I personally don't think Wesley Snipes ever really got his due. He was a very likable, charismatic actor who had the physicality and charisma to do action movies, but the range and abilities to do more than just action. He wasn't wooden, like a lot of action stars, and he felt more relatable. He made a lot of good and underrated action movies, and he seems to not be as appreciated as a lot of other stars. I definitely prefer him over Seagal or Van Damme.
"Drop Zone" is one of Snipes' more well-regarded vehicles, though that isn't saying a whole lot since a lot of Snipes' action movies weren't very well-regarded. I actually really enjoyed this movie, and I think it's as good as "Passenger 57". Please don't crucify me.
This is one of those rare action movies that breaks away from the formula, at least a little bit, and I think that's why a lot of people didn't like it. There wasn't a ton of action aside from like, three or four scenes. I even noticed it while watching, but continued on. I felt like I should be bored with it, but weirdly, I wasn't. The film sort of grabbed me, and I was just interested. Skydiving is one of the film's central themes, as the plot pretty much revolves around it, and the movie almost forgets it's an action film for a good part of the film, embracing the skydiving concept and the drama that comes with it. It almost feels like the screenwriters realized they had to include some action sequences after finishing writing it, so they went back and peppered some action into the script. This is an action movie that doesn't seem to care that it's an action movie, and on that level alone, I enjoyed it. It was brave enough to try something new, without caring about audience expectations.
Peter Barsocchini and John Bishop are credited as the screenwriters, and they did a pretty goods job. This film took a break from the action and actually let its story play out naturally. The pacing is good, and it felt natural that we actually see Snipes' character becoming slowly better at skydiving. It was a good story, the protagonist was given a personal stake that while contrived, was still believable. Bishop has done a lot of other work, and is responsible for script rewrites of "Clear and Present Danger", "Primal Fear", and "Beverly Hills Cop III", and for writing "The Package". So he obviously knows what he's doing.
The film greatly benefitted from John Badham's direction. He's a very skilled, capable action director who I feel is very underrated. He has "Stakeout", "The Hard Way", "Blue Thunder", and "Point of No Return" to his name, and "The Hard Way" is actually one of my personal favorites. He is very adept when it comes to crafting an interesting action sequence, and the scenes in this film are no exception.
The action scenes are pretty entertaining here, with the plane hijacking, bathroom fight scene, and final battle all being well done, especially the final battle. The fight scene between Snipes and Busey was worth the buildup. I also appreciated that though the supporting players assisted Snipes against the bad guys in the end, the story gave them an actual reason to be there, and they weren't just there in the end. That is to say, it didn't feel forced, as the supporting players were actually as invested as the protagonist, to a point. There was also this very short bar fight that felt forced, and it ended way too quickly. It was one of the only awkward scenes in the movie for me.
There are also a lot of skydiving scenes (seriously, there are a lot, I'm not joking), and they're all actually pretty cool. None of it is fake, and the stunt doubles are pretty hard to tell for the most part (some are easy to spot at parts, but that doesn't take away from the novelty of the scene).
Everyone's performances were fine, but Wesley Snipes and Gary Busey are obviously head and shoulders above the rest. Snipes continues to be charismatic and likable in his role here, and I especially liked his acting when his character is introduced to skydiving. He humbles himself here in a way many other action stars either couldn't or wouldn't, and he screams like a girl and is completely afraid. He feels much like an everyman here, which is one of the things that made him so endearing. I read in the trivia tab for the film on here that Steven Seagal was originally going to be the lead here. I can't imagine him or anyone else acting the way Snipes does here, but whatever it would've looked like, the film would not have been as good. Busey shines as the villain, and he is obviously a very good villain actor. He proved this in "Lethal Weapon", and the very underrated "Surviving the Game", which also came out in 1994. Rex Lin is also in this, known for "Rush Hour" and "Breakdown", and I think he's very underrated. If he got bigger roles around this time, he probably could've proven himself.
