through Texas, trying to get to Mexico where a man has promised them sanctuary in exchange for 30% of their stolen money. To ensure that they get across the border, they take a preacher named Jacob Fuller, played by Harvey Keitel, and his two children, played by Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu, hostage. Once they get across the border, they go to a bar called the Titty Twister where they encounter vampires.
From Dusk Till Dawn starts off promisingly enough, with the plot of the two brothers on a crime spree, which takes up the first half of the movie. Until the vampires come in, the movie is quite good, enjoyable, and it makes sense. The second half, however, when the vampire plot comes in just completely ruins the movie. They just go to a bar and there are vampires. The movie gives you no reason why they are there, what their origins are, or how they came to being. There is absolutely no plot in it, it is just killing, killing, and more brainless killing. Everything that had been accomplished in the first half of the movie, including its plot, is just thrown out the window and replaced by stupidity and violence. Why did they even bother with the first half's plot, when it is just going to be thrown away by the rest of the movie. I enjoy violent action films a lot, but I didn't even enjoy seeing these vampires being gunned down countless times. The whole second half of the movie is set in only two rooms, and one of them for only about 5 minutes. It would have been much better if they could have proceeded into the depths of the building to encounter the vampires. I wish they had made this into two movies. The first half's plot would have made for an impressive movie by itself, and if the second half's vampire plot had been stretched into one movie by itself, it may have had time to proceed into the depths of the building, explain where they came from and why they were there. Just think of all the talent wasted in this movie: George Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, Ernest Liu, Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. From Dusk Till Dawn just ends up being a stupid, disappointing film.
Australian Classification: R 18+: Medium Level Violence, Horror Theme
Rating: 38 out of 100
Days of Thunder (1990)
Enjoyable film similar to Top Gun in many ways
My Age: 13
Cole Trickle, played by Tom Cruise, enters the world of Nascar driving in Days of Thunder. Making his cars and telling him how to drive them (as he knows almost nothing about cars) is Harry Hogge, played by Robert Duvall, and owning his team is Tim Daland, played by Randy Quaid. After a bad accident on the track colliding with rival driver Rowdy Burns' car, he falls in love with a doctor at the hospital, played by Nicole Kidman. He and Rowdy Burns, played by Michael Rooker, also become friends.
Days of Thunder has many things in common with the earlier film Top Gun. First it has the same producers, Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and the same star, Tom Cruise. The style of the films are also very similar. Both the films are also quite fun. I found Days of Thunder to be slightly better than Top Gun. Robert Duvall's acting performance was very good, and the friendship between Rowdy Burns and Trickle was also a nice touch. The ending climax is fairly exciting, yet the film isn't fantastic.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Occasional Coarse Language
Rating: 66 out of 100
Ronin (1998)
Greatest car chases I have ever seen
My Age: 13
Ronin: Japanese word for samurai without masters. In this film, they are specialists whose services can be hired by anyone for money. They include Sam, played by Robert de Niro, Vincent, played by Jean Reno, and Spence, played by Sean Bean. They and a few others are hired for a job by Dierdre, played by Natasha McAlhone. The job is to retrieve a briefcase from several armed men. Once they have retrieved it, one of the team's members double-crosses them, seeking more money for himself.
Ronin offers not one, but two, incredible and brethtaking car chases throughout Europe. They are both quite lengthy as well as exciting. The rest of the film also is top-notch. Robert de Niro and Jean Reno work well together as a team and put in tremendous acting performances. It also becomes more interesting when Seamus, Jonathan Pryce, comes into it. Fantastic action sequences and shootouts are also quite abundant in the film, and it also features a nice music score. I would highly recommend Ronin if you like action and/or fantastic car chases.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Medium Level Violence, Low Level Coarse Language
Rating: 82 out of 100
Primary Colors (1998)
Funny, interesting political satire
My Age: 13
Jack Stanton, played by John Travolta, is running for President. Newly employed on the campaign is Henry Burton, played by Adrian Lester. The story is told through his eyes. Also working on the campaign are Daisy Green, played by Maura Tierney, Richard Jemmons, played by Billy Bob Thornton, and Libby Holden, played by Kathy Bates. Stanton and his team of loyal campaign workers must confront several difficulties including a sex scandal, tough opponents, and gaining the trust of the people.
