Customer Reviews

The Specialist

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Although this film has been trashed by the media, it is not as bad as some will say, it does have some interesting characters, In this Stallone is a former CIA explosives expert who is hired by Stone to secretly kill off the mobsters who killed her parents when she was a child, James Woods is at his usual best here as Stallone's former CIA partner who is in cahoots with these mobsters, you can tell Woods had fun here in this role, Eric Roberts is chilling here as one of the mobsters who Stone is wanting killed, this movie gives much depth to its stars, Stallone, Stone, & Woods are NOT one-dimentional as some would say, we feel Stone's anger & sorrow for her parents, & we understand Stallone's calm & collective demeanor as he follows Stone in an effort to understand her intensions as any former CIA agent might do, & we understand Woods' intent, although not action-packed to the extreme, it was never meant to be,but does have big explosions, the hotel room explosion has to be seen to be believed, set in Miami, the scenery is nice to look at, as is Stone who doesn't look as good now, but this film is good if you want character substance, but if you are looking for non-stop action, you will be disappointed!!

Most big budget big star films that come under heavy critical panning usually contain ludicrous acting on the parts of the big stars and a heavy reliance on special effects. I can see why THE SPECIALIST is now included in that group. Sylvester Stallone has rarely been as buff as he is in the role of Ray Quick, an ex-CIA bomb specialist who has been hired as a bomb hit man to kill some thugs headed by Rod Steiger and Eric Roberts. Stallone is as stone-faced as ever as he judiciously places small but powerful explosives to kill his victims. Stallone as Quick sleepwalks through his screen time, but as I watched this movie for the third time, I realized that the movie that I saw was exactly the one that director Luis LLosa wanted: a paen to the power and destructive force of matchbook sized bombs. Clearly, LLosa did not want anyone to take seriously the tale of a hired bomber who could kill in the hundreds and not arouse world wide attention. There are so many explosions that each one works metaphorically to eradicate any serious consideration of a plot that has as much weight as one of Quick's plastic explosives. The focus is less on Quick, but more on his supporting cast, Sharon Stone as the revenge-seeking woman who hires him and James Woods as the former CIA teacher spook who taught Quick all he knows about bombs. Miss Stone is the leggy female counterpart to a Stallone whose primary acting skill is to grimace as if he expects a hook from Apollo Creed at any moment. Stone walks around for most of her screen time in mini skirts while Stallone shows off his equally impressive pecs. Yet, despite their physical symmetry, their screen chemistry barely registers on the cinematic Richter scale. What keeps the film going is a balance between the incredible explosions (one of which allows a hotel floor to disengage itself from its structural base) and the superb acting of James Woods, who seems to be working as some kind of CIA spook with authority over the local police but is really on the pad of a crime boss, played shrilly by a balding Rod Steiger, who is guilty of badly overacting. Woods does what he can to keep the disparate elements of an off-balanced movie like this one on track. To his credit, he manages to give more than a note of authenticity even to the scenes that defy logic and analysis. The relationship between Woods and Stallone on a reverse-buddy level is far more of note that the hoped for sexual sizzle between Stallone and Stone. Essentially, THE SPECIALIST is predator prey film with Woods hunting Stallone, but the boundaries between the hunter and the hunted soon often blur. Watching a film like this is a perversely enjoyable experience. One does not expect any great statements about the Twisted Meaning of Life, but in the male bonding arena, nobody can top James Woods with his ability to make the audience feel the nervous agida as he closes in on his target. Stallone, however, has never learned how to react when he is outside of the squared circle, but in THE SPECIALIST, I did not really care about that.

If it wern't for the devislh performence of the Great James Woods as an CIA agent with ties to an Miami drug cartel out to settle a score with his former partner this film would of sufferd big time. Sly Stallone plays Ray Quick, a former CIA Explosives expert who comes to aid of an mysterious woman who is seeking revenge on a mouthy gangster for the murder of her parents. Sharon Stone fails to convince me as a grieving woman it looks all she cares about is looking good in a tight outfit. Good famliar action with some cool explosions makes up for weak plot. Stallone & Woods are belivable in their roles but James Woods is the reason to see this otherwise routine action film.

As a woman, I find it hilarious how often Stallone is panned by fellow men. I have to wonder why?? Personally, I like his style and he's very VERY easy on the eyes as well. I read that Stone had a crush on Stallone and was anxious to work with him. (another beautiful actress, Madeline Stowe, said the same thing about her screen time with him). Perhaps some folks think that by trashing Stallone's acting, they can somehow feel superior? Trust me, it aint working. The man is hawt, the chemistry sizzles, and you get one guess who I fantasize about...the action scenes are good too, but I expect that in a Stallone film.

This movie really isn't as bad as some people will have you believe. It's far from being Sly's best, but together with "Cliffhanger" and "Copland", it's actually one of his most effective from the 90s. (-Let's face it, the others he did that decade were pretty... most of them, and his best movies are all from the 70s and 80s.) Don't make the mistake to judge Stallone-the-actor by this film; he's a much better actor than this movie tries to trick you into believing, he just needs better material to chew on. -"The Specialist" almost reduces him to merely some kind of a silent robot, literally sleepwalking through the scenery following Stone around. But for some strange reason the movie still works. Except for one brief scene. -The silly fight on the bus; it's totally out of place, and seem tacked on just for the sake of it. (-I'm pretty sure it was, actually.) Come to think of it, the erotic scenes between the two stars are also quite un-necessary, and only there to make those with cheap minds drool. Woods is his good old manic self, but the character he plays is so ridiculous and over the top it ends up being utterly unbelievable. Steiger is very good as the old mobster, but the way I see it, Roberts is the one who steals the show. Many actors don't improve with age, in fact many get worse as they get older, but Roberts seems to be the kind of actor that just gets better and better. He's so deliciously slimy here that without him the picture just drags, and you almost miss the dirty rotten scoundrel when he's not around. It's a good part, but sadly somewhat too small. The DVD looks great, and the trailer includes clips from shots not in the final film, like Stone slapping Steiger and the b/w flashback scenes in color.

