The movie reviewed here is definitely NOT for children, and not for many other people either.
- GENRE: Action
- ACTORS: Geena Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Malahide, Craig Bierko, Brian Cox, David Morse
- RATING: R
- PARENTAL NOTE: Not intended for children. Plenty of cursing and questionable situations. Lots of violence.
- INTENDED AUDIENCE: This movie is not suitable for children. Many people (me included) will be put off by the degree and nature of violence.
- GENERAL PLOT: (No spoilers) A school teacher and single parent (Geena Davis) woke up eight years before the movie starts with a bad case of amnesia. She doesn’t know anything about her life or her past. She was two months pregnant, at the time, which was her only clue. She conveniently gets back her memory and “skills” from her previous line of work, just as the bad guys from her former life realize she’s not dead. They prefer her dead.
- REVIEW: Is a “killing spree” socially, legally or morally acceptable if the the guys being killed work for some people who are pretty bad? I know, this is fiction, and I’ve given higher ratings to movies with a higher overall body count. Maybe there’s a moral message in this movie, but I don’t know what it is. As the kill meter keeps ticking, I have the uncomfortable feeling that maybe a lot of people getting killed aren’t really bad people–rather just “security guards” for bad people. But again, this is only fiction. Although a film of this nature should be excused for not being 100% realistic, this one is peppered with a few too many implausible situations. Example: the two main characters randomly find walkie talkies when overpowering the bad guys at their stronghold. The radios work on a frequency that the two heroes are tuned in to; but none of the bad guys intercept their radio conversation. Another scene shows an explosion on a bridge which is so powerful that it literally rains automobiles (not PARTS of cars, but the entire cars) on the good guys–yet the explosion leaves the good guys, in their car completely unscathed. I’m not sure, but I think that scene breaks some fundamental laws of physics. And one last quibble with the whole movie: Geena Davis is really annoying. I don’t hate ALL of her movies, but her character in this movie is awful. On the other hand, the top grossing actor of all time, Samuel L. Jackson, puts in a solid performance, which someone compensates for Geena Davis.
- RECOMMENDATION: This is an “Action” movie. Many people will be highly offended by every movie in this genre because of the violence, bad language and other questionable elements. However, even if you are a fan of this genre–I’d recommend you skip this stinker.
- RATING (out of 5 stars):
MOVIE RATING SYSTEM:
Start with zero (0) out of five (5) possible STARS
- Add one STAR if it looks like the movie was made by professional film makers–not 4 or 5 guys with a camcorder.
- Add one STAR if the film has a story, theme or plot (optional for horror and/or zombie movies); or if the movie makes any sense.
- Add additional STARS for special effects, acting, good moral message(s), realistic zombies, scariness,
interesting theme or plot and the like. - Subtract STARS for extreme bad acting, COMPLETELY awful themes/messages, overall INCREDIBLE trashiness, graphic and persistent lewdness, and the like.