I recommend this film. It's another hidden gem from Wesley Snipes, worth your time if you're a Snipes fan or just an action buff. Some may be bored by it, but it being rather slow and plodding is the only justifiable reason I can fathom for the 5.6 rating. Check it out and judge for yourself.
"Drop Zone" is one of Snipes' more well-regarded vehicles, though that isn't saying a whole lot since a lot of Snipes' action movies weren't very well-regarded. I actually really enjoyed this movie, and I think it's as good as "Passenger 57". Please don't crucify me.
This is one of those rare action movies that breaks away from the formula, at least a little bit, and I think that's why a lot of people didn't like it. There wasn't a ton of action aside from like, three or four scenes. I even noticed it while watching, but continued on. I felt like I should be bored with it, but weirdly, I wasn't. The film sort of grabbed me, and I was just interested. Skydiving is one of the film's central themes, as the plot pretty much revolves around it, and the movie almost forgets it's an action film for a good part of the film, embracing the skydiving concept and the drama that comes with it. It almost feels like the screenwriters realized they had to include some action sequences after finishing writing it, so they went back and peppered some action into the script. This is an action movie that doesn't seem to care that it's an action movie, and on that level alone, I enjoyed it. It was brave enough to try something new, without caring about audience expectations.
Peter Barsocchini and John Bishop are credited as the screenwriters, and they did a pretty goods job. This film took a break from the action and actually let its story play out naturally. The pacing is good, and it felt natural that we actually see Snipes' character becoming slowly better at skydiving. It was a good story, the protagonist was given a personal stake that while contrived, was still believable. Bishop has done a lot of other work, and is responsible for script rewrites of "Clear and Present Danger", "Primal Fear", and "Beverly Hills Cop III", and for writing "The Package". So he obviously knows what he's doing.
The film greatly benefitted from John Badham's direction. He's a very skilled, capable action director who I feel is very underrated. He has "Stakeout", "The Hard Way", "Blue Thunder", and "Point of No Return" to his name, and "The Hard Way" is actually one of my personal favorites. He is very adept when it comes to crafting an interesting action sequence, and the scenes in this film are no exception.
The action scenes are pretty entertaining here, with the plane hijacking, bathroom fight scene, and final battle all being well done, especially the final battle. The fight scene between Snipes and Busey was worth the buildup. I also appreciated that though the supporting players assisted Snipes against the bad guys in the end, the story gave them an actual reason to be there, and they weren't just there in the end. That is to say, it didn't feel forced, as the supporting players were actually as invested as the protagonist, to a point. There was also this very short bar fight that felt forced, and it ended way too quickly. It was one of the only awkward scenes in the movie for me.
There are also a lot of skydiving scenes (seriously, there are a lot, I'm not joking), and they're all actually pretty cool. None of it is fake, and the stunt doubles are pretty hard to tell for the most part (some are easy to spot at parts, but that doesn't take away from the novelty of the scene).
Everyone's performances were fine, but Wesley Snipes and Gary Busey are obviously head and shoulders above the rest. Snipes continues to be charismatic and likable in his role here, and I especially liked his acting when his character is introduced to skydiving. He humbles himself here in a way many other action stars either couldn't or wouldn't, and he screams like a girl and is completely afraid. He feels much like an everyman here, which is one of the things that made him so endearing. I read in the trivia tab for the film on here that Steven Seagal was originally going to be the lead here. I can't imagine him or anyone else acting the way Snipes does here, but whatever it would've looked like, the film would not have been as good. Busey shines as the villain, and he is obviously a very good villain actor. He proved this in "Lethal Weapon", and the very underrated "Surviving the Game", which also came out in 1994. Rex Lin is also in this, known for "Rush Hour" and "Breakdown", and I think he's very underrated. If he got bigger roles around this time, he probably could've proven himself.
I recommend this film. It's another hidden gem from Wesley Snipes, worth your time if you're a Snipes fan or just an action buff. Some may be bored by it, but it being rather slow and plodding is the only justifiable reason I can fathom for the 5.6 rating. Check it out and judge for yourself.