Green Hornet, The - 2/5

With the slew of superhero films hitting us recently (and more or less to some pretty high standards any more), it was only a matter of time before one hit us as a misstep. Granted, I was never a big Green Hornet fan to begin with so let that be known, but this comedic/action film just simply never makes the cut with its oddly placed and over the top ridiculousness and semi-childish humor. It's a fun film that makes light of itself more often than not and does contain some charming ideas, but it never knows where it stands or how to proceed and the film ends up just treading water, never going anywhere.

Britt (Rogen) has had a rather purposeless life thus far. His father is a media mongol who runs The Daily Sentinel and his life is filled with luxurious wasted time. When his father passes from an allergic reaction to a bee sting (I'm sure you can fill in the blanks already), Britt decides to finally take the reigns in life. Using his wealth and oddly heroic sense of kicking ass and taking names, he partners up with Kato (Chou) a well armed super intelligent mechanic and martial arts expert, to start taking down crime as The Green Hornet. Unbeknownst to him though, he stumbles on a larger conspiracy that may trace all the way back to his father.

Rumors of a "Green Hornet" film have been swirling back and forth for decades. So when they finally got the balls enough to make it, its hard not to be somewhat disappointed with some of their choices. I understand that the concept is kind of cheesy and that modernizing it would be tough, but playing it off as mostly a comedic film seemed to undermine the experience. Despite trying to add dramatic bits here in there to balance off the Rogen cliche humor bits, the film fails to really grasp onto some of the bigger things it needed to latch onto to work. The humor/drama ratio is off. Then throw in some very stylized action sequences (with a random 'thought-in-the-moment-highlight-for-the-audience-particular-items-like-guns-and-objects-to-look-for-in-the-fight-sequence' that never works) and the film bounces around genres like the ADD people that seemingly wrote the script. It has a good pacing and still rocks occasionally, but the film just crumbles under a more scrutinizing eye.

The film also, believe it or not, suffers from Seth Rogen as the lead. Don't get me wrong, Rogen can be VERY funny at times, but casting him as the Green Hornet is like casting Adam Sandler as The Flash. It's a combination that might seem funnier on paper (funny, considering Rogen co-wrote it), but comes off as awkward on film. Not to mention the script caters to his random quip banter style of humor, which can be funny at times, but seems irritatingly childish too. For a PG-13 film, he sure does say shit and crap a lot. And makes gay sex references haphazardly way too much. It's just awkward.

In all honesty, the one thing I really loved about the film was Jay Chou as Kato. Although my heart was set on the announced Stephen Chow (you know, the awesome comedic/kung fu actor from "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer"?), but when he left Chou was a great replacement. His fun little homages to Bruce Lee and ability to blend humor into his rather serious demenour made the film for me and was worth watching. Watching him do the ridiculous stunts and fighting was fun. It's a wonder this guy was a mega-pop artist before films.

"The Green Hornet" just comes off as a rather blustery superhero film that never makes the cut for any of the genres it tries to utilize in its overly long script. It has some great action sequences with some great car stunts, but its story is lack luster, cliche, and the Rogen can be down right irritating with his non stop quips. Luckily Chou makes up for some of the chemistry on screen and is the highlight of the film. "The Green Hornet" is worth the rental, but I'll be waiting to buy this one in the cheapy bin at Wal-Mart in about a year and a half.

BONUS RANT: Also, Christoph Waltz is seriously underused as the villain. The potential for this arrogantly humorous crime lord who changes his name to Bloodnofsky to be more super villain like is primed for the picking... and the film fails to do so...ever. A hero is only as good as it's villain and the underdeveloped and rather awkward misuse of Waltz is just partnered with the awkwardness of the Hornet. Sigh.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Killpoint (1984) - 1/5

In the 80s there was plenty of B-grade action films mostly courteous of my favorite production company Cannon films. Even with lower production values and heightened cheesiness these films had endless entertainment value. There were also plenty of C-grade action movies that infected video store shelves which gave us even lower production values, poorer filmmaking quality and overall nearly no entertainment value. "Killpoint" is one of these C-grade entries.

We open with a guy robbing a National Guard armory in the goal of selling the weapons to street gangs of Los Angeles. FBI Agent Bill Bryant (Richard Roundtree) and L.A. Cop Lt. James Long (Leo Fong) team up to take them down.

