Description

Avery had a promising future.But a night out with his buddies turned into a case of mistaken identity.Now, he's behind bars, doing time for a crime he didn't commit.And in prison, there's a whole new set of rules. Starring: Master P (Rapper), Richard T. Jones (Phone Booth, Moonlight Mile), Gabriel Casseus (Black Hawk Down, 15 Minutes). ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Hilarious Film!
I have been waiting for this DVD to come out for a very long time!It is a hilarious movie based on a true story about the creation of the Bradley war tank.It shows how the promotion system in the military used to push for new war products to be used, even if they were not acceptable for use, and the struggle of one man to do the right thing.You will not stop laughing while watching this movie!

jtpaladin is nuts!!!!
Not only is The Pentagon Wars one of the funniest movies, but it has a twisted sense of how military tests programs can get when Congress and the Upper Brass try to control spending on test programs. In fact this movie is more relevant today in highlighting why our troups go into harms way without the equipment the need (lack of armor on vehicles in Iraq).

Now, I may not be a self proclaimed "military analysis" like jtpaladin, but I did spend 5 years in a military test program. While the movie takes a comedic approach, it is remarkable close to how a test program works.

I saw this movie when it first came out and thought it was a hoot! The mix of charaters and the way the movie pokes fun at the simplest items (love the sheep specs) keeps it going from start to finish. Then I went to work on the test program, and everytime we had to make a change to the item, I thought of this movie. ROFLOL!!!

I only have one complaint about this movie:

WHERE IS THE DVD RELEASE?

Hilarious
Coming, as I do, from `across the pond,' I must confess that I am not a fan of American humour, but this film is absolutely hilarious. It seems to me that HBO have used comedy to tell a frighteningly true story that differs, only in detail, from the `expert' reviewer's opinions.

We all know that Holywood has never let the facts interfere with the telling of a story. As a keen amateur medieval historian I frequently cringe in disbelief, and often get irate, with their interpretation of historical fact. I have yet to see an historical interpretation that is concerned solely with the facts, and does not contain some (or even a great deal of) `poetic licence.' However such licence does not necessarily make a film `bad', after all we are talking about entertainment, aren't we?

Pentagon Wars is funny, even hilarious, entertaining and thought-provoking, and despite what anybody else may say, it is well worth the 5 stars I award it.

Funny, but not accurate
No question there were alot of funny moments in this film based on the book by Col. Burton but as you can easily guess, if it's an HBO film, there will be more fiction than fact.

Here's some info from a military analyst who saw the film:

"1) How accurate was the movie?

Not at all.I was driven to take notes after the first few minutes and got over sixty substantive errors.The producers took Col. Burton's simplistic but compelling memoir, dumbed it down, took dramatic licence with a lot of things that didn't need it, goofed around with the chronology, and apparently had a head-on collision with an office full of libel lawyers who demanded even more blurring than there already was. The
result is a mockery both of the very real issues surrounding the Bradley and of Burton's very genuine display of moral courage.

I'd say it was also a piss-poor excuse for a comedy, but I'm a military historian, not a movie critic.

2) What were the actual problems with the Bradley and how were they resolved?

Most of the actual problems with the Bradley - aside from mechanical teething problems that any armored vehicle has - arose from the fact that no one really had a clear idea of what an infantry fighting vehicle was supposed to do at the time the project was started in 1964 - it wasn't even called that at the time; all that was really clear was that current armored personnel carriers and armored infantry doctrine weren't going to be well-suited to the armor-rich, artillery-rich, and likely nuclear/biological/chemical battlefield environment expected in a putative European war versus the Warsaw Pact.

This uncertainty led to incredible amounts of bureaucratic muddle and intraservice chest-thumping within the Army - the movie version of _The Pentagon Wars_ at least manages to get a little of that across, in spirit, anyway - and kept the project on the back burner all through Vietnam, when the Army wasn't paying a lot of attention to mechanized infantry issues
anyway.This problem was exacerbated by a parallel muddle on the armor side of the service, which had repeatedly failed to field a satisfactory vehicle for its armored cavalry units.

By this time (~1975) both branches were faced with block obsolescence of their existing vehicles, so they had to meld their requirements into what was essentially a single vehicle, which became the Bradley. Incorporating all the necessary capabilities into a single chassis that had originally
been built to tight dimensional limits due to rather questionable airportability concerns and an equally questionable requirement for amphibious capability required a lot of tradeoffs that didn't satisfy purists very much.

