Reality is 97% perception and 3% what you had last night for dinner.
Reality is 97% perception and 3% what you had last night for dinner.
Member since:18.12.2001
Reviews:64
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When my husband put this movie in to watch, I have to say I just kinda sighed. I'm not a big action flick fan. But I can usually sit through it and not fall asleep. So I didn't have very high expectations for this one. But Bruce Willis is usually good for a action flick. This turned out to be better than I expected. I was surprised that it not only kept me awake but kept me holding my breath a time or two.
The opening credits, which I very rarely mention, were very interesting in 70's crime story kind of way. The movie opens with Jeff Talley, played by Bruce Willis, as a hostage negotiator for the LAPD. He's trying to talk down a guy who is holding a woman and her son hostage. Talley is on the phone with the guy holding them hostage when a member of the SWAT team holds up a sign for Talley saying that one of the snipers has a clean shot at the guy. But Talley writes them a sign back stating "No One Dies Today!". But something goes terribly wrong. Unable to handle the stress from this situation gone awry, Talley takes a job in a small town as the chief of police. Nothing ever happens in this small town, which suits Talley fine. However, Talley's wife and daughter are not so happy with the change and problems emerge due to that.
Switch to a scene with a single dad and his two kids in a nice,
shiny SUV. They are on their way home when they stop to pick up some take out for dinner. Also in the parking lot is a rusty, old pick up truck holding three young guys. The youngest spots the daughter and claims to know her. The other two decide that they want that SUV. So they follow the vehicle up the hills to a very snazzy home. Inside the home, the dad is downloading some bank information onto a CD. This is one of the parts that can be a bit confusing, as you have no real idea what he is putting onto the CD, but he is on the phone with an associate and tells him that the information is ready for pick up. So, you get the feeling that it might be something illegal.
The three guys break into the house and set off a silent alarm. While they are looking at the vehicles, a cop arrives to check out the silent alarm. One of the guys, Mars (played by Ben Foster) shoots and kills the cop. Things go downhill from there. Talley responds to the scene and tries to rescue the downed cop. He manages to get her out of the line of fire, but it's too late - she's dead. And in the house, the three guys have now knocked the dad out and taken him and his children hostage. Two of the guys holding the hostages are brothers, played by Jonathan Tucker and Marshall Allman, begin to fight over Mars. Mars is a really twisted and strange character. I really think he does and excellent job as a psycho.
But these guys picked the wrong house to end up in. Not only is is built like a fortress with high security. But the dad works for some pretty shady characters. The people who want the information on the CD have no problems doing whatever it takes. They will stop at nothing to get that CD - they don't care who is hurt or killed as long as they get what they want.
Talley calls in the troops and is more than happy to turn the whole situation over to them. He's out of it and glad to be. But circumstances soon bring him back into it against his will and things continue to go from bad to worse. I'll stop there - as any more would really start giving away the thrilling parts. But let me say this - it has some good twists and turns in it. I would consider it rather gruesome and violent - but not as much as some others I've seen. I've not got a real strong stomach for that kind of thing and I had no problem sitting through it. The language can be a bit rough. According to one trivia site, they use the F word 89 times. So, not for the younger ones.
The action is fairly well paced so that you don't get bored. But there were a few scenes that I felt fell down pretty badly. One scene that comes to mind is with the boy, who found his sister's cell phone, who gets a call through to Talley. While they are talking they discuss video games. It was pretty lame. Another point is that you never really learn about is what is on the CD or who wants that information. You get the sense that these people are important and that the information is important. You also get the feeling that what ever it is, it is illegal. But I think they could have done a better job with explaining it - even in an action flick where details aren't always important. But I really think they fell down on the plot there.
But the action, I think, is more than enough to make up for the few weak scenes and breaks in plot. It's not as predictable as some of the action films I've seen, it does have some twists and turns and some surprises. And with some interesting characters thrown in, it makes me want to recommend this one instead of trashing it. As an action film, it's well done. So, if you like action this one might be worth watching.
As for the extras on the DVD, they weren't bad either. They had some deleted scenes which were interesting. Even a couple of extended scenes. And they also had a behind the scenes look which is about twenty minutes long and gives you a look at how some of the scenes were done and some interviews with the actors. It also gives you a choice of languages and scene selection. So, while not the best I've seen in extras by far it wasn't the worst. As an interesting side note, playing Talley's daughter in the movie is Willis' own daughter, Rumer Willis. While the part she plays isn't that big - it's interesting to watch the few scenes when they are together. I would have never guessed that she was his daughter if I hadn't watched the extras.
So, after you tuck the kiddies to bed or on a Saturday night when you are looking for a good action flick, give this one a try. It might not become a favorite - but it's good for a viewing.
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
You get two hostage crises for the price of one inHostage, an overwrought but otherwise ... more
involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way toDie Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Ange...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
You get two hostage crises for the price of one inHostage, an overwrought but otherwise ... more
involving thriller grounded by Bruce Willis's solid lead performance. Making a dramatic pit-stop on his way toDie Hard 4, Willis plays a traumatized former Los Ange...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Would you sacrifice another family to save your own? Bruce Willis stars as a small-town ... more
cop Jeff Talley; chief of Police in the sleepy town of Bristo Camino. Leaving behind the trauma of his career as a big city hostage negotiator Talley finds himse...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Fantastic one liners, the arguments between the family members and Denis Leary/Kevin Spacey! Hilarious!! Disadvantages: Slow start and it could've been a longer film...ah well!!
fenerg 03.05.2001 (01.12.2004)
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