Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Andrew Sipes
Starring: William Baldwin, Cindy Crawford, Steven Berkoff, and various actors who only show up for a short amount of time
From: Warner Bros.
What a route I took in deciding to watch this film. A few days ago when I viewed The Mechanic it was via a video legally available on YouTube for free in HD quality (at least for me as a Premium member; some may scoff but I use YouTube often and not having to see constant ads is more than worth the cost) one of the recommended films down at the bottom as I streamed it on my TV was for this. Alas, that was in SD quality. As I won more than a few dollars playing a scratch-off lottery ticket I picked up alongside a Mega Millions ticket-I may say more about that once that ticket is redeemed-why not spend a few dollars to stream the movie on Prime in 1080p quality?
Another important detail: I had actually seen parts of this before, and via a setting perhaps unusual to some. My family was on vacation (as we sometimes did) and it must have been HBO in a hotel room one night, probably in '96. All I remembered beforehand was the leads spending time in the swamp and my mom bemoaning how stupid it was that Cindy Crawford made purchases via a credit card when she was on the run from bad guys with connections; even then that was pretty dumb-in 2023 that is far worse. It was actually multiple credit card purchases!
I mean, both lead characters (she a civil trial lawyer, he a cop) you'd think would know better; instead, they are complete nincompoops. The thought shouldn't be “yeah, you're right!” when a henchman notes how how stupid our heroes are, yet that's what occurred due to their repeated mistakes. Sure, the action isn't bad and in fact at times is amusingly absurd; there are several massive explosions. However, it is clear why Crawford did not continue an acting career and William Baldwin never became a steady action lead. The plot, as is: the two leads are on the run because of a dispute over a boat that is being used in highly illegal activities by-get this-evil Russians... insert your own comments if you wish. Somehow, this picture was based on the same novel that gave us... COBRA?! Baldwin's character is no Marion Cobretti, that is for damn sure.
At least this schlock had some highlights. Not a surprise that by this point, Steven Berkoff could play an evil Russian quite well. Salma Hayek is entertaining-but is only present for a few minutes. It was nice to see familiar faces like Jenette Goldstein and Dan Hedaya for varying amount of times. The South Florida scenery at least looked nice; from the time I spent there a lot of it in general looked quite familiar. There are definitely better and more entertaining B action movies from the 90's that are more worthy of viewing; however, what made me howl with laughter in disbelief was apropos out of nowhere, while the leads were in a train car hauling automobiles they suddenly have sex and it looks straight out of a 90's erotic thriller!
No comments:
Post a Comment