shakey_jake53's Reviews

Firefox (1982)

8/10

19 September 2003

FIREFOX was better than I expected. I thought it would take forever to get started but I was only bored during a few scene's later in the film. I actually enjoyed the scene's leading up to when he steals the plane.

I thought the airplane action sequences were very good, though the f/x were are a bit dated.

There were a few problems with the film. One thing is right after Eastwood steals the plane there are a bunch of boring scene's with the Russian generals blabbing on in a control room. Also the part when he lands on the iceberg made the film drag a bit.

Aside from a few dull scene's FIREFOX is a very enjoyable action-thriller that I enjoyed very much. 4/5

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Escape from New York (1981)

a little disappointing

21 August 2003

I finally watched this movie and I must say I was a little disappointed. Not that I thought it was a bad movie, just that I did'nt think it was as good as everybody says. The problem I had was the pacing was slow throughout a lot of the movie, especially the first 40 minutes or so. Also, aside from the ending chase on the bridge, the action sequences were not very exciting, which is a shame.

What I like about it was the cast was very good. Kurt Russell was good in what I think was his first tough guy role. I also thought Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, Lee Van Cleef, and Isaac Hayes were all good in their roles as well.

Overall, I think this movie is overrated, but it has some enjoyable moments mainly thanks to a good cast. 3/5

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Lock Up (1989)

Good prison flick

20 August 2003

I am a big fan of prison film's as well as the television series "Oz", which is probably the best show on tv, and I have to say that LOCK UP is better than people say. It's not gripping like "Oz" and not a classic like THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION but it's good no-brainer entertainment. Stallone fit his role well, and I like John Amos as the chief prison guard. Donald Sutherland was okay but he's had better roles. I enjoyed the fight scene's and the football game as well.

Overall, a pretty good prison film that is good entertainment. 3.5/5

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Rambo III (1988)

7/10

A great third entry in the series!

13 August 2003

I did'nt expect much from this film before I watched it, then I did and I thought it was great stuff. It's loaded with action and violence, even more than the first two film's, and the action sequences, I thought, were better in this one than the others. There are tonnes of gunfights and explosions that make it a lot of fun. The dialog in RAMBO III pretty (unintentionally) funny, not that thats bad or anything.

My opinions of the RAMBO films has changed quite a bit recently. I used to think that RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II was the best, but then I realized that FIRST BLOOD is. I'd have to say that RAMBO III is the second best in the series, followed by the second, though they are all very good film's, not oscar worthy, but still good.

Overall, a highly entertaining no-brainer action film that will not disappoint fans of the first two films in the series. 3.5/5

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City Heat (1984)

Average

7 August 2003

CITY HEAT is a decent action/comedy starring Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood. It's not the best film these two actors have made but it's worth a look. There are some funny moments throughout the film, mostly from Eastwood and Reynolds, but some of the scene's went on longer than they should have, especially the shootout's and fistfights. I thought the set pieces were nice though and the film did make you believe it took place in the 30's which was good. Overall, a decent film that is not the best from either of the stars but worth a look. 3/5

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The French Connection (1971)

A classic

24 July 2003

THE FRENCH CONNECTION is definitely one of the best police thrillers ever made. Though not as influential as DIRTY HARRY, it's still great after all these years. Gene Hackman gives one of his best ever performances in this one, and Roy Schneider is good too. Also, the film has one of the best chase sequences ever filmed that is still exciting even today. Some people say this film is dated and though its quite different than most action film's made recently it's still a classic and highly recommended. 5/5

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Unforgiven (1992)

A very good western

22 July 2003

UNFORGIVEN is most likely Clint Eastwood's last western, and it was a good film to make as a goodbye to the genre since he portrays a gunslinger who goes on one final adventure with his former partner played by Morgan Freeman. The film has good acting and is well written and directed. Gene Hackman is great to watch as the bad guy, and the rest of the cast is great. UNFORGIVEN is definitely recommended to western fans and is the only western from the 90's that I enjoyed. 4/5

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The Gauntlet (1977)

7/10

Not a great film, but not a bad one either.