How were these problems dealt with?A number of ways.Some of them were doctrinal: the Army looked for ways to exploit the capabilities of the vehicle and nurse its limitations.Some were technological: in particular, various survivability enhancements were added at a cost in weight and money.Some were simply bureaucratically defined out of existence.How successful these measures has been is still the subject of debate, some of it in this very newsgroup; see Deja News for
details.

For that matter you can also see W. Blair Haworth, Jr., _The Bradley and how it got that way: mechanized infantry organization and equipment in the U.S. Army_ (unpub diss, Duke University, 1995; available through UMI)

3) Did any Bradley's sustain hits from enemy fire in the Gulf war and how did they and the crew survive those hits?

It's a hard question to answer meaningfully; BFVs of various marks served in the theater, and a good number were hit in combat, often by weapons and at aspects that wouldn't be survivable by main battle tanks - Bradleys took more friendly fire than any other vehicle type. In general, they stood up to what they were designed to stand up to; the debate is still whether the design requirements were appropriate."

Lastly, anyone that would try and draw a correlation between the BFV and a national missile defense system would find themselves comparing apples to oranges since we had an accurate and functional ABM system for a number of years until eliminated by the ABM treaty.

NO DVD?!!
HBO Better get the act together and come up with a dvd real soon, i'm not impressed with them at all. Well enough of that now, great film and Kelsey Grammer and company did a fine job here. So get the movie. DON'T WASTE YOU TIME TRYING TO FIND IT ON DVD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Someone must have really shown Cuba Gooding Jr. the money for him to risk his Oscar cachet on this derivative buddy movie that never quite gets up to Speed despite its blatant ripoff of that breakneck thriller's gimmick. Instead of a bomb-rigged bus forced to maintain its speed of 50 mph, here we have Elvis, a chemical weapon that must be kept cooler than 50 degrees. Standing between us and flesh-melting defoliant devastation are the requisite mismatched antagonists Mason, a short-order cook (Skeet Ulrich), and Arlo, a thief (Gooding).

Elvis was created by Mason's fishing buddy, Dr. Richard Long (David Paymer), a biologist still shaken up by a deadly test 10 years earlier that went awry and killed 18 soldiers. Instead of Long, "thorn in the side" Captain Andrew Bryner (Peter Firth) took the fall and went to prison. Now, the embittered Bryner has been released and is understandably vengeful. A ticking time bomb himself, the demented Bryner leads the relentless pursuit of Mason and Arlo, who have been compelled by Long to transport Elvis to a military base 90 miles away in--get this--Arlo's ice cream truck.

Gooding works hard for the money, although he was shortchanged by the script ("I'd like to kick your ass like last year's underwear" is a sample bon mot). Still, he makes his exuberant Oscar acceptance speech look restrained. And Firth makes an effective villain. "Your lives will end on this miserable road to nowhere," he warns the duo, "and I can't guarantee the end will be quick." Hardly a Factor at the box office, this thriller is fine for action fans who want to put their brains on cruise control and just chill at home. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (37)

Good Action Factor
This is one of those movies that often gets overlooked because it was not a big hit at the box office. Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Peter Firth, and the rest the cast turn in great performances. I always like Gooding but I think this is one of his best roles. To me much better than "Jerry McGuire" or "Pearl Harbor". The story is good, the sets are great, and the music nicely adds to the action/drama. If you enjoyed "Broken Arrow", "Outbreak", or "The Rock" you should enjoy this movie. It is a rollercoaster ride as Gooding and Ulrich try to stop terrorist from using a nerve gas (ELVIS) on the public and deliver it to a military base. Cuba drives an ice cream delivery truck and Skeet works in a diner.

When a scientist drops this biohazardous weapon in their lap at the diner with terrorist hot on his trail it takes off running. As they try to keep it from the terrorist they must maintain it at a temperature no warmer than 50 degrees. Ever try to defend an ice cream truck driving on mountainous roads in traffic? This is one of my favorite action films and I think it is often underrated by cynics. If you like action movies with Cage, Travolta, Stallone, Willis, or Schwarzenegger I will be surprised if you are disapointed. It is one you will enjoy going back and watching on a regular basis. I recommend buying it on DVD. If you like Cuba Gooding Jr. be sure to see "Murder of Crows" as well.

