Broken Arrow

Year: 1996
Directed By: John Woo
Written By: Graham Yost

RYAN’S REVIEW

When we reviewed The Last Boy Scout I mentioned that when you have seen one action movie like this you have practically seen them all.  The only differences being who played the hero and how many bad guys they killed.  This movie is really no different, Christian Slater is the hero and he kills plenty of bad guys in a movie that is about nothing more than gun play and explosions.  This one was directed by John Woo and that does give it a slight edge I think.  I have a special place in my heart for these kind of mindless action movies. They were the kind of movies my parents watched and while I grew to demand more to be entertained I still enjoy these.  I’ve actually liked most of “the Die Hard scenario” movies that came out during the nineties and I like this one too, Die Hard in the Desert.

With John Woo movies you can count on two things.  It will be pointless with over the top action, but everything will look really cool. Woo makes cool action movies and for what they lack in plot they more than make up for with the exaggerated action. Woo also usually has a good score to his films that make them seem more dramatic and mask the fact that there isn’t really any point to the film.  This one is a perfect example; it’s the Die Hard scenario and about nothing more than guns and explosions, peppered with enough fight scenes to keep things interesting. I love the intro boxing scene and how it was choreographed.  These guys aren’t really even boxing in the traditional sense. They are just beating the hell out of each other, for fun, as all friends like to do. Christian Slater literally runs down a jeep on foot in this movie, and as he dives for the vehicle he also catches a gun in mid-air.  That’s John Woo for you.  Oh yeah it is totally ridiculous but I’d be lying if I didn’t say it looked cool and I was into it when it was happening.

Another thing about John Woo, he always saw the value John Travolta had as a bad guy.  I think Travolta has had a really interesting career and I have always liked him despite his personal issues.  Being both a Scientologist and the type of possible homosexual that forces himself on other men he doesn’t really seem like the kind of guy I would like personally.  Yet I think he has made some great movies and played some good roles. He has been around forever and done nearly everything, but I have always liked him best in this kind of role.  I think he is better as a bad guy like this one as opposed to Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Great movie and great role that put him back on top but I always thought he looked ridiculous with that hair, and he was a junkie.  The film was great because of the other incredible characters and performances but that is all beside the point. He is getting old now and it’s going to be harder for him to continue getting significant roles. He hasn’t aged as well as his Scientologist counterpart, but he is much older and we may see Tom have the same problem soon. Travolta will be playing the part of John Gotti in an upcoming film about Gotti that was a big priority of the studio at first but seems to keep having hiccups. I don’t know about that casting but I do sincerely hope Travolta blows me away with the part and gets back his credibility.

Christian Slater has really got to miss the 90s right? I have never been a big fan of his Jack Nicholson wanna be style of acting but he is not that bad and I have liked him here and there. Slater tried his hand real hard at this genre during this time.  It was an interesting time because Schwarzenegger and Stallone were just starting to get too old and soon anybody was being cast in this kind of part.  Funny to think that over fifteen years have passed and they are both still trying to cling to these kinds of roles as action heroes.  Even though one has served as Governor and the other has been busted but is still obviously juicing to maintain his physique. As for Christian Slater I do like him in this movie. In truth anybody could have played the part and I don’t know that he brought anything special to the part but still, he was alright.

While I don’t know that it is really necessary I still feel I have to mention Howie Long in the review of this movie. The man may not have been the greatest actor but dammit he did his best and he fit the role perfectly for this movie.  As a huge NFL fan I think Howie is awesome.  He had a great career playing for the Raiders and I think he is a vital part of FOX’s pregame show.  He has also produced two sons that have been drafted in the first round of the NFL draft.  His oldest son Chris Long went second over all a few years ago and just this year his son Kyle was drafted in the middle of the first to Chicago. Also worth mentioning is Delroy Lindo but only because he always brings it in roles like this.  I am not really a fan of Lindo but he has a great authoritative voice that makes him fit well in many movies.