20 July 2003

THE GAUNTLET stars Clint Eastwood and Sondra Locke in a film with a pretty basic plot and some over the top action sequences. The high points of the film are it has Eastwood in his usual tough guy role which is always great to see, and there are a few good action sequences, including and exciting helicopter/motorcycle chase in the desert. There are a few low points in the film. A lot of the action scenes seem to involve desintegrating things with bullets, from a police car, to a bus, to a house. This is pretty cool at first but gets tireing after a while. The film is also very vulgar at times, which may offend some. Overall, a decent action film that is silly at times but still fun.

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Where Eagles Dare (1968)

Good, but unrealistic war film.

18 July 2003

WHERE EAGLES DARE IS A pretty good war film, though at times it reminded me of a RAMBO film. Not that I hate RAMBO movies its just that this is supposed to be a serious war film. There are several scenes in the film in which the heroes, Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton, are able to dodge every single bullet from the enemy and every shot they took would hit a bad guy. But this does not make it a bad film, and it entertains throughout. Theres plenty of shootouts, chases, explosions, and cliffhanger situations that make it good. The acting was good as well, especially Burton. Overall, an enjoyable war/action film that lacks some realism but is still fun. 3.5/5

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The Magnificent Seven (1960)

One of the best western's!

18 July 2003

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN has got to be one of the best western's out there. It's got an almost perfect cast, plenty of action, and very good direction. The locations that they filmed the movie in were nice as well. Eli Wallach is very good as the villain. The only thing I did'nt like about the film was the casting of Horst Bucholzt(or however you spell it). His character was annoying and I was hoping that he was'nt gonna follow them when they left. But aside from that THE MAGNIIFICENT SEVEN is a classic western and I recommend it to both fans of action and western film's. 5/5

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The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

A great, action packed western!

15 July 2003

THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES has been considered one of the best western's that Clint Eastwood has made, and I agree. It ranks up there with THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY and HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER as my favorite Eastwood western's. It has lots of action, a good cast, and is even funny at times, a lot of the comedy coming from Chief Dan George. Eastwood is as good as ever in his usual tough guy role. The film is good at story-telling as well, with Josey Wales on the run and meeting up with a variety of people along the way.

THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES ranks with Clint's best western and may even be one of Clint's best film's in general. 4.5/5

P.S. Watch for Len Lesser (Uncle Leo from SEINFELD) in a scene.

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The Eiger Sanction (1975)

7/10

Pretty good film

13 July 2003

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this enjoyable, though at times cheesy, action-thriller, which a lot of the time feels like a James Bond film. The fact that Eastwood's character is a spy and he attracts many beautiful women are just a few of the points relating it to Bond.

The positive points of the film are it has some of the best mountain climbing action sequences ever filmed. Also, Eastwood is his usual tough guy self which is always fun to watch. George Kennedy is good as well.

The negative points are many of the characters are overblown, including Hemlock's(Eastwood) boss Red Dragon, who is a complete albino and gets his blood replaced every few month's. Also, one of Hemlock's(Eastwood) old enemy's who is a femanine guy with a dog named f*ggot. These characters make the film kinda cheesy.

Aside from these few negative points THE EIGER SANCTION is an enjoyable action-thriller and is good fun for Eastwood fans. 3.5/5

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Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Pretty bad 4th entry

11 July 2003

Warning: Spoilers

ALIEN RESURRECTION is definitely the worst entry in the famed ALIEN series. The first film, ALIEN, was an amazing film with plenty of heart pounding suspense and good acting. ALIENS had all the suspense of the first film, and added action to make it just as good as the first. ALIEN 3 was not as good as the first two but had enough suspense and some good camera work to make it enjoyable. ALIEN RESURRECTION seems to lack most of the things that made the first three films good. Despite a couple of decent action scene's and a few likeable characters, most of the film was dull. Ripley is not likeable at all in this one, since you dont know whether shes good or not. The script was pretty bad too, full of plot holes and bad dialogue.

