Reviews

Depicting the history of three black male terrorists, members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) aka. MK; but it was converted in one black male, one coloured male and one black female.

The albine girl hostage in the bank is other absolute lie: first of all, there was not such albine person in the bank, second, taking account the regulations (Population Registration Act) and the procedures of the Office for Race Classification it will be impossible for an albine person to be classified as European / White as the film pretends.

The terrorists made several demands, including among others the release of Nelson Mandela and a man called Mange, as well as R100 000 in cash and a plane to fly them to Maputo in the film they are not interested in the money, other inaccuracy.

The terrorists not only fired automatic weapons but also throwing hand grenades.

SAP solve the situation pretty well in no more than 7 hours and only two hostages were killed (from a total of 25).

Silverton is a suburb in the east of Pretoria. But the action is filmed in the Church Square, Pretoria, where the statue of Paul Kruger is. It can be offensive, because the terrorists of Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) attacked this area (Church Street) with a car bomb killing 19 persons and leaving more than 80 severely wounded.

If you desire to be desinformed about the real history of SouthAfrica, then it is your film. If not, I do not recommend it.

Honestly I cannot recommend such a bad film. The characters are not well constructed, argument is not credible and even the stupid fan's club does not fit.

the film does not explain the conflict and neither the impact of the IRA terrorist campaign in the Belfast society but it takes an overlook of the hard situation in the streets of West Belfast during early 70s sectarian violence, most well-known as The Troubles.

short insights about the the born of the "Provos" (Provisional IRA) as hardliners deciding split from Dublin's IRA and mainly focused in terrorism against UK troops and police forces - R.U.C. (Royal Ulster Constabulary) and pure sectarian killings (just killing protestants) In the movie you can see how the old IRA and Provos are allies but competitors, playing a treacherous game. old IRAmen are giving limited support to Provos, but they are also informants to police.

The protestant citizens of Northern Ireland start to form self-defense groups under an umbrella association named Ulster Defense Association (UDA). They are not mentioned in the film,but when the the lost soldier and the child arrives to a check-point then you can see the characteristic raincoats and hats normally used by UDA even in parades (there was a massive one in Belfast 1972)

It was not very clear to me, but IMHO the portrait of the R.U.C.(the NI police) given in the film was intentionally negative. I understand the director want to show the "dirty game" of the police with informants and accords with both sides, but in this film they appears like "the bad guys" and it is totally unfair.

I enjoyed the film, but I had bigger expectation of a deep film about the conflict not just an action movie.

The film is really horrible. The plot is very stupid and the gags are mostly disgusting. Only two reasons to give one point to this film: Kate Beckinsale and IMDb's policy (minimmum=1). The film could have been a better one just reducing the budget to nearly nothing, firing the two boys (Sandler and Hasselhoff) and moving the project to Troma. The Tromaville people can use the silly plot for a new Toxic Avenger episode (the over-sized Sandler was not too far from Toxie) and they probably exploit the most bizarre details (like the planet of the duck-f*cker dogs...). I usually dodge this kind of films, in this case I was framed (expected a romantic comedy). My recommendation is... Please don't go and don't rent it.

It's not a conventional movie. It's mixing comic book style with splatter B-movies with film-noir elements. The result is a Gothic show of ultra-violence. The characters are bizarre night creatures living in the sin under a non-stop heavy rain and stormy weather. Incredible camera angles, specially in scenes over the roofs of the skyscrapers. Comic action in the fights, the car chases and the acrobatic movements of the characters. A good tribute to Frank Miller (the man who transformed the Daredevil Marvel comic book). Predominant black and white on grey landscapes but plenty of deep red over the scenes. If you like comics, it worths. It's not recommended if you dislike the kind of Sci-Fi stories with people resisting more than five bullet into the body.

Only Scarlet Johanson's fans have one valid reason to watch this movie. I selected this movie to watch only in order to complete the list of Scarlet's films. The plot is really bad specially if consider that the characters try to justify themselves with a standpoint of "political activism". Even if it was a joke, it was a very bad one. The script is really horrible. The actors are not the problem, they do the best they can do it with such kind of script. The soundtrack is a good one, with rock bands like Supergrass,Foo Fighters, etc. One point for the soundtrack, and Scarlet accounts for two additional points. I vote 3/10. I recommend forget this film.

Fantasy, adolescence, leadership and lesbian love. Pauline is fascinated about Juliet Hulme. She is pretty, intelligent, wealthy and she has a lovely family. The relationship between the two teenagers is so intense that everyone is completely dependent from the other.

Pauline is ashamed about her own family, specially if she compare them with the Hulme family. They are highly educated. She is specially charmed about Dr. Hulme.

Pauline feels that she is part of a elite, she has a fantasy: she can write novels and opera and understand the hidden imaginary world that only Juliet and Pauline have discovered.

In fact, she start to hate her mother very early, her hate is inside her during almost the complete film.

When she decides kill her, she justify it because her mother was the obstacle to go with Juliet to South Africa. It's absolutely false. The only possible reason was the needed signature to obtain a passport, but is rather an excuse. She wants to kill her, not because the problem that she uses to convince Juliet, but only because she hate her mother. Pauline is mentally disturbed. The day of the crime, in the house, Juliet is talking about the crime and the victim but Pauline only talk about the characters of her novel.

It's true that both,Juliet and Pauline, cannot clearly separate reality from imagination. In fact, they are mostly living in an imaginary world. But Pauline is really the criminal mind and the real killer. Juliet is convinced by her lover to do that. His blame must be considered reduced.

The film is excellent. Brilliant. Peter has captured the feels and minds of the teenagers and avoid to blame in excess the lesbian factor to explain the crime.