The production values are less than shoe-string and it shows with all around poor filmmaking. Director Frank Harris just plain and simple doesn't know how to direct a film. Even the martial arts sequences are beyond awful and poorly choreographed.

The cast however is delightful but let's be honest these guys are on the downward spiral of their career. First of all we get Richard "Shaft" Roundtree playing his stock suited cop character. Cameron Mitchell steals the show however as our eccentric gun dealer. I've always liked Mitchell all the way from his early Spaghetti Westerns all the way through his foray into exploitation and B-movies of the 70s and 80s. He is the ONLY thing that makes this film watchable as his quirkiness shines through. Scenes where he kills someone in cold blood followed by a scene where he's sitting in a hot tub with flowers in his hair got me to chuckle.

Our main star Leo Fong is the real humdinger. Apparently this actor did a few ninja films before teaming up with director Frank Harris to make a few nearly unwatchable action efforts but there really isn't anything remotely interesting about this guy. He's pushing sixty, his martial arts abilities are lacking and, not to sound necessarily mean, but he's incredibly hard to look at, especially the close-ups during his training montage.

The only thing that kept my attention during the entire running time is for the fact this is rather violent with plenty of pointless killing sprees as gangs gun down innocent people in various locations. The film tries to give motive behind the killings but I don't buy it, it's just pointless. The violence also seems heavily cut to garner it's R rating.

"Killpoint" is a dire C-grade action effort that's so repugnant in its filmmaking approach that it can be hard to watch at times. The only aspect to keep viewers interested is the eccentric performance of Cameron Mitchell and some violent action sequences but there are much, MUCH better cheesy action films lining your local video store shelves.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Blood at Sundown - 3.5/5

"Blood at Sundown" is popular with the Spaghetti Western crowd today as it was the film that gave birth to the name Sartana. Yes the name would be later reused in the popular Sartana pentology but this is so much more than only a film that gave us a popular name. It is an atmospheric, brooding western about brotherly rivalry that deserves to be seen by fans of the genre.

Anthony Steffen plays a brother recently released from a 10 year stint in prison, serving time for a murder he didn't commit. Upon being let out he finds that his brother Sartana (Gianni Garko) has taken his women and has become a high class criminal that rackets big bucks from local towns for protection. Steffen doesn't take kindly to this and with no support from his psychotic mother (who sides with Sartana), he takes the law into his own hands to wreak vengeance on the brother that has ruined his life.

The real draw to this western is the cast consisting of Anthony Steffen and Gianni Garko, two of the biggest heavy weights in the Spaghetti Western genre. Steffen is wonderful in his typical strong, silent antihero role and Garko plays against type here as an eccentric villain. I'm used to seeing Garko play heroes and wealthy businessmen so seeing him play a rugged, borderline psychotic was rather refreshing and proves his versatile as an actor.

Director Alberto Cardone wonderfully gives this Western a dirt blasted, atmospheric feel to go along with it's almost Shakespearian brotherly hatred plot. I loved the look that Cardone gave the film and it's a damn shame he didn't direct more films as his filmography is far too short. The score by Michele Lacerenza is also fantastic and it should be as he aided Ennio Morricone in his marvelous scores for "Fistful of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." Like the director it's a damn shame this guy didn't provide more wonderful scores for more films.

Typical with Spaghetti Westerns there are numerous flaws. We get some bad dubbing, some awkward dialogue translation and even some jumpy editing. Fans of the genre are used to these flaws so they don't hinder the film too much.

"Blood at Sundown" is so much more than the film that introduced us to the name "Sartana." It's a damn fine western in its own right and the greatest crime is that there isn't a proper DVD release of this film. It is packaged in a set called "Sartana: The Complete Saga" but the transfer is of a beat up VHS source. With its powerhouse cast, mesmerizing score and stylistic direction this film deserves to have a proper DVD treatment sometime in the future.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Scorpion (1986) - 1/5

I originally bought "Scorpion" used from a mom and pop video store when I was in high school but the tape was unwatchable due to being wore out and damaged. After all these years and finally being able to sit down and watch the entire film I find it hard to believe that it was actually rented enough to be wore out. Perhaps it was an unlucky renter who wanted to ruin the tape on purpose in order to save unlucky future viewers from witnessing this monstrosity.

