Perfectly adorable

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It might be surprising to some that a film starring Michael Keaton and Michael Caine went straight to DVD in most countries; it is less surprising to anyone who watches the film. This is B-movie material all the way. You've seen the story a zillion times before: innocent man framed for murder, on the run, stranger in a strange land, trying to prove his innocence, picks up female ally / romantic interest along the way, corrupt police, thick-accented Russian mobsters, blah blah blah. Keaton is on autopilot here, but the supporting cast (not so much Caine, who for the first HOUR makes only a few fleeting cameo appearances, as Kathleen Wilhoite back in New York) try to inject some life into this clichéd, boring time-killer. *1/2 out of 4.

So says The Daily Mail as they not only want to give this film away as a 'freebie' with their newspaper, they are trying to make us want it too, because, this is a Michael Keaton, not Caine, film.Caine gets to shout 'bloody' again (as in his most famous ever line, in The Italian Job), this time about money he's owed, or he owes - not always sure who is pointing guns at whom, or why, the next, they're in a heap on the floor. Keaton is seemably always on the run, after setting off for south of France to dig up some info on some deal that's been flagged up as dodgy. Next thing, he's shot the Chief of Police, on Armistice Day, in a French town and everybody has seen him do it - and yes! there's a very convenient film crew who almost knew he was about to do it...The investigating police are dodgy as there's all sorts of cover-ups going on, to do with porno film rackets and illegal immigrants and such, I think..(nothing too explicit, cert 15).Anyway, this credibility straining movie, in old style 4:3 ratio has its moments, cannot recall too many of them, now, that it's finished, except Caine, who is really quite obnoxious, but in a Michael Caine sort of way - i.e - we know he's such a great guy in real life so we forgive him (& for his not-too-rare dodgy choices of film roles) as he gets to try strangling folk, with his bare hands as well as string, or rope, or whatever...Some of the French actresses are pleasing, both to the eye and their attempt at adding a different perspective to an otherwise quite unpleasant film.Never mind, this is still better than some Michael Caine movies out there and the transfer quality and sound is OK.

First of all I have to admit I was a little misled by the title of the movie. I saw the title "Quicksand" and immediately thought it was a cheap horror film. This is a reasonable mistake to make. I feel films with such titles should include an explanatory note or a picture of a mutated monster if relevant to the story (most of the time this is the case), in order to establish their true nature. Quicksand is a surprisingly good thriller.Quicksand stars Michael Keaton, Michael Caine and the professor guy who dies at the start of Mission Impossible 2. Keaton plays Martin Raikes; a dedicated Compliance Officer with a New York bank who investigates unusual activity with bank funds. An anomaly is identified with the bank account connected to a film studio in France. It becomes clear that Russian gangsters are using the facility to launder money. As soon as Raikes becomes a difficulty the Russians set him up for the murder of a French cop.Caine takes on the role of Jake Mellows, a washed up actor with a serious gambling problem who is hired by the Russians to front a bogus action movie called Quicksand in order to launder the money. When Mellows is made aware of the fake film and Raikes discovers his daughter has been kidnapped, they must work together to bring down the Russian criminals.The story is fairly simple and quite entertaining. The French backdrop is stunning at times and the acting isn't too bad.It's mostly Keaton, acting as Keaton usually does (technically known as Keatonism) for most part of the film. The legend Caine turns up in the latter stages and in typical fashion steals the show. The Mission Impossible 2 professor doesn't really do much but a good choice for the head Russian gangster.Quicksand had some highlights. The fight between Caine and Keaton was quite funny and Keaton's daughter has a creepy English accent. They're not really highlights are they? Oh well, it kept me amused. Quicksand is by no means a great thriller, in fact there was no real action to speak of, but it's intriguing and the performances of Keaton and Caine make it worthwhile.

This movie had potential. Speedy script: Class actors: competent crew; but somehow missed out. Half way through it became predictable. The denouement was hackneyed. There were enough bright moments to make it watchable through to the end but it is not a film I would ever watch again if I were given the choice. Nor is it one that either of the two Michael's will be remembered for.For me the freshest thing to come out of this film was the performance of the female lead Judith Godreche. Attractive and sparkling she earns the sympathy of the viewer which is something that the characters portrayed by Messrs. Caine and Keaton fail to do.