***SPOILER*** The worst part about this one was the retarted looking alien/human. Did they really have to introduce this thing, I mean it just looks stupid. I was glad when it died, even though it looks extremely dumb when it does. ***END OF SPOILER***

Overall, if you are a big fan of the ALIEN series than you might as well watch this, but otherwise, avoid it and just watch the first three films. 2/5

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Alien 3 (1992)

Decent third entry

11 July 2003

Warning: Spoilers

ALIEN 3 is definitely not as good as ALIEN or ALIENS, but it is not a bad film. I liked the whole idea of it being set on a prison and it worked well in the film. David Fincher does a good job directing this one, and there is plenty of good camera work throughout the whole movie, especially during the action sequences. The film does have a few flaws. I did'nt like the how they used a computer generated Alien rather than the puppets. ***POSSIBLE SPOILERS*** I did'nt like how they killed off Hicks at the beginning since you are happy at the end of ALIENS that he survived and then he just died at the beginning of this one. Also, they kill off Charles Dance's character, the doctor, very quickly, even though it appears that he is becoming a central character. ***END OF SPOILERS***. Despite these few flaws, ALIEN 3 is a good entry in to the series and is a lot better than ALIEN RESURRECTION. 3.5/5

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Eraser (1996)

Another enjoyable Arnold actioner

9 July 2003

ERASER is yet another Arnold Schwarzenegger action film that's loaded with shootouts, explosions, and exciting stunt scene's. The plot is pretty basic of an action film, protect a witness from killers, but it works and the film is quite enjoyable. Arnold is his usual tough action hero self and he is very good in this one, and James Caan made a good villain. There were also some cool new weapons introduced in this film that dont actually exist in real life but are fun to see used throughout the film. Overall, a very enjoyable film, and though it's not one of Arnold's best, it is still a fun film. 3.5/5

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Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

7/10

surprisingly good!

3 July 2003

I went to see this movie today and I knew going in that it would'nt be as good as the first two film's since (1) James Cameron did not come back to direct and (2) both Edward Furlong and Linda Hamilton did not reprise they're original roles. But after seeing it I was surprised that the film was actually pretty good. The action scenes were pretty cool, especially the chase with the crane, and the acting was good as well. One problem I had was the ending of the film which I will not spoil, but aside from that it is a pretty good sequel to two classic sci-fi action film's. 3.5/5

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Outland (1981)

9/10

Top Notch Sci-Fi Actioner

3 July 2003

I recently watched OUTLAND and I have to say that it is a great film. In my opinion, practically all of the things in the movie worked very well. The acting was solid, especially from Sean Connery and Peter Boyle, the set pieces were cool and reminded me of ALIEN, there is plenty of action, including a wild foot chase through the mining community, the direction from Peter Hyams was very good, and the film was well written and is never dull or boring. There is also lots of tension built up to the final showdown at the end of the film, which is action packed and exciting. All of these aspects add up to a top notch sci-fi/action film that is highly recommended. 4.5/5

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Escape from Alcatraz (1979)

10/10

One of Eastwood's best!

2 July 2003

ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ is probably my favorite prison movie out there. I enjoyed it more than THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, which is also a great movie. Everything in this movie works. The acting is solid, especially Patrick McGoohan as the warden and there's plenty of edge-of-your-seat suspense throughout. Clint Eastwood and Don Siegel are known for making great movies together, and this is no exception. It along with DIRTY HARRY rank as my favorite Eastwood film's. 5/5