Well we get a special agent code named "Scorpion" who drives around Mexico in a Porche beating up jackasses in local bars. Well he finally gets an assignment to enter an airplane that has been taken over by middle eastern terrorists (he enters the plane in Jockey shorts no less... barf). Now he gets assigned to protect a middle eastern terrorist with vital information but his best buddy bits the big one so he takes it on himself to solve the plot blinded by vengeance.

The title character is played by nobody Tonny Tulleners who was advertised on the original VHS box art as a kickboxer who originally fought Chuck Norris professionally. Speaking of Chuck Norris, Tulleners tries extremely hard to mimic his former foe to no avail. He grows a big, manly 80s 'stach to be even more Norris-like. Sadly he lacks the charm, wit, martial arts ability and overall likability of his rival. Hell Tullener's voice is even annoying!

The whole film is filmed unskillfully in the hands of director William Riead. This guy directed a shit ton of made for TV film making documentaries throughout the decade with "Scorpion" being his first 'professional' film. Guess what? He gives "Scorpion" and extremely dull, made for TV documentary look. He can't even film a good martial arts sequences properly.

The original poster artwork with our hero jumping through a pane of glass made this look like an entertaining piece of 80s action cheese but it's an all out lie. The film is boring and drab in the hands of a documentary film director and Tonny Tulleners is completely uninteresting as an action hero. "Scorpion" proved to be his one and only foray into the action film world and I guarantee no one will shed a tear over the matter. Do yourself a favor... rent any Chuck Norris action film instead of this boring drek.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Warrior's Way, The - 2/5

Another cowboys and ninjas film? Oh hell, despite the idea running a bit thin lately, might as well catch a gander at this American version of the concept right? Unlike some of its peers though, "The Warrior's Way" is one of those films that loses itself in the swirling visual style and epic flare of its concept. I've used this phrase before (oh so many many times), but "The Warrior's Way" is all about style above substance. This is quite unsettling as the film held a lot of potential with its plot and characters, but most of it is forgotten in its Anime inspired romp through fairy tale land. Not quite what one expects with the high standards set by "Sukiyaki Western Django" and "The Good, The Bad, The Weird".

Yang (Dong-gun Jang) is the world's most badass assassin and swordsman. He moves with lightning speeds and cuts with the strength to decapitate a man in one fluid motion. In a weird twist of fate though, he fails to kill the baby girl of his rival clan and takes her into his care, betraying his own, and fleeing his land. He ends up in the wild west searching for an old friend and finds himself trying to start a new life in a town of circus folk. There he finds a young girl (Bosworth) who catches his eye and for a brief moment sees a future without death. Too bad both of them have pasts ready to kill them. These pasts are catching up. Now its up to Yang to decide who he really is and whether or not he can let the deeds done finally go.

I really, really, really want to love this movie. The plot has some much great potential. The character Yang might be a bit cliche (assassin with a heart tries to move on....how many times have we seen that one?), but Jang plays it subtly with tons of heart so it works to point. The plot combining the east and west motifs is an interesting one with two past riddled people who's worlds collide. This builds to a potentially great show down of bandits and ninjas at the end. This film could have had a lot going for it.

COULD HAVE.

It never gets there. It brushes through all the great moments at high speed turns, pushing through the character arcs and plot depth to get to the next cool sequence rather than letting it build and work the story and action together. In this sense, the action can be very cool. There are tons of fantastic shots here, although there is way too much CGI going on, with the sword play and stunning comic book settings and visuals. The film feels like a live action anime more often than not actually. The director loves to use slow motion a bit too much to add to the epic-ness of the fights (must have decided "300" was the be all end all of badass movies to be his inspiration), but it still creates some memorable looking concepts executed out. The final show down of ninjas and bandits does entertain I have to admit, but in the end "The Warrior's Way" comes out as a film so focused on this that it forgets it has a pretty good tale to tell. Thusly we are left nonchalant about our heroes and their plight as long as a lot of ass gets kicked. Which it does.