Not suspenceful, but fun none the less!
An Action film about a bomb (so to say) that will blow up if the temperature goes above 50 degrees. It seems a little Speedish, the bus will blow up if the speed goes below 50. Besides that point the movie is pretty original, and fun. It stars Skeet Ulrich of the hugely popular Scream and Cuba Gooding Jr. from As Good As It Gets. Skeet Ulrich plays a waiter of a small little diner, when in the middle of the night a friend comes in half dead, and explains about the bomb, and the fact that it can't go above 50 degrees. Both of them are a little spooked, and don't really know what to do. When they see a guy approach the diner, not looking like good business, they hide the know dead friend and pretend to be normal, which is a little hard. The guy looks for the body and doesn't find it then leaves. The two then split out of there in an ice cream truck. Talk about perfect timing, and high tell it to get the bomb where it needs to go, with the bad goes hot in pursuit. Chill Factor isn't the greatest action film, but the comedy and the fact that it stars Cuba Gooding Jr. helps it out. It isn't to suspenseful but it is a fun film to watch and love. With a good cast , some good acting and great comedy touches, Chill Factor becomes better then most action films, such as Mission: Impossible 2, or Charlies Angels. Chill Factor is just good old fashioned fun.

"you highjakced me with an empty gun!!!"
great time around though the beginning is stupid and so is the premise but Skeet Ulrich and Cuba Gooding Jr have a razzle dazzle good time and it pays off big with them trying to keep the bomb cool and not to be killed by Peter Firth and his gang at the same time. the highlight would have to be when they slide down the side of a hill with a boat, great scene. David Paymer and Kevin J. O'Connor also star as well

don't waste your money
This film had some decent action scenes, but it was nothing beyond that. The story is a [compilation] of several movies you've already seen, the characters are dry and pointless, and Cuba Gooding Jr never seems to nail down exactly what kind of character he's portraying. I can't watch him act... I never know where he's coming from, and I can't watch him act like virtually the same character in every one of his movies. Skeet plays his part with no heart as well... in fact the entire cast does. I guess it must be hard to do a movie knowing the script is as horrible as this one.

Don't waste your money. There are better action films out there with heartfelt acting. This one isn't it.

Fun flick.
Good stuff. Don't expect Oscar winning performances from it, just watch it to have fun!

The blonde babe is an incredible actress, wish they would have given her more lines...... ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Very well done
Very good action movie, with excellent acting by Mark Dacascos. He brings depth and intensity to the role, and with a look can you can tell his thoughts and emotional state. I am also very impressed with his ability to play different characters in his movies, instead of playing the same character over and over like some of the more famous actors.

No frills at THE BASE
THE BASE is an overall average film. Clearly the actors' talents are not put to full use. Mark Dacascos' excellent martial arts skills are supressed to appear like a good street fighter, not the impressive military weapon he is suppose to portray. The story line is interesting, but is weakened by the poor ending of this action film. The good guy wins, but it is a dismal victory. The nudity added to The Base does not really flow with the story line. The director clearly failed in this film. The acting in this film is very good, but the camera angles were not. I'm sure the actors were disappointed with the final product. THE BASE is worth seeing once. I suggest renting versus buying.

Mark Dacascos goes to the army...
An army major working undercover in a gang of army rebillions who deal with drugs. It was quite a good movie with an acceptable plot. . But still, regarding the fights, that was not quite the Mark Dacascos that I once knew from Drive. Mark's style in this movie was rather rough and rude instead of fancy and fun. And I think it's not Mark's fault that his fights weren't lookink this good. I think that the choreographer of the film didn't know how to use Mark's Martial Arts-ability. Maybe Mark's next movie will be a better one...

Mark truly know's how to act, and look's good doing it
It's gotta be the army clothes, that makes it more appealing to anybody who hasn'y watched this video yet, mark is an undercover army agent who has to get alot of evidence of crooked united states army men, and bring them to justice.

If you love Tim Abell....
You'll love this movie. While it's a tad on the short side of a great plot, it's great on action and acting from Tim Abell, who has been in other movies, such as "Strategic Command," and the Jerry Bruckheimer television series, "Soldier of Fortune, Inc/SOF: Special Ops Force." He has really grown as an actor and really comes across as a real psycho in this movie. As a former Army Ranger, Tim carries the role of an Army Seargeant very well.

And besides, any movie with Tim Abell in it is worth seeing! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

tricks of the trade
ACTIVE STEALTH stars Daniel Baldwin, Fred Williamson, and Hannes Jaenicke (sp.?) in a standard rescue-mission action flick. Soldiers fly in a "modified" Stealth fighter to save their comrade, held prisoner by a Central American drug lord. Watching the DVD the first time, the movie held my interest, and I thought it was average fare--entertaining but not memorable.

