Customer Reviews

Trespass [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

A bizarre mix of creative talents went in to making this movie. Not the kind of thing that happens too often these days. A script from Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, direction by Walter Hill and his usual gang (strong editing from Freeman Davies, cool photography from Lloyd Ahern and score by Ry Cooder), Bill Paxton and William Sadler as the 'heroes' and Ice T and Ice Cube as the bad guys. It makes for a truly original movie.

Much like Judgment Night, Trespass is about two worlds colliding after bystanders witness a gangland execution. Two firemen on a treasure hunt in a huge, long abandoned East St. Louis factory. This happens to be the same territory as King James (Ice T) and his cohorts. They off some unwise punk by chucking him thru the glass roof and are pretty mortified upon discovering Bill Paxton and William Sadler are watching them. Ice T's crippled brother is taken hostage by Sadler and they seal themselves in old apartment. Several other bad guys show up and totally box them in.

What follows is a succession of stand-offs and shoot outs as Paxton and Sadler fight among themselves, T and Cube argue over who should be running the show, loyalties are challenged and each group begins to split into different factions. Stuck in the crossfire is poor old Bradlee, the innocent hobo caught in the middle as his apartment is besieged.

There are no clear-cut 'good guys' and 'bad guys' in Trespass. Just a bunch of guys who all came to the wrong place at the wrong time.

Originally called 'Looters' and scheduled for release during Summer 1992 the release date was changed to Winter and the title changed to 'Trespass'. Why? The LA riots were happening and Universal felt that there was enough racial tension in the media already. While I agree there is deliberate racism in this film it's nowhere near as bad as the morbidly extreme racism in such recent movies like Bad Boys II.

This new release by Universal is much better than the pathetic (and now OOP) release by Goodtimes. Gone is the snapper case. In its place is a sturdy keepcase and a nice bundle of extras. First of all there are some deleted scenes, a Behind the Scenes of Trespass featurette, the Ice-T/Ice Cube Trespass music video (it's the highly censored 'radio' edit) and a trailer.

You should definitely get this as it's not the standard of film Hollywood studios produce these days. IE made by talented people.

Two Arkansas firefighters come across a map that leads them to stolen treasure in an East St. Louis tenament. Only problem is that within minutes of their arrival, they become witnesses to a murder and are boxed in by a team of trigger-happy thugs (led by Ice-T's "King James") who have no idea about the gold. The premise is simple but a solid cast and suberb execution courtesy of director Walter Hill make this more than just your standard urban thriller. Paxton turns in a likeable perfomance as the more good-hearted of the two fireman while Ice-T and Ice Cube play well off each other as two gangsters with rival agendas. The new Universal version of the DVD has a collection of deleted clips, a "making-of" featurette, and a music video so those who picked up the Goodtimes version may want to look into double dipping on this one.

The movie is exciting and works well, but look for the newer DVD release.

A minor gem from the once superb action director, Walter Hill. The two off duty firemen, after the loot hidden in 'gangster town', are excellently portrayed by William Sadler (Die Hard2, Tales from the Crypt) and Bill Paxton (Near Dark, Twister) - both coming across as being pretty able, but totally out of their depth when guns and murder enter the fray.

This is an excellent early acting role from both Ice Cube and Ice-T - if you liked New Jack City or Raising Cain, you'll love this.

All the action takes place in a derelict block in a very run down area of the city - it's a little claustrophobic, but certainly adds to the feel of the 'good guys' being trapped. As the film develops, you begin to think maybe these guys ain't so good, that Ice-T ain't so bad, and that Ice Cube really is a head case.

An excellent cat-and-mouse movie - DVD wise, it's anamorphic (yes!!), but only plain old surround. Basic, but a good transfer. For fans of Hill, the principal actors, or those with money to burn, it's a must buy at $14.

This film is a bit of an oddball in my personal top ten list of favorite movies, but every time I watch it I'm reminded just why it deserves a place there. It's the story of two firemen. Vince(Paxton) is kind hearted and naive while Don(Sadler) is greed driven in his actions but not necessarily a bad person. While battling an apartment fire, they come across a man in the burning building that gives them a map to some old religious artifacts made of gold and then rushes directly into the flames and sets himself ablaze, apparently grief stricken over stealing the treasure in the first place. Don and Vince go to the rundown factory where the map says the treasure is and all hell breaks loose as they witness a gangland murder and in order to survive, have to become uneasy allies with a bum who calls the factory home and considers everyone else, including Vince and Don, trespassers.

Sure, the acting is over the top (in particularly Ice-T, but Sadler is great), and the story is implausible, but it is a well crafted movie, everyone gets into their character, and it races right out of the gate and never lets up. So if you're in the mood for a good action flick filled with a surprising amount of tension, this little gem is worth checking out.

This 90s thriller from Walter Hill does exactly what it was meant to do--pack a real action wallop, thanks to the dynamite team of Bob Gale and Bob Zemeckis, writers, and Mr. Hill, director. Hill is not always great (see, for example, the astounding outer space misfire Supernova), but the vast majority of films he's made are keepers, and this one's no exception.