I recently viewed this movie and thought anyone can make a shoot-em-up, kill everyone kind of film. However, this film contains a good cast, a good plot, and as typical action movies go, a lot of action. I've seen all of Stallone's movies and there are some better ones, but as far as pure action and plot goes this is a keeper.

Sometimes one regrets there are so many resources under the service of a narcissist project, destined to show two impacting anatomies employing an elemental and ultra known argument: the disturbed girl who seeks revenge in memory of her murdered parents. But besides, there is still more to mourn; two actors of the height caliber of James Woods and Rod Steiger can not fight against this predictable script.

As light entertainment and some stylized erotic sequences, the picture works out, but please don' t scrape too much. There is nothing to find out. Maybe the soundtrack is the most recommendable of this entry.

I cannot believe the bad reviews for this movie! I love it! Explosives expert Ray helps a mysterious young woman avenge her parents death. They talk on the phone every night & he watches her while taking out the bad guys. Sharon Stone is extremely sexy & she's looking her very best here. Stallone is just hot & he looks great.The setting is just gorgeous & is one of the reasons I love the film. It takes place in colorful, sunny, hot Miami Beach. The chemistry between the two of them is just hot & the shower sex scene was steamy as hell! Stallone is confident, masculine & convincing in his role as an explosives expert. James Woods was great to watch. He's a terrific actor! Eric Roberts is always convincing as the bad guy. The story line may not be all that but the movie itself is sexy, action packed & overall entertaining with great actors who play their parts well. I enjoyed it!

I had never been a Stallone fan, but a Stone one. Based on this, Ray Quick is necesary for the plot though Stallone brings out a flat performance to his character, maybe that's the way its suppoussed to be. Woods and Steiger are the best actors in this film, but what i really liked was Stone's character, full of mystery, hidden agendas, surprises -she's weak and strong- unexpected switches and in basically control of the rest of the personages (plays Trent to catch Quick, but she's playing Trent too, to forfill her revenge- and control and kill Thomas, ultimatelly falls for the "heroe" ) there are parts that were blury (how did she really got out of Leons men to go and meet Ray at church, what was the connection with the old lady at the funeral?) and i believe Sharon Stone as an actress into her character has her moments (the way she looks at Erick Roberts in the bar when he implies they're going to spend the night together, the intriguing church scene, the punch she gives Woods) the dvd version is a clear nice to watch product and its features are good and entertaining, the score is just mesmerazing, hope to get it soon. The film can easly be a classic if it wasn't clashed by critics, though more darkness and suspense could had been added.
A very worth item on your "new classic" dvd collection, all and all i think this film deserves more than it's been shot at.

Arguably Sylvester Stallone's last box office hit (unless you count Cop Land), The Specialist is not the typical Stallone testosterone fest. In fact, it remains a fairly atmospheric thriller revolving around obsession and revenge. But it's not as interesting as it may sound, thanks to the generally lackluster script and mostly unlikeable characters.

Stallone plays Ray Quick, an ex-bomb specialist who works for hire. After the movie's requisite prologue, he's in Miami working for May Munro (Sharon Stone), who wants him to kill three mobsters, especially the head mobster's son, Tomas (Eric Roberts), because they murdered her parents when she was a little girl. Quick contacts her only by phone, they are to never meet, but he's admittedly intrigued by her and vice versa. However, she's actually working for Ned Trent (James Woods), Quick's former colleague who's out for revenge.

Action fans expecting bombastic and over-the-top action sequences should steer clear, this movie will be too sluggish for them. The Specialist has no desire to function as a typical Stallone actioner. There are no large-scale gun battles, fisticuffs, or car chases. In fact, I gather Stallone received the role purely on the basis of his box office clout (and perhaps also his ability to brood and act generally depressed fairly well).

So what is The Specialist, then? Is it a thriller? Yeah, sort of, there are a few suspenseful moments, mostly pertaining to Stallone using his bombs to knock off the mobsters. Surprisingly enough, the twist of having the hero kill the bad guys with explosives (Speed and Blown away came out the same year) works well enough, mostly because the villains' impending doom bears a certain inevitability that plays to the movie's advantage.

But there's little else about the movie worth recommending. The story doesn't make much sense; as soon as it's revealed Roberts' murdered Stone's parents when she was a child, I scratched my head in confusion. He couldn't possibly be more than a year or two older than Stone, meaning he committed the murders when he was about, what, ten or eleven? More likely, it appears the filmmakers are trying to pass off Stone as a twenty-year old bombshell. Sure, Stone looks great (and I do mean great) in this film, but she can't even pass for thirty.

The romance is unsurprisingly perfunctory and generic. As soon as the hero and heroine meet, they almost immediately tear their clothes off and go at it. This is neither romantic nor sexy, even with the undeniably hot Sharon Stone as part of this tryst. I've always kind of liked Stallone, subpar an actor as he may be. He's always had a fairly commandable screen presence, though he has yet to translate that to genuine charisma (which is what puts him considerably behind that other big lug, Arnold Scwarzenegger).

Neither suspenseful nor exciting enough to recommend, The Specialist is of little interest to anyone except for Stallone and Stone fans (and maybe James Wood fans, who will either delight or wince at his maniacally over-the-top performance). I'm still waiting for Stallone to revive his career with a big-budget action blockbuster, but I don't see it happening. Hey, I'm one of the few guys out there who actually liked D-Tox, so I wouldn't necessarily say his career has gone down the drain.
* 1/2 out of *****