This is the kind of movie that could only be made in the pre-Jack Bauer world.  Let’s face it, Christian Slater is no Jack Bauer and Travolta should count his lucky stars that he didn’t have to deal with Kiefer when he stole nuclear weapons.  Slater doesn’t even torture him, just gets his ass beat before getting lucky and winning.  Travolta got off easy.  Still I like these kinds of mindless action movies and I like this movie.  It’s part of a time in film when this was a scenario for success regardless of whether it was a good movie or not and I miss those times now.  As an audience I think we demand much more this day and age.  We have to be emotionally invested and shocked nowadays, but maybe that’s just me.  I think the time for this type of movie has passed but despite that opinion Liam Neeson has somehow had success making TWO Taken films.

I’ve gone much farther than this movie deserves but found myself in the position to really go the extra mile, it’s just unfortunate it came with such a silly movie.  Yet there is always a time and a place for a film like this.  If you find yourself ready for something pointless and loud then this is the movie for you.  The movie runs a bit too long in my opinion but for the first half I am always into it. That isn’t to say the second half is bad, but it’s just more of what you have already seen.  I have just evolved as a viewer and need more from a film these days.  So I don’t know that I can say this movie is worth your time, but maybe it is worth some of it, it’s an easy way to kill some free time if nothing else.

Heist

Year: 2001
Directed By: David Mamet
Written By: David Mamet

RYAN’S REVIEW

This is a movie of great one liners with clever and witty dialogue all throughout the movie. It’s a movie that will keep you guessing with many twists and turns. Its cast is made up of mainly older actors who prove that they still had plenty to offer. I think the most important thing about this movie is that it is cool; its coolness factor makes it significant if nothing else does.

This was written and directed by David Mamet who has been involved with some really great TV shows.  Specifically The Unit and one of my all-time favorite shows The Shield. I always think films that are written and directed by the same person have a special quality to them and that is there in this one.  Mamet wrote a really interesting story and he found some quality people to bring it to life.  I am a big fan of Gene Hackman and I think with this movie he proved that in 2001 he still had it.  As it is put in the movie “he’s so cool that when he goes to sleep the sheep count him.” This wasn’t the only great performance Hackman turned in at the plus 70 age range, but it is one of the last films he made.  Hackman was a great actor and I really miss seeing him in movies.  I have never been a big fan of Delroy Lindo but he isn’t a bad actor and does well in this movie. I think Danny Devito is great as the dangerous fence.  I am not a fan of what he has done on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia so I like a movie like this one that reminds me what he is capable of. I am a fan of It’s Always Sunny, but not the part that DeVito plays as Frank.  Frank has progressively gotten weirder and grosser to the point that his character as a whole only brings the show down now.

In the supporting roles of this film I really like Sam Rockwell.  I have always been a fan of his and I was really looking forward to what else he had to offer around the time this movie came out.  I don’t know why but for whatever reason his career seemed to move in reverse as the 2000’s progressed.  I am not really that familiar with Rebecca Pidgeon beyond this movie but I don’t know that I have to be.  She is a real badass as Hackman’s girlfriend/wife/whatever and the one that really keeps you guessing the whole time.  I don’t really like how her character panned out but I thought she was sexy in the role and fit well with the cast.

This is a movie that I found impressive the first time I saw it and I still enjoy it.  It doesn’t garner enough of my enthusiasm now having just reviewed a different but similar film in Heat.  Heat is an entirely different film altogether but they are both about criminals pulling heists so the similarity is there.  I think this movie has too much that just works out too perfectly for the characters involved but that is the main flaw.  There is also some poor audio with background music playing over dialogue but I think that is simply the work from a less seasoned director in Mamet.  I do think Mamet did a good job otherwise though and he wrote a great story.  This is a cool movie and I think it is worth your time if you have an opportunity to see it.

AMBER’S REVIEW

I actually really like this movie. It’s a little long, but it’s worth the time. I am a big fan of Gene Hackman, so I could watch it for that reason alone.

I really like the design for this movie. It is set up in a grid-like structure that was pretty popular around the time that it came out. I also like the use of typography in the top right corner. The last names have hierarchy over the first names of the big names of the movie. (haha) The only thing I find really inconsistent with it is that Hackman’s face looks posed and purposeful, while the other faces are scenes from the movie. I feel like they should have either gone with all faces, or all scenes. Other than that, I like this one.

NEXT MOVIE: Hellboy (2004)