(Review originally written at 16 July 2006)
The movie starts well and promising. Initionally the movie seems like a cool, simple, typical '80's action flick, with some well known actors in it. However as the movie progresses the pace is gone and the movie gets filled with underdeveloped plot lines and characters. Luckily the movie re-finds its pace toward the ending, which helps to make this movie still a watchable and good one, for the genre-fans.
I think that the main problem with this movie is that its too short. Because of this nothing in the movie really fully gets developed, such as Sylvester Stallone's character's relationship with his ex-wife or who exactly was Peter Hartman, who seemed like a good and interesting enough character but unfortunately was highly underused and developed in the movie. He walked around without a real purpose despite the fact that he could had been a so much more relevant and interesting character for the movie and its story. Also they could had made the whole hunt of DaSilva (Sylvester Stallone) on Wulfgar (Rutger Hauer) so much more exciting, tense and spectacular. An hunter who hunts a hunter. Instead now their hate toward each other feels unfounded and perhaps even silly and unlikely at certain moments.
Yet the tree main characters of the movie are still quite good. The two cops played by Sylvester Stallone and Billy Dee Williams form a nice and credible duo and Rutger Hauer perfectly plays a villainous cold-hearted terrorist. Hollywood needs more villain actors like him, it would make so many movies so much better. Its definitely true that the presence of this tree fine actors uplift the movie and help to make this a still slightly above average one.
The whole plot line of a ruthless, professional terrorist causing mayhem in New York is quite original (at least for its period) and works refreshing and help to make this movie quite an original action-flick, although his motivations still remain a bit in the dark and shaky to find it all credible enough.
But of course the movie works well enough as mindless entertainment, though it perhaps could had used some more and bigger action sequences.
The movie has '80's written all over it. Movies from the '80's don't have the greatest visual style and also mostly always have some horrible '80's music. This movie is unfortunately no exception on this all.
All in all its not a bad action flick and it will most likely please the genre-fans, also thanks to the presence of '80's action icon Sylverst Stallone and villain expert actor Rutger Hauer.
6/10
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