Unremarkable Renny Harlin film stars John Cena as a cop who gets on the bad side of a terrorist by "killing" his girlfriend accidentally. After being in prison for a year the bad guy escapes, kidnaps Cena's wife and then has Cena go through 12 rounds of danger to get his wife back.
The stunts and set pieces are spectacular but the film lacks a reason to care. The ever increasing action scenes becomes rather dull because they make no logical sense in or out of the film. Worse the films pace seems to be off, I looked at my watch and the set up to the story, the cop and terrorist meeting for the first time doesn't come for a half an hour in (its then another 15 minutes before the chase begins in earnest). Its as if we're watching another movie entirely before we get to the real plot of the film. Then the film careens from set piece to set piece, which as I said become more and more unbelievable, and dissipates any tension because they are so fantastic. There is no rhyme or reason to any of it. Its as if the filmmakers were making things up as they went along, dropping plot points at the last possible minute in a futile attempt to fill the plot chasms.
God how I wish I had been home on the couch watching this with friends so I could have made fun of it. 11 Bucks for this? no way. While the action is okay, the rest is a mess and shouldn't be paid for, wait for cable.
5 out of 10 (and am I the only one who thinks this is a poor man's passenger 57?)
The stunts and set pieces are spectacular but the film lacks a reason to care. The ever increasing action scenes becomes rather dull because they make no logical sense in or out of the film. Worse the films pace seems to be off, I looked at my watch and the set up to the story, the cop and terrorist meeting for the first time doesn't come for a half an hour in (its then another 15 minutes before the chase begins in earnest). Its as if we're watching another movie entirely before we get to the real plot of the film. Then the film careens from set piece to set piece, which as I said become more and more unbelievable, and dissipates any tension because they are so fantastic. There is no rhyme or reason to any of it. Its as if the filmmakers were making things up as they went along, dropping plot points at the last possible minute in a futile attempt to fill the plot chasms.
God how I wish I had been home on the couch watching this with friends so I could have made fun of it. 11 Bucks for this? no way. While the action is okay, the rest is a mess and shouldn't be paid for, wait for cable.
5 out of 10 (and am I the only one who thinks this is a poor man's passenger 57?)