Reviews

On the whole, I thought "In the Shadows" wasn't all that bad. There were times when the dramatics were a little overdone and the short part that Cuba played as a bad-ass international drug smuggler was really NOT believable. Poor casting there folks.

James Caan, on the other hand, was quite easy to see as an aging stunt guru. I have always liked watching Caan in a cool, collected, everyday-guy-in-extrordinary-circumstances type of role. He truly shone in this film.

Joey Lauren Adams was the one predictable dissapointment. C'mon, a Pediatric Oncologist? Not with her language skills.

Overall, I felt it to be a good story. I can't figgure out why everybody else has panned it in their ratings. Sure it's not blockbusting break the bank material....but it was better than the 4.3/10 the rest of you folks gave it.

My call: 7/10

I'm glad I never read the plot outline before I watched it. Not knowing exactly what was wrong with George before finding out while watching the movie added to it. Some movies ARE better watched cold and this is one of them.

The characters draw you in slowly, providing you with many insights and surprises. This is one to watch again with either someone who is very near and dear to you, or someone you had thought you had left behind.

Having been raised by my grandfather, in absence of a real father in my life, and losing him a few years ago brought back some very painful memories as I watched this movie, but it also brought back many more wonderful ones.

This film gets to the root of what should and should not be important in our lives... people and things, respectively. The society we live in today is in dire need of the messages that this film provides: Regardless of our imperfections and our pasts, we all need to be loved.

10 for 10

The fact that this films' release was postponed months because of the tragic events of that day in September had me concerned last fall.

Fortunately, it is not a blueprint for the acts committed by the individuals on that day, but it does revive a great deal of the anger and shock faced by those directly and indirectly affected by seemingly mindless acts of terrorism.

It is not Arnold's best film of his career, and I found that the tactical and fighting skills he portrayed to be a little hard to swallow for an average workaday fire-fighter. I think Arnold should stay away from action movies in general. Sure, he's got the chiseled build and face, and who wouldn't be intimidated by the thick Austrian accent, but he's much better playing alongside a strong co-star, in drama and comedy.

I found this film to be little more than Arnold blowing things up...again. It also encourages a nasty little character flaw that is present in all of us, and comes forth far too often: Revenge. Bad enough, this man is shown to be venting his rage on anyone connected with the death of his family, at the end he is held up as a hero?

This film re-enforces a common Hollywood theme: "If you mess with the all-powerful United States, we're gonna get you." Enough posturing already. This is the kind of mentality in America that draws the attention of fanatical groups.