Two Arkansas firemen, played by William Sadler and Bill Paxton, get handed what turns out to be a treasure map to stolen church gold hidden away in a dilapidated building in East St. Louis, Illinois--not the safest place in the world. Not by a long shot. The two take a ride to try to find the golden goods.

In the meantime, a drug dealer--Ice T--looking to even the score with a greedy MF who's killed and robbed one of the T's carriers lures the MF to the exact same spot where the two firemen have come to get the gold. T's crew consists of some heavy customers including Ice Cube and Tiny Lister--people you do NOT want to fool around with. Not only that but T and his guys don't know anything about the gold.

At least not starting off they don't.

The convergence of the two firefighters and the drug dealer's crew make for a powerful meet up resulting in all kinds of dangerous complications. What makes this so punchy is the script that is very smart and knows exactly how, when, and where to slam bang this sucker home.

This is a lot of fun to watch and in addition to the action stuff it's clear there's a message here about race, which is done in a really intelligent way.

Definitely recommended. One of Hill's best efforts.

With similarities to Judgement Night, it's basically another bad guys versus good guys movie. Until you find yourself watching the credits and realise it wasn't that straightforward. There are no good guys or bad guys included in this movie. Yes, it seems pretty clear at the start, but it's not.

A great cast, including Ice T, Ice Cube, Bill Paxton (or Pullman, I have severe problems telling those two apart) and William Sadler, are all in the wrong place, at the wrong time, as the cliche goes. Sadler is particularly good, as I've only really seen him as Death in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, and it's so weird to see him without all the white makeup! Also keep your eyes peeled for Glenn Plummer, in a small role, as one of the 'bad' guys. He's best known to me anyway, as the guy from Speed, who gets his car smashed up!

The story goes that Paxton & Sadler get a 'treasure map' where lots of stolen gold is hidden. Unfortunately, it's in a bad area of town, and they see a man being thrown to his death. And they suddenly get mixed up in it all, which isn't helped when Sadler takes hostage Ice T's character's younger brother, who also happens to be a drug addict. Throw into the mix a homeless guy, who's 'home' is getting trashed by various shoot outs, and you've got the ingredients for a simplistic good guy vs bad guy movie.

There's not much else that happens in this movie, apart from the shootouts, and trying to get the gold out without getting shot at. It's an intriguing film, which looks simple, but turns out to be not so much. It's better than some other movies out there, with similar storylines, but it's also forgettable after watching it. But you will end up cheering at the end of the movie. Well, if you think the person that really deserves the gold gets it, then yes, you will cheer!

Arkansas fireman Vince (Bill Paxton) & Don (William Salder) are two of the finest in the fire department. After in the aftermath of a fire, the two of them, find a map, after the old man killed himself in the fire. That map could lead them to a fortune in stolen gold hidden in an abandoned East St. Louis building. Once they get there, Vince become a witness of a murder, killed by Drug Criminals (Lead by Ice-T and Ice Cube). Now Vince & Don are in more trouble than they ever think.

Directed by Walter Hill (48 HRS, Last Man Standing, Supernova) is Surprisngly Well Made, he shows a Knack for Stylish Action Scenes, Good Performances from the Cast and Also often Funny Written Work by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future Trilogy). Art Evans has a Funny Role as a Annoying Bum and Watch for Glenn Plummer (Speed) in a Small Role. DVD`s has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an fine Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound. The Latest DVD from Universal has an terrific anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) transfer and an terrific Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound with Behind the Scenes featurette, Deleted Scenes, Music and Trailer. An well done action/thriller and it`s also, one of the most Underrated Action/Adventure Flicks. Grade:A.

Trespass is more than just an ordinary action film. The characters, particularly Ice-T's King James, and the plot have a lot of depth. William Sadler and Bill Paxton are good as the white firemen who happen to be in the right place at the wrong time. Whereas Sadler is hard and ruthless, Paxton's character is a nice somewhat naive guy. As the action progresses, their differing temperament causes them to clash. King James, as the leader of the black street gang, is more than just a cardboard character. The confrontation with the firemen is unexpectedly thrust on him and he actually attempts to deal with the situation in a level headed manner at first, especially since his half brother is being held hostage, but he is purposefully undermined by his loose cannon underlings, particularly Ice Cube's Savon. Art Evans is funny as the homeless guy who finds himself trapped with Sadler and Paxton and eventually joins them. Besides being a good action film, Trespass is a tale about the corrosive power of greed. However, at the end of the movie, it is good to know that the person who ends up with the gold is the one who probably deserved and needed it the most.

Never seen anything like this before: action, humour, thrilling scenes.... Ice T is a cool guy, "unfortunately" he's the bad guy, the role that is, his performance is great. Chases, shooting, fights, danger all the way. Everyone dreamt of hidden treasures as a kid, well, when you've seen this movie you're glad you never actually went looking for one! Like Leprechaun's Pot o' Gold, everyone is chasing it. The everlasting fight between good and evil, the greed in humans, portraied in a nailbiting hunt (or should I say attempts to escape) - JUST BUY/VIEW/RENT/SEE IT! ;-)