It's an unhappy but realistic vision of the role of salesman since its first business experience up to last days of work with the illusion of a quiet retirement. The salesman must suffer a high pressure and usually he must assume a very pro-active role, but its work will be measured only by the results. It's depending on final decision of the customer (the Big Kahuna in the movie). Loneliness, they must travel so much, the cold of hotel rooms and at the end the impersonal task to perform. The salesman is considered as a simple tool, the robots will can substitute in the future. They must accept that in fact, they are -and will be- nobody. Bob (Facinelly) is an idealist with very strict moral values. He's recently married and he is starting with the job.

Larry (Spacey) is a vigorous salesman, with a big background in the job and he is trying to teach Bob about the job and about the real life. He is the most afraid about the commercial results.

And Phil (DeVito) is tired of this kins of work and he only looks for keep a peaceful ambient in the team. He is disgusting about hard comments of Larry to Bob.

The movie is purely constructed with the dialogs.

A couple of lessons supposedly can be extracted of the film about how a young man must affront the usual problems ( professional and personal ones) in the life. The importance to acknowledge the errors committed in order to improve the character and just listening to other people's points of view, the difference between a real dialog and just propaganda.

A good work of Spacey and DeVito, linking in the end credits with the famous (during 1999) "wear sunscreen" speech/song.

Monty Brogan is living upper his real possibilities because he is getting money just dealing with drugs. He has got certain stability, but in fact, it was a fake and weak one. His life collapses when he must affront the last day, the last 24 hours before a seven years term in the jail. The small universe around Monty is shaken up with the notice. The few people who is closer to him (his girlfriend, his father and the two Irish friends who have shared many things whit him) are very afraid about it but they know that there's nobody to blame but Monty Brogan himself. As secondary plot, he is trying to discover who expose him to the police, several meetings with his Russian boss and other partners in the drug smuggling business permit discover the traitor. But it cannot change the fears and the void. I have found some connections with Edward Norton's character of "Fight Club". -Masochism as punishment and liberation. as in Fight Club, Monty Brogan looked for a big beating as solution of problems. -He performs a violent solo speech to show a clear vision of the nude reality. as in Fight Club, the monologue of Edward Norton is a rare jewel. The 9/11 is a constant in the film with several references. The best of the film: Edward Norton; with special mention to the solo speech about NYC.

A popular priest is killed in a wild and bloody way. Edward Norton is accused and many proven facts are pointing to him as the killer. Edward Norton plays a difficult character dominated by a squizofrenic dual personality. He was victim of sexual abuses by the priest. That kind of experiences have provoked a serious mental damage. His lawyer (Richard Gere) must weight up his personal idea of justice and the rights of his customer. He try to justify why he must defend people when he knows they are guilty. Laura Lynney's work is also remarkable. The end results, in fact, very predictable, but is a good film and may be recommended to everybody except people who look for something more likely the last Richard Gere's romantic comedies (very different from the fantastic American Gigolo).

The couple Spader-Sarandon works well. Max (James Spader) is a 27 yrs old yuppie Jewish. He has recently lost his wife. He will get trapped by the mature but really attractive Nora (Susan Sarandon), who is not so sophisticated and educated than his family and friends, but she can conquer him with her rebel spirit, and wild nature. Nora shows to Max a new way to live the life based on her She has not an academic or professional background so impressive, but she has experience and intelligence. She resists everything except lies and hipocrisy. She show her pride, when Max try to give her a vacuum cleaner like a gift. The erotic scenes are a valuable part of the film. Nora will have difficulties with the friends of Max. The talks in the bathroom are very descriptive about how is she feeling that. Some political issues are pointed during the Thanksgiving party. Nora cannot control herself and standing up gives a speech in defence of the working class in front of that rich and powerful jewish family. The worst scene is almost at the end of the film, in a friend's house, when Max discovers the same model of vacuum cleaner without dust inside. (it's a bit pathetic) In fact it is a recommended film, specially for Sarandon fans (like me).

Hard Boiled Killers Taking the "eye by eye"philosophy as in Charles Bronson's Film,the "always firing and never reload the weapon" bug as Rambo and artistic concept of violence like "The Warriors" (but never so fine as "A Clockwork Orange"). Funny but bore. The action scenes are good, but there is no more. "hard boiled", probably because the first killings starts when a water heater with boiling water ready for tea is throwing and pouring over a man.

The real influence and fame was obtained because Yun-Fat Chow constantly fires two guns using both hands, an innovative performance in 1980,it will be very imitated after in movies and videogames.

Stockard Channing is the best actress in this film. Her character (Iris) develops a trajectory during the film: first is the help-line for the rest. Try to solve all the problems that everybody have but her own problem. After, Iris thinks about herself and look for a solution for her situation.The dialogues in the Town Hall party, explaining her feeling and demanding proper attention with "you are f***ing me but never kiss me" are very good. I recommend this film, with romantic but realistic point of view.

The film has a not politically correct focus. The military cadets fight against burocracy, greed and old prejudices. They do the correct but they have in front: the society,the law,and public opinion. Could the goal justify the means? His attitude is not very different from other strikes or youth revolts. But the problem was that they are not politically correct. Not today. THEY PREFER FIGHT THEIR WAR LOOKING FOR JUSTICE AND HONOR, THAN BE DISCIPLINED THEN, AND FIGHT THE WAR THAT POLITICS WILL CREATE FOR THEM Tom Cruise, as David Shawn, is really a brilliant performance. His character is probably the best. You can enjoy the film if you can feel these values and understand the controversy: military values vs. money & politics. They choose.