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Bat*21 (1988)

underrated Vietnam story

1 July 2003

Gene Hackman and Danny Glover star in this Vietnam story which in my opinion is underrated. Though it is not as gripping as PLATOON or APOCALYPSE NOW, it is still a strong film and is still realistic and exciting. There are several scene's in the film that show the horror's of the Vietnam war on both American soldiers as well as innocent Vietnamese people who are caught in the crossfire of the war. The two stars are also very good in the film, each giving a solid performance. Overall, a strong war film that is highly recommended. 4/5

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Bulletproof (1996)

enjoyable action-comedy

27 June 2003

In the endless list of cop buddy action comedies, BULLETPROOF is definitely not the best, but its a very enjoyable film. The two stars Wayans and Sandler are very good together, and there are plenty of shootouts and chases that are fun to watch. There are some very funny bits as well, including several funny one liners. Like many action comedies this one is predictable but it is still enjoyable and it is worth a look. 3.5/5

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Bullitt (1968)

a great police thriller

27 June 2003

Before there was DIRTY HARRY there was BULLITT, a maverick cop from San Francisco. Steve McQueen portrays the cop very well and makes this a very entertaining action thriller. Of course, the car chase is the biggest highlight of the film and is probably one of the best car chases ever filmed. Also, the ending shootout is exciting as well. Overall, a must see for fans of police action thrillers and though it is not as influential as DIRTY HARRY it is still a must see. 4/5

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The Patriot (1998)

Seagal should stick to pure action films

26 June 2003

THE PATRIOT is Steven Seagal's first attempt at a trying to prove he can really act. Unfortunately, his fans will be quite disappointed. We all go into his films thinking they are going to be packed with action and violence, but not this one. Even is he's trying to prove a point, we would still like to see some action, and this film has barely any action in it. The few action scenes there are are short and are quickly abandoned for dramatic scene's. If you are a Seagal fan, you might as well see this just so you can have seen all his film's, but action fans should stick to Seagal's earlier films. 2.5/5

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The Delta Force (1986)

good for the first half, cheesy for the second

26 June 2003

THE DELTA FORCE is an odd movie. The first hour of the film is a well written and directed portrait of an airline highjacking. The music is tense and the performances are solid (especially Robert Forster as the head terrorist). Then, when Chuck and Lee show up, the film turns into a patriotic cheesefest where the delta force whips out the terrorists along to cheesy 80s patriotic pop music. The film definitely goes down from here. The director should've realized that the first half was tense and realistic and decided to keep it that way, even if they were going to have the delta force take out the terrorists. I really dont know why they changed the mood of the film so much, because if they had'nt, this could've been an excellent actioner. The second half is still somewhat enjoyable and very unintentionally funny, but those who think that the second half of the film would be as gripping as the first will be disappointed. 3/5

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Cobra (1986)

6/10

not as bad as some say

26 June 2003

Most the reviews of the film COBRA say its a piece of crap. Sure the film needs some work in the acting, plot, and dialogue department, but it has several enjoyable action scenes that are quite entertaining, including the opening shootout and the top notch car chase. Sylvestor Stallone was trying to make a DIRTY HARRY style action film, and COBRA is definitely a lot like it, right down to having Reni Santoni as his partner, and having Andrew Robinson, this time as a cop rather than a killer.

It's kind of sad that critics take this film seriously and thats why they give it bad reviews. I know its not a good film when it comes to acting and plot but its fun and enjoyable when it comes to action and its a good way to kill 87 minutes. 3/5

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Metro (1997)

8/10

top notch actioner

2 June 2003

Many reviews I have read about this film say it is a pretty bad movie, but I do not know what they are talking about. METRO is a very exciting and enjoyable police action-thriller. Eddie Murphy is very good in one of his more serious roles, and Michael Wincott is very good as the psycho jewel thief. Also, the action scene's were top notch, from the opening bank robbery scene, to the famous cable car chase. Fans of Eddie Murphy's comedy may be disappointed in the film, since it has a more serious tone to it and focuses more on action than comedy, but action fans will definitely enjoy this one. 4/5

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