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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just "Cutaway" and enjoy it!, June 19, 2003
I will admit that the first time I viewed this film I did not like it. As an active skydiver I could point out many flaws. The plot is quite unrealistic and for some, the professional sport of skydiving is once again not put in a good light. But once I stepped back, took off the serious glasses and put on the fun pair I actually enjoyed it. US Customs Agent Vic Cooper (Stephen Baldwin) finds himself in the world of competition skydiving while in pursuit of narcotraffickers in the Miami area. In order to enjoy the film, do not watch it for the following reasons: 1. An accurate depiction of US Customs counter-narcotics procedures. 2. An accurate portrayal of USPA group member drop zones and operational procedures. 3. An accurate portrayal of the attitude of the US Army Golden Knights (Parachute Team). Referring to the stereotypical arrogance and machismo. 4. That Stephen Baldwin "can really" win in a fight against Dennis Rodman (Turbo). Do watch it for the following reasons: 1. The cinematography of the jump scenes is well done. 2. The music score is good and with the jump scenes add to the excitement. 3. An overall "cops and robbers" how did they do it plot. So just "cutaway" with the serious critique. Its not gonna win best picture. Just have fun with it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just "Cutaway" and enjoy it!, June 15, 2003
I will admit that the first time I viewed this film I did not like it. As an active skydiver I could point out many flaws. The plot is quite unrealistic and for some, the professional sport of skydiving is once again not put in a good light. But once I stepped back, took off the serious glasses and put on the fun pair I actually enjoyed it. US Customs Agent Vic Cooper (Stephen Baldwin) finds himself in the world of competition skydiving while in pursuit of narcotraffickers in the Miami area. In order to enjoy the film, do not watch it for the following reasons: 1. An accurate depiction of US Customs counter-narcotics procedures. 2. An accurate portrayal of USPA group member drop zones and operational procedures. 3. An accurate portrayal of the attitude of the US Army Golden Knights (Parachute Team). Referring to the stereotypical arrogance and machismo. 4. That Stephen Baldwin "can really" win in a fight against Dennis Rodman (Turbo). Do watch it for the following reasons: 1. The cinematography of the jump scenes is well done.
2. The music score is good and with the jump scenes add to the excitement.
3. An overall "cops and robbers" how did they do it plot.
So just "cutaway" with the serious critique. Its not gonna win best picture. Just have fun with it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not too bad., January 9, 2003
I cannot speak about the accuracy of the skydiving as depicted in this film. However, I found this film to be entertaining enough. Certainly not great, but OK. Sort of. I don't really know anything about skydiving, and I confess, my curiosity did not burn with the intensity of a thousand suns to learn more about it. But, with that said, I still found this film to be pretty interesting. The skydiving shots were stunning, and I was pretty impressed by that aspect of this movie. The idea of "cutaway" (whatever that means) sounded contrived. I have no idea how valid or authentic the concept of "cutting away" (severing all outside ties) is in the skydiving world, but it seemed phony and forced in this movie. I tired of hearing the characters mention "cutting away" this or that. However, I kept watching. I did find some interest in the conflict between Stephen Baldwin's character (an undercover officer), his "boss" (Ron Silver) and the guy Baldwin is supposed to take down -- "Red Line" (played by Tom Berenger). I could see how Vic (played by Baldwin) could get caught up in the skydiving scene. It was all about teamwork, competition, and it looked pretty fun to me! And I could see why he'd enjoy working with "Red Line" (Berenger). Red Line was the best at what he did -- he was totally dedicated to skydiving and would do anything (ANYTHING) to keep the team going. I could see why Vic would be sympathetic to Red Line's motivations, even if his actions sometimes were fatally flawed. So, the conflict between the main characters worked -- sort of. The acting was decent. I have never considered Stephen Baldwin to be that great of an actor, but he was fine. Ron Silver did well playing Baldwin's intense boss who had a somewhat oily personality. Tom Berenger was very good as the likeable and dedicated Red Line who just didn't know that there were certain lines that shouldn't be crossed. So that was interesting: the "good guy" (Silver) wasn't as likeable as the "bad guy" (Berenger). I thought this was an interesting twist in the story. So, overall, I thought it was OK. Not *that* great, certainly not perfect, but not all *that* bad. The footage of the skydiving made up for a lot.
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