Customer Reviews

Ricochet

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a brilliantly scripted and acted action-suspense-thriller. Some scenes are extra-violent, with one prison guard having his torso carved in half with a power tool during a break-out; in another scene, the chief villain is sent flying off a tower and ends up pinned like a beetle on a pole. The first half is undoubtedly the best, with its tense and absorbing psychological battle between Earl Blake (John Lithgow) and Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) the smart, wise-cracking cop who put him away, and who then turns succesful District Attorney. It is Styles's success that Blake venomously grudges and so he hatches an elaborate and devious plan from out of prison to destroy Styles. The second half of the film is characterised by implausibility and anti-climax. But on the whole, the dialogue is above the average and the action has a hard-trimmed, gritty quality about it.

Lithgow is awesome as master criminal Earl Blake. A 'bad dude' who spectacularly breaks out of a maximum-security jail. His mission: to deconstruct the life of the cop who jailed him. What follows is one of the most energetic movies I've ever seen. The camera never stays still and is constantly gliding around the actors, twisting and turning and framing at bizarre angles. Watch out for a beautifully shot sequence in which Blake has the cop held hostage, drugs him and then pays for a prostitute to have sex with him - there is some fantastic lighting here, and great acting. A deadpan face, hilarious one-liners and the coolest haircut - it can only be Lithgow doing what he does best: playing a bad guy.

I can remember the first time I saw this movie. It was on HBO right after the George Foreman vs. Lou Savarese fight a few years back. Being a film with Denzel Washington and John Lithgow, I was surprised that I hadn't heard of it before then but was in for a big surprise.

Being a 1991 film (and an HBO Original Production), this was made before Denzel Washington really hit it big but it's one of his finest films in my opinion. While Washington portays a young cop turned bright futured district attorney, the best job in the film is done by John Lithgow, who plays one of the best psychotic yet genius characters in recent memory (Earl Talbot Blake). Lithgow, in fact, does such a good job playing this insane yet calculating killer hell bent on revenge that it's very strange to turn around and watch him on 3rd Rock From The Sun!

The supporting characters played by Ice-T and Kevin Pollak are well done and well written, but also very important in the storyline...something that isn't always true in mainstream films.

The plot is very interesting, and not something that has been 'done to death'. As the film winds down, it seems a little predictable but also the only suitable way for everything to end. Ok, so it's not a blockbuster 4 star masterpiece, but RICOCHET is still a very well written film that is action packed and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Highly recommended.

Ricochet is a pretty basic action, but it keeps you interested with great performances by Denzel Washington as the besieged hero and John Lithgow (completely over-the-top performance) as the despicable villain.

Washington starts off the movie as a beat cop who runs across criminal Lithgow and apprehends him. Next, we flash forward years later where Washington is the DA, having made his career off of the Lithgow bust. And Lithgow escapes from prison, and is ready for revenge...

Everyone performs well, even though you have to believe they realized how silly the movie is, but you are able to go with the flow and suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the proceedings. This is just a fun action flick. No need to make it any more than what it is.

Couldn't believe that this was the same John Lithgow who starred in "Third Rock From the Sun", an hilarious comedy that ran for a few years on NBC. John plays the ultimate bad guy seeking twisted revenge for being stopped in his tracks by Denzel's character.

Wasn't expecting much, but this movie was surprisingly entertaining. Yes, it was a little violent, and some parts were a tad unbelievable, but overall, Denzel and John were worthy antagonists. Boy, Denzel sure was gorgeous!! Still is.

A good cop is run out of the force and has to fight for his life when a criminal he put in prison seeks revenge. Great action thriller from Denzel and Lithgow.

RICOCHET is a tense and riveting tale of revenge, powered by the performances of Denzel Washington as an idealistic cop who finds his life dramatically altered after he arrests a psychotic criminal; and John Lithgow as that criminal whose plan for revenge goes beyond the norm. Escaping from prison, Lithgow plots a course of events that leads to the destruction of Washington's career and life. Culminating in an exciting climax at a construction site, RICOCHET overcomes its somewhat improbable plot with tense action sequences and an excellent cast.

A MURDERER [JOHN LITHGOW] GETS CAPTURED BY A COP [DENZEL WASHINGTON]. THE MINUTE HE STEPS FOOT IN JAIL, HE SPENDS EVERY MINUTE OF HIS LIFE PLOTTING REVENGE. THIS MOVIE PROVES THAT DENZEL WASHINGTON CAN DO PRETTY GOOD IN ACTION MOVIES. THEN AGAIN, DENZEL CAN DO GOOD IN JUST ABOUT ANY TYPE OF MOVIE. THIS MOVIE IS DEFINITELY A GOOD MOVIE TO ADD TO YOUR COLLECTION.

I first saw this movie just 2 years ago. I had already seen Pulp fiction, Dead man, Straw dogs, Reservoir dogs and A Clockwork Orange. The hype about there violence was always over the top and I was never shocked, but Ricochet I had heard no hype for, and I was Plenty Shocked, which was a very new sensation. The film is great, but I don't think its the sort you'd want to watch over and over. Denzel is great, as usual.

I dont know what other people were expecting. This was supposed to be a popcorn flick not a movie made to win oscars. The story is simple enough
Denzel Washington plays Nick Styles, a cop/attorney who busts a psychopath named Earl Talbot Blake(John Lithgow) at a drug ring gone sour. Earl Blake plots his revenge on Nick Styles in jail and escapes from prison. From then on, he systematically destroys Nick Styles life and has everyone questioning Nick's sanity.

The storyline is not bad and Denzel does a great job as usual. John Lithgow is perfect as Earl Blake and its probably his best role since the scared flight attendant in Twilight Zone: The Movie. His villain is a throwback in the days when villains were villains and not these craven new age geeks who tap on laptops and run from confrontation as far away as possible. Kevin Pollak is decent enough as Nick's partner Harry. Ice-T plays Odessa(and who the hell names a man Odessa?), the man who helps Nick Styles take down Blake. If you are looking for Oscar material you are definitely in the wrong place but if you are looking for a pretty good thriller it wouldnt hurt if you tried this.