Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
View MoreTells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
View MoreAs somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
View MoreWhile it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
View MoreIt should have been. In the IMDb 100 Worst, that is. The plot is rather amazing, in that it is simultaneously both poorly-thought-out and amazingly predictable. FBI agent gets personally involved in a case, thinking he knows something more than everyone else around him. His brusque superior officer reprimands him, and tells him to stay out of it (no attempt at collegiality nor any immediate explanation as to why). Of course, he steals a bunch of FBI stuff, drags the beautiful (in the eye of the beholder; see below) woman and the hit-man buddy into it, gets suspended, and goes rogue. He and the girl hook up, and are betrayed by the hit-man buddy. They end up in the clutches of the evil mad scientist, and mayhem ensues. An absolute picture of cinematic realism. The mad scientist is training "perfect assassins" by lifelong deprivation (no realistic explanation as to why this might be effective). There's even a martial arts demo from the mad scientist's sensei, who subsequently never appears again. The completely expected victory sequence lets the dramatic tension (what there is of it) down far to quickly and easily, as there is really very little struggle between the good guys and the bad guys. The end is a bit of a surprise twist, but even this is unsatisfying and underexplained.Andrew McCarthy is a clever but unlikely action hero: lots of suspension of disbelief is necessary here. Portia de Rossi tries hard, but is hobbled by the bad script (it is, for example,not well explained why she is so good with a gun, and then not well utilized when push comes to shove). In makeup, they even manage to make her fairly physically unappealing (keep her hair back, please, or her eyebrows seem to go on forever). Robert Patrick is fun, fitting and comfortable as the hit-man buddy, but even so, has trouble delivering trite lines about not selling out his friend for blood money and so forth.The cinematography can only be described as TV-ish. Of course, it was made for TV, but it needn't look like it, right? At any rate, if you are tempted to see this film, examine your own motives, first. If you want an action flick, there is almost an infinite number of better ones to consider. If you are looking to watch a performance by one of the leads, each has better vehicles in his or her filmography from which you could choose. In fact, if like me, you stumbled across it on television, well, it's initially engaging (that's why I watched it), but you'd be better served by finding out of there's anything else on. If there isn't, go for some fresh air. Even if you're a fan of bad movies, this one isn't even amusing in that respect. In short, there's no good reason to see this movie.
View MoreWhen Dr Ben Carroway (McCarthy) is involved in an assassination where the killers commit suicide once trapped he finds that the killers have no criminal record. However they are all registered missing children and sets on a journey with one of the killer's sister (Portia de Rossi) and a mob hitman (Robert Patrick).This is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Usually anything with Andrew McCarthy in the lead is the equivalent of the kiss of death, but here he seems to have done alright here. The action scenes are fast moving and have a quota of tension, even the gunfights etc are exciting if a little far fetched at times. The main strength here is the plot, it starts out a little unbelievable but once it starts moving you forget the problems and see the bigger picture. The story holds several little twists and turns that hold the interest well, and the final resolution tidies up the problems of the unbelievable story by offering a solution that isn't that far-fetched (in fact depressingly possible). Nick Mancuso's Dr Greely is far too hammy and is bordering on a bad spoof of a bond villain, but happily he doesn't drag the surrounding film down with him.McCarthy is pretty good as the hero and only the plot makes his job harder by making it all too personal and relying on too many coincidences. Patrick is as good as he usually is, albeit he's lumbered with the wise-cracking mobster but he still is entertaining. Rossi (best known for Ally McBeal) does well at first as the sister of a stolen child, but her sudden transformation into a gun-toting fearless warrior is a little too much to swallow.Overall this is much better than you'd expect from this type of DTV film, the plot is a little far-fetched at times but the drama and action make up for the lack of realism.
View More...from the train, and almost all the way through the part where Ben (Andrew McCarthy, playing the FBI agent) is telling Billy's (Aaron Lohr, playing the really bad guy) sister (Portia de Rossi, playing the sister) about his mom dying because he was put in a room with an electric doorknob. Now, this was my second time viewing the movie. The first time it was on I wasn't able to pay much attention to it, but was able to catch the premise, and I made a mental note to watch it again and pay attention. Big mistake! Sure, it starts out OK, but when Billy's sister gets in there, it becomes completely implausible. In a matter of minutes we get... 1) FBI agent enters secure room to interview really bad guy and sister just walks in. 2) FBI agent gets in a pushing match with sister, totally ignores really bad guy, who escapes. 3) FBI agent jumps into car to chase really bad guy and sister gets in the back. 4) FBI agent gets into helicopter to chase really bad guy and sister gets in it. 5) FBI agent has a choice, chase running really bad guy or help fellow agent stuck in truck on railroad tracks with train coming. Sister says screw fellow agent and chase really bad guy.
View MoreFirst off I'm a huge Andrew McCarthy fan and I usually like anything he puts out. This movie is a damn good movie. You got the premise of the perfect assassins which they show in the beginning why they are. Andrew plays a FBI agent who gets personally involved with the case and does good at it. Also having Robert Patrick along for the ride was great too, he played the cool guy con friend of Andrew. To top it off you also get Nick Mancuso to play the wacko behavorial scientist. All those guys were great and so was the chic in it but I don't remember her name. Plot is a lot better than most action movies and there's even a little comedy at times. This movie will make you feel for the people in it and therefore makes it more than just a shoot em up movie. When it does have action though the action scenes are grand. I don't know what's up with the other reviewers but trust me this is a great flic and if you like Andrew McCarthy then it's a must see.
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