"The Warrior's Way" is disappointing in missing its mark. The potential for a great film is buried in the lavish CGI back drops and slow motion sword slashing. If only the focus would have been more refined for the actors, writing, and directing. This film could have not only kicked ass action wise, but had the depth to found its ridiculousness. As is, the film might find its cult audience with time, but fails to really impress at this time.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Fast & Furious - 3.5/5

Although the critical response to this fourth entry into "The Fast And The Furious" franchise was relatively negative, its hard not to have some enjoyment in this film. Is it rocket science? Not at all. It's not even as dramatic as the original one was in terms of legit film script foundations, but the film seemingly knows exactly what it is and plays it up. To this effect, this makes "Fast & Furious" the best of the series as it does make any pretensions of what it wants to be.

Dom (Diesel) has left his comrades in arms behind him. Letting go of his long time love Letty (Rodriguez) was the hardest, but the heat was on him and it was best to get them out of harm's way. When he hears word that Letty has been murdered by a drug runner in L.A., Dom takes it under his own guise to track down her killer and bring a bit of vengeance on their head. Turns out his old frenemy Brian (Walker) is also tracking down this drug runner. Now the two may have to put their differences aside to bring a bit of high speed justice down on the road.

Coming as a 'true' sequel to the original film (technically at least the first part of the film takes place before "Tokyo Drift") reuniting the main parts of the original cast, "Fast & Furious" does many things that the other sequels could not. It has a better chemistry with its cast, particular nod to Diesel for another subtle, basic, but rather intriguing performance who brings the charm, and partnering that with Justin Lin's visual flair and this film actually works better as the action film the series has always wanted to be. When the film rocks it, it certainly does that and the car chases and action sequences really work well. It's nice to see a film with the charm of the first that actually has great car stunts (thanks Justin Lin!). Although his use of CGI is a bit underwhelming in the end, with notes taken on the rather odd looking gas trailer roll in the opening hijack sequence and the cartoonish "Speed Racer" look of the tunnel chases, the adrenaline runs high and the action is pretty awesome. Do shotguns blow cars straight up into the air? Hell, they do here!

The series still lacks a bit of that dramatic tension it has desperately clawed for since film one. This time, it does the smart thing and minimizes the plot to a complicated grind house plot. Vengeance? Cops and drug runners? Let's go with it. It still fails to really build the emotional relevance that it touches on and it hurts the film overall. The tension between Walker and Diesel needed to be a bit thicker so the eventual man bonding would have paid off. As with all of the films, "Fast & Furious" doesn't quite make it on the emotional levels.

Despite its flaws (which there is still quite a few), "Fast & Furious" ignites a tank full of entertainment for the viewers. The car chases are fun and full fledge action sequences and there is a charm to its simplistic and borderline B-movie plot that works. There is still room for the franchise to grow (let's see how "Fast Five" plays out) but this one definitely marks it as a high point. Not great, but they are getting there.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron
Notable Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Micheal Biehn, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton

How do you follow up the atmospheric/horror trip of science fiction greatness that is "Alien" for a sequel? Well for one don't do it like the Italians did it with "Alien 2". Turns out what worked was instead of trying to out do the original, take the concept and run with it in another direction. One that is different, bigger, and badder. That's how "Aliens" works and despite the greatness of the first film, this sequel matches it in how good it is, but in many new and different ways.

Ripley (Weaver) is finally rescued. Just a few decades too late. Her story is disregarded as over blown and the company that she once worked for, turns its back on her. When a colony built on the planet where her crew found the alien species suddenly loses contact with the company, she is called back as a consultant to go there with a group of hearty Marines to investigate. What they find on the planet is ten fold the terror she experienced on her ship and it might be up to her to finally find a way to end a potential universe ending spread of these serpentine monsters.

What a ballsy move to take this film in this direction. The sequel focuses down on the action and high octane tension that wasn't really touched on in the first film without losing the details and nuances that made it great. This is what makes "Aliens" a match to its predecessors. It's got amazing pacing with great character work (even more than the original had) and James Cameron snags the tension and overwhelming fear of these creatures (the Facehugger room scene with the kid for example) and smoothly blends it with action sequences and well built story elements. Cameron definitely nails it with this film and it comes off as one of his best works just for its ballsy moves that paid off.

What also helps with "Aliens" is the film's great cast. Weaver returning to the role and handedly embracing its growth lays a great foundation to build on its supporting cast. From Biehn as the heroic and grounded Hicks to Reiser as the smarmy company asshole, the supporting cast is effective and well built. Their chemistry sparks on screen and justifies the terror we feel for their survival and cause. This builds on Cameron's great story and vision nicely.

