Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
One star for the paintings......and Anne, June 5, 2006
Bad script. You cannot expect Cuba Gooding, a fine actor, to do something with nothing. General Burt Reynolds in full dress uniform smoking a pipe? The always dynamic James Woods is even restrained from his usual machine gun mouth didactic style. Now Angie Harmon does get a chance to act, but with who?
Secret Service Agent Cuba deflects a bullet with his hand which inadvertantly kills the President. It was a magic bullet because, miracle of miracles, no damage was done to his hand. In an overwhelming display of guilt he tries to drink himself to death only to be awakened by reporter Angie to whom he promptly farts in the face. That's just the first 15 minutes folks.
We then get treated to the conspiracy and a whole lotta killing going on. Extreme closeups, handheld cameras, and of course the filtered color to heighten suspense.
The ending is the final lowpoint of the film. How did the killer procure and finance all this? And after all they've been through Agent Cuba punks out and refuses to tell reporter Angie.
Anne Archer, one of my alltime favorites, has a supporting role as The First Lady, who is also a painter. She is lovely and so are the paintings.
It's a shame but it could have a contender thriller.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fast Paced Action Thriller That's Not All That Bad!, July 12, 2006
Viewers seem to be pretty much against this action flick, seeming to put it down because if IS an action flick, a fact that for this viewer prevents looking for the good parts of a movie that succeeds in making us think. Director Andy Cheng (also a co-writer for the script) has a background as a movie stunt coordinator and that talent serves him well in this fast paced, explosive, interesting film.
Alex Thomas (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) is a secret agent assigned to the President when an assassination occurs: Thomas takes a bullet for his beloved President (Jack Scalia) and comforts the First Lady (Anne Archer) when the President is pronounced dead. Thomas works for Head Agent Vaughn Stevens (James Woods) who comforts the grieving Thomas and sends him off duty to recover: Thomas goes off on a drinking binge and is discovered by an aggressive Pulitzer Prize news reporter Kate Crawford (Angie Harmon) and between the two of them they uncover a conspiracy that involves top ranking people. The perpetrator of the assassination is one Jack Baldwin (Peter Greene) who guides the events from is hidden space. Every lead Crawford uncovers is promptly destroyed by explosions or fires until the final confrontation of Baldwin with Thomas and Crawford. And just when the viewer thinks every step is utterly predictable, the ending leaves the truth about the assassination to the viewer...!
Cuba Gooding, Jr. is a fine talent in search of a great role: in this film he does well underplaying his character with some of the subtleties that demonstrate more of his talent. Angie Harmon delivers a fine performance: she deserves more roles. Anne Archer remains a pleasure to watch, even in this small but pivotal role, and James Woods, James Selby, and to an extent the grossly disfigured, post multiple plastic surgeries Burt Reynolds create credible characters. This is not a great movie, but is certainly is one with some fine elements and offers promise for new director Andy Cheng in his stepped up role. Yes, it is a bit predictable until the end, but it is a far better film than many of the movies that had the experience of a theatrical run (this one went straight to DVD!). Worth an evening's watching. Grady Harp, July 06
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Just Average, November 13, 2006
This movie had some good moments, but overall, there were lots of visual shots that just didn't make much sense, for instance, all the shots of cell phones. The end left much unexplained, so that was a bit frustrating. Plus, it didn't seem realistic that the Secret Service would let a reporter play such a critical role in an investigation, even to the point of dragging her along on interviews. There didn't appear to be any chemistry between Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Angie Harmon, nothing at all. And Burt Reynolds seemed to be wasted; his character didn't add much. But at least James Woods added some spice. I won't watch this movie again, but it wasn't an unpleasant experience.
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