Primary Colors is a funny and interesting film, and it is also a very good one. It gets especially interesting towards the end. John Travolta once again puts in a great performance, as does virtually unknown Adrian Lester as Henry Burton. Also notable are Billy Bob Thornton, Maura Tierney, Emma Thompson, and Kathy Bates' performances. The film has very strong acting. It has a very strong story throughout and the ending is quite nice as well. Primary Colors is worth watching.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Medium Level Coarse Language, Adult Themes
Rating: 80 out of 100
The Glimmer Man (1996)
Foolish excuse for lots of violence and Steven Seagal mumbo-jumbo
My Age: 13
James Cole, played by Steven Seagal, is sent to help Detective Jim Campbell, played by Keenen Ivory Wayans, solve a series of killings in which the victims are crucified. Since Cole has arrived on the spot, he notices that the killings have changed a little, and thinks there is a different killer. It becomes personal when his ex-wife is murdered, and Campbell finds his fingerprints on the body. Campbell investigates the mysterious Cole, and finds out about a very shady past.
I am not a fan of Steven Seagal. I enjoy action movies, but he is the worst actor I have ever seen. This film is not much fun to watch at all, incredibly dumb, and, obviously, Steven Seagal's acting performance is absolutely horrid. Keenen Ivory Wayans isn't too bad, though. The only redeeming thing in this film is the occasional good action scene, although most come round because of insanely stupid reasons. The plot in this film is absolute gibberish. I didn't care for it at all. The whole "glimmer man" past of Seagal's character was stupid, all the Mafia fights and fights in the restaurant were there for almost no reason. Give this film a miss.
Australian Classification: MA 15+: High Level Violence
Rating: 35 out of 100 (quite generous)
Se7en (1995)
Interesting, intriguing thriller
My Age: 13
Detective William Somerset, played by Morgan Freeman, is retiring from his job as a homicide police detective. Detective David Mills, played by Brad Pitt, has just arrived at homicide, and he and Somerset must work together when a serial killer begins killing perpetrators of the seven deadly sins. Somerset researches from the sources of the seven deadly sins to try and get into the mind of the killer while the victims and bodies keep piling up.
Seven comprises of two great acting performances from Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, and supporting actors are good as well. The plot of Seven is very interesting and the story grabs hold of your attention and doesn't let go until the credits roll. It is a little boring, but it more than makes up for it in story. The killer's spiritual motives are fascinating and his final two victims are very well conceived. The ending climax is also fantastic and very well thought out. Seven is one of the best thrillers around and is definitely worth seeing.
Australian Classification: R 18+: Medium Level Violence, Medium Level Coarse Language
Rating: 76 out of 100
Fierce Creatures (1997)
A little irritating and stupid but still a fairly good film
My Age: 13
A cruel tycoon, Rod McKain, played by Kevin Kline, purchases a zoo which isn't profiting enough. He hires a new manager, Rollo Lee, played by John Cleese, who has an idea about how to raise the profits - get rid of all the animals except for the fierce ones - which satisfies the people's violent minds. Naturally, the animal holders at the zoo, led by Adrian "Bugsy" Malone, played by Michael Palin, are horrified by this. Soon, Rod McKain's son Vince, also played by Kline, and Willa Weston, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, take control and return the zoo to normal. Vince comes up with some zany ways of bringing in profits - unauthorized celebrity endorsements, animatronic animals - he is also stealing, and his father threatens to turn the zoo into a Japanese golf resort.