Then of course, we must mention our title foe one more time. This time the Alien is slightly different, more malicious and warrior like (rather than the stalking animal it was portrayed in the first one) ready to die for the cause of the nest. It matches the overall more aggressive tone of the film beautifully. It also expands the universe by adding in the massive destructive force of the Alien Queen which is a far-too-real built special effect and idea that takes the villain to all new levels. It also leads to a great finale that brings all of the new style to a head and yet still matches the original. It takes what made the Alien so unforgettable and makes it more aggressive. Aggressively unforgettable now.

"Aliens" may have taken the series in a whole new direction, but it succeeds in just as many ways to make it match the original swing for swing as a powerhouse genre film. It's far more action packed and aggressive in its tone and it makes it a film one will watch over and over again. Well done, Mr. Cameron.

Written By Matt Reifschneider

Three the Hard Way - 3/5

No, this is not a porno about a three way. The title is referring to three Blaxploitation heroes: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and... cough cough... Jim Kelly. Hell that's enough stars for three Blaxploitation films! Well two good ones and... errrmmm... a Jim Kelly one. Well does having three Blaxploitation heavy weights... errmm.... two and Jim Kelly, mean this will have three times the entertainment value? Not quite but it's a hell-of-an entertaining Blaxploitation piece of cheese that's for sure.

Well we have some rich white bigots (typical of these genre films) who have an evil scheme up there sleeves... they want to release a disease into the water systems of three major cities that will only kill off the black population. Now it's up to three old friends (Brown, Williamson and... errrm... Kelly) to use their wits, firepower and biceps to crush these white bigots and save Brown's girl.

Director Gordon Parks Jr. broke out into the Blaxploitation genre with the hit "Super Fly" and he nails another home runner with "Three the Hard Way." He loads the film up with some great jive dialogue and kick ass senseless action scenes. In other words he makes this loads of fun. The most bizarre yet amusing sequences involves three dominatrixs hired by our three heroes to get a goon to talk and in turn end up killing him with a heart attack. God I loved that!

The cast is the main attraction here as one would expect. Jim Brown and Fred Williamson play their typical blaxploitation hero types: Brown as the strong, silent type and Williamson as the mouthy, cocky smartass. Even Jim Kelly is far more stomachable than in his other outings in the genre, most notably the bloated "Black Belt Jones" and it's despicable sequel "Hot Potato". The acting is below par but no-one ever accused these guys for being good actors.

The plot is definitely out there.... I mean rich white bigots trying to kill off the world's population of blacks with a disease is pretty controversial and would never fly in today's cinema. This is the early seventies and it's all in good Blaxploitation fun so don't take the plot to heart.

The cast is a Blaxploitation fans dream come true and it's a damn shame Brown and Williamson didn't do very many movies together (Forget about Kelly). Sure the acting can be deplorable at times but these are cult, genre films and in this case the bad acting adds to the charm of the film. This may not be Blaxploitation at its most respectable but it sure is one of the most entertaining. You can't tell me a film with martial arts, gun play, tough guy posturing, afros, a comic book tone and a plague killing plot can't be somewhat fun. For mindless entertainment "Three the Hard Way" is worth the price of admission.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Delta Force Commando - 1/5

Look at that title! This is the unholy amalgamation of Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Commando" and Chuck Norris' "The Delta Force". What does that mean? Well it means this is going to be the action event of the decade! What.. hold on... I'm getting myself too amped up. Let's just take a look at the credits real quick. Pierluigi Ciriaci is credited as director... the same guy who directed such 'well-known' films as "Warbus II". It stars Brett Baxster Clark of such films as "Eye of the Eagle" and "Cobra Mission 2". Fuck... this is a late 80s Macaroni Combat film. Damn... I guess this means it's going to suck.

Some terrorists break into an American military base to steal a nuclear bomb and kill Brett Baxter Clark's pregnant wife (why are soldier family quarters located so close to where nuclear missiles are stored is beyond me) . He heads out for revenge by kidnapping pilot Fred Williamson to fly him into enemy territory and then fires lots and lots of bullets in the name of honor and revenge.

Being a late 80s Italian Macaroni Combat film we can expect the usual: bad acting, bad plot, bad stunts, bad dialogue, bad directing... yea everything is plain and simple BAD. Fuck this film is even loaded with lots of mistakes and continuity errors. If I didn't feel I would have to drink to make it through this mess again one might find it fun to go through and play 'spot the mistake.'

