Another film with several good elements that manages to fail, chiefly because of weaknesses in the story.
Good cast in Pierce Brosnan and Ben Cross -- they must have needed the money to take the job.
A key "science fiction" element is not really believable, but this is a Hollywood thriller, so if you accept it, you could enjoy the story.
There are many good one-liners, and the interactions between the protagonists and various minor characters are believable and entertaining. The pace is reasonable, and some degree of suspense is maintained, with some stock "thriller" elements.
Brosnan's character and his personal problems are well developed and make him sympathetic, and he plays his part well.
The film is also mercifully short.
BUT -- two major holes in the story killed it for me: 1. A political background (the reason the story is happening) is mentioned, but not really explained in terms of motives. Two minutes dialog could have filled in the holes and added a lot in terms of believability.
2. The villain's character is not developed at all. What motivates him (other than money?) Ben Cross does what he can with a lousy script (not much). And his name, Mikhail Rashid (I think never actually mentioned in the film - a Tatar father and Russian mother) seems intended to exploit negative racist stereotypes (Russian = corrupt mafiosi; Arabic name = terrorist). He seems like a cartoon, Bond-esquire villain without the glitz. With Ben Cross, they could have written a complex, nuanced, even sympathetic villain, and this would have improved the story immensely.
I gave this 5 out of 10 -- not painfully repulsive, but there are better ways to spend your time.
Good cast in Pierce Brosnan and Ben Cross -- they must have needed the money to take the job.
A key "science fiction" element is not really believable, but this is a Hollywood thriller, so if you accept it, you could enjoy the story.
There are many good one-liners, and the interactions between the protagonists and various minor characters are believable and entertaining. The pace is reasonable, and some degree of suspense is maintained, with some stock "thriller" elements.
Brosnan's character and his personal problems are well developed and make him sympathetic, and he plays his part well.
The film is also mercifully short.
BUT -- two major holes in the story killed it for me: 1. A political background (the reason the story is happening) is mentioned, but not really explained in terms of motives. Two minutes dialog could have filled in the holes and added a lot in terms of believability.
2. The villain's character is not developed at all. What motivates him (other than money?) Ben Cross does what he can with a lousy script (not much). And his name, Mikhail Rashid (I think never actually mentioned in the film - a Tatar father and Russian mother) seems intended to exploit negative racist stereotypes (Russian = corrupt mafiosi; Arabic name = terrorist). He seems like a cartoon, Bond-esquire villain without the glitz. With Ben Cross, they could have written a complex, nuanced, even sympathetic villain, and this would have improved the story immensely.
I gave this 5 out of 10 -- not painfully repulsive, but there are better ways to spend your time.