Fierce Creatures is often quite irritating, for example Rod McKain and Adrian "Bugsy" Malone's voices, and also quite often has some stupid plot points, for example Willa Weston's "contact" with the gorilla, but the film is also quite often funny, for example Vince McKain's perception of Rollo Lee's bed habits. Overall, I think the funny parts overwhelm the stupid and irritating parts, and I must admit that I enjoyed the film's hilarious finale quite a lot.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Low Level Coarse Language, Sexual References
Rating: 69 out of 100
The Fugitive (1993)
One of the best thrillers ever. Destined to be a classic.
My Age: 13
Dr Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford, is arrested and wrongly convicted for the murder of his wife, Helen, played by Sela Ward. Kimble escapes when his prison bus crashes and is hit by a train. Pursuing him is Sam Gerard, played by Tommy Lee Jones, in an Oscar-winning performance, and his band of U.S. Marshals including Cosmo Renfro, played by Joe Pantaliano. Kimble tries to solve the puzzle of who really killed his wife.
The Fugitive is a fantastic thriller, one of the best ever, not succeeding only as a thriller, but also as an action movie and a drama. The action and stunts in this film are fantastic, especially the bus/train crash when Kimble escapes. Harrison Ford put in a fantastic acting performance, and Tommy Lee Jones walks away with a well-deserved Oscar. The ending climax is also a fantastic piece of work, filled with suspense and very satisfying. Overall, The Fugitive is fantastic in every department, and is destined to become a classic.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Low Level Violence
Rating: 88 out of 100
The End of Violence (1997)
Confusing and hard to understand
My Age: 13
Mike Max, played by Bill Pullman, is a producer famous for his brutal action films. One day he receives a phone call from his neglected wife Paige, played by Andie MacDowell, saying that she is leaving him. Mike is then kidnapped by a couple of bandits. He escapes and hides with his gardener's Mexican family. Meanwhile, Ray Bering, played by Gabriel Byrne, is watching the city through hundreds of small video cameras.
I am unsure of the relevance of that last piece of plot information, as I am unsure what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish by putting it in, and it has no relevance to anything else in the film, unless I missed something. There is almost nothing to the story of Mike Max either, it practically just ends where I left off. And then there are these weird group therapy type meetings, with some weird speaker making some weird speech which doesn't further develop the plot or provide anything interesting or contribute in any way to the film. Why was this film made? All it contains are two very limited plots, hardly enough to make a film out of. I can't say there's really anything special about the acting, either. "The End of Violence" ends up being a very confusing piece of work, and I had no idea what it was really about, it was too difficult to understand.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Medium Level Coarse Language, Low Level Violence
Rating: 43 out of 100
Contact (1997)
Interesting and well-executed film
My Age: 13
Eleanor Arroway, played by Jodie Foster, has always been wanting to study the stars ever since she was a small girl. That dream came true when she began searching space for other intelligent life forms by using satellite dishes and searching for messages. One day she receives a message which people decipher as some sort of machine, later confirmed to be a type of transport. One of several scientists must be chosen to take the journey to the stars.
At the centre of Contact is the great acting performance of Jodie Foster, and the interesting plot. A little overlong but never uninteresting, Contact is very well executed and most of the supporting roles are acted well. The scene of the journey itself is very thrilling and interesting and the machine is a very original one. Contact is one of the better thrillers around, and I recommend it.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Adult Themes
Rating: 73 out of 100
Maximum Risk (1996)
Enjoyable action film. One of Van Damme's best.
My Age: 13
A French policeman, played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, finds that he has a twin brother, but he has just been murdered. Soon all of his brother's problems come to trouble him, as everyone believes that he is his brother, including his brother's girlfriend, Alex, played by Natasha Henstridge. Together they go on the run from the Russian Mafia and the FBI.
"Maximum Risk" is much more fun and entertaining that most of Van Damme's mostly tedious films. Van Damme puts in his usual average performance, and Natasha Henstridge adds some much needed sizzle and romance. There are plenty of fights, explosions and violence as there always are in Van Damme films. It has more plot than most of his films, too.
Australian Classification: M 15+: Medium Level Violence, Low Level Sex Scenes, Low Level Coarse Language
Rating: 70 out of 100