Besides Bret what's-his-name, two other cult icons make up the cast. That of course is Fred Williamson as the pilot and Bo Svenson as the leader of the Delta Force. Williamson does minimal... even his ego feeding persona fails to shine through here. Svenson is typically wasted. Oh, I forgot to mention this also stars Mark fucking Gregory, the non-actor from such classics as "1990: The Bronx Warriors", "Thunder Warrior" and of course "Warbus II", as the terrorist leader. Thank the Italian war gods that the filmmakers made his character mostly mute to save our eardrums from his deplorable mumbling.

My real beef with the plot is the Delta Force aspect which is completely pointless. Our Delta Force shows up for a short time at the beginning of the film but Svenson is told they can't move in. They then don't enter the plot until the very end to help rescue our heroes. Why the fuck even have the Delta Force in the film if they aren't going to utilize them?

This is atrocious but one should expect this as all late 80s Italian Macaroni Combat films suck. Somehow this film did well enough to warrant a sequel as "Delta Force Commando II: Priority Red One" followed two years later. A sequel shouldn't surprise me as both "Cobra Mission" and "Warbus" also somehow managed to inspire sequels so anything can happen in the 'wonderful' world of late 80s Macaroni Combat.

Written By Eric Reifschneider

Unstoppable (2010) - 2/5

With the 1985 film "Runaway Train" being one of my all time favorite films I took notice of the new Denzel Washington thriller "Unstoppable" as from the trailer it 'borrowed' many ideas from that award winning and criminally underrated gem. Curiosity on how much plot this film stole and for the fact my wife lives and breathes Denzel Washington got me to actually sit down and watch this typically pretentious, over produced Tony Scott film when normally I wouldn't even give it second glance. Well I can be honestly say it met my lowered expectations.

Well the plot is simple enough as we have an aging train engineer training a cocky rookie when their day becomes more exciting when an idiot loses control of a train and they have to run the bastard down and stop it before it rolls taking a tight and rolls exploding thousands of gallons of lethal chemicals.

Typical with Tony Scott films he makes any profession seem like it is the most pivotal and important job on the plant. It worked in "Crimson Tide" as a commander of a nuclear submarine IS one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. A train engineer.... not so much. Thanks to Tony Scott he makes it seem that being a train engineer is fucking rocket science. Now many people are going "what the fuck to you know, you're not a train engineer." Well I do know people that are train engineers and they say it's one of the most laid back, easy going jobs you can imagine. Thanks to Tony Scott he can now convince people that that you need to a NASA certified scientist to handle the stress. I would hate to see a Tony Scott film about being a busboy... fuck I would have no self esteem to think I could make it working in the adult world.

Denzel Washington has always been a fantastic actor and I respect him for that but as of late he has been teaming up with Tony Scott far too much and in turn playing the same damn characters over, and over again. Since Denzel is getting up there in age the filmmakers decide to throw in a young 'sidekick' in the form of nu-Kirk... errr.... I mean Chris Pine. Pine plays the typical arrogant fuck-up who has a problem with spying on his family and needs to redeem himself thus gaining his family back. Oh... this also stars Ethan Suplee in a supporting role. Considering he usually plays dumbasses, guess what role he plays? Yea the dumbass that loses control of the train. Type casting anyone? The rest of the charcters are all typical cliche crap including the red neck, the career driven woman and the overbearing boss who won't listen to suggestions.

Like expected the film does 'borrow' a few elements from "Runaway Train." Of course the basic plot of a train going amok but also a scene where authorities attempt to land someone on the train from helicopter that predictably turns bad when he takes a dive into a windshield. Oh the sharp curve... yea that's also stolen. Mix all that with Tony Scott's over-direction, flash editing, crass dialogue and forced drama and you have the typical Hollywood disaster puke for the post-MTV generation.

Unlike "Runaway Train", "Unstoppable" lacks soul and artistic merit. It's nothing more than an overproduced, pretentious Hollywood sludge from the Tony Scott film factory that is really nothing more than a highly glossed TV movie with a strong leading man. Denzel Washington fans are the only ones to board this train as it is destined for derailment around the bend.

Written By Eric Reifschneider