I watched the DVD again with commentary by director Fred Olen Ray, and it was a blast. Ray is a hoot. His comments give all kinds of insight into how the movie was made. He introduces actors, and explains how shots are usually set up and executed. He explains special effects. Ray tells what it cost to rent the plane, and how the crew created "smoke" blowing past the actors in a few scenes (a worker blowing pipe smoke at them, actually).

Throughout the commentary, Fred is entertaining. If you've ever wondered how a B-movie gets made, ACTIVE STEALTH is for you.

I give the movie 3 stars, and the DVD 5 stars. Split the difference, and the ACTIVE STEALTH DVD gets 4 stars.

This is so innaccurate!
This movie was a real loser. It is so innaccurate. "Rangers assulting a target in broad daylight with standard issue M-16's an M9's with no silencers or scopes. Most Rangers would use an M-4 or an MP5. No face paint, no stealth at all. Also, what Army unit flys a news crew style helicopter to pickup Rangers in the middle of South America? It should have been a Blackhwawk or a Huey gunship with AH-64 Apache air support.
The capabibility to shoot of these "Rangers" is terrible too. At little more than 100 feet they empty an entire clip and hit nothing but air.
The worst part of the movie was Army pilots flying an Air Force F-117 TWO SEATER WITH A CARGO BAY? NO NO NO!! It is a 1 man AIR FORCE, stealth bomber. Also Army pilots "carrier qualified" and F-14 qualified? No.
No. This movie was terrible, do not rent or buy it.

Horrible! Don't even rent it!!!
First of all, the movie/plot description on the DVD clamshell is so inaccurate that I wondered if I had received the wrong DVD. Example: The plot description states that a new Army (?) Stealth aircraft" has been stolen, so some special forces rangers are to lead an AH-64 Apache Squadron to bring the Stealth back to U.S. hands. Fine. BUT, there were NO AH-64's in the movie at all. AND, since when does the Army develop fixed-wing aircraft these days? Rangers in dire need of haircuts with no body armour going into battle? USAF/Army pilots that are carrier qualified to fly F-14s?
This movie is so technically inaccurate that it was frustrating. Very rarely do you see any of the actors (good or bad) actually aim there weapons when firing. Horrible acting, horrible technical advising (if there was any), lousy plot...I can go on and on. WARNING!: Don't be fooled by the DVD cover!!!!

short but sweet
This movie shows that with some team work anything can happen, even if you get killed in the process you did what you could to make a difference in the world. This movie was short but it a good movie.

What were they thinking??
The budget for this movie obviously didn't include any technical advisors. This might have made for some enjoyable fare if there weren't so many obvious technical goofs and downright stupid plot points. Examples: An army pilot is carrier qualified to fly the F-14. Battle sequences that any Quake player could execute better. An F-117A with a cargo bay to carry passengers! There are many more, but I think you get the point.

This movie is for someone who has absolutely no knowledge of the real world. I can usually suspend belief if the story is any good, but this one just stinks!

Daniel Baldwin, I hope you don't include this turd on your resume because it's a career killer! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

tricks of the trade
ACTIVE STEALTH stars Daniel Baldwin, Fred Williamson, and Hannes Jaenicke (sp.?) in a standard rescue-mission action flick. Soldiers fly in a "modified" Stealth fighter to save their comrade, held prisoner by a Central American drug lord. Watching the DVD the first time, the movie held my interest, and I thought it was average fare--entertaining but not memorable.

I watched the DVD again with commentary by director Fred Olen Ray, and it was a blast. Ray is a hoot. His comments give all kinds of insight into how the movie was made. He introduces actors, and explains how shots are usually set up and executed. He explains special effects. Ray tells what it cost to rent the plane, and how the crew created "smoke" blowing past the actors in a few scenes (a worker blowing pipe smoke at them, actually).

Throughout the commentary, Fred is entertaining. If you've ever wondered how a B-movie gets made, ACTIVE STEALTH is for you.

I give the movie 3 stars, and the DVD 5 stars. Split the difference, and the ACTIVE STEALTH DVD gets 4 stars.

This is so innaccurate!
This movie was a real loser. It is so innaccurate. "Rangers assulting a target in broad daylight with standard issue M-16's an M9's with no silencers or scopes. Most Rangers would use an M-4 or an MP5. No face paint, no stealth at all. Also, what Army unit flys a news crew style helicopter to pickup Rangers in the middle of South America? It should have been a Blackhwawk or a Huey gunship with AH-64 Apache air support.
The capabibility to shoot of these "Rangers" is terrible too. At little more than 100 feet they empty an entire clip and hit nothing but air.
The worst part of the movie was Army pilots flying an Air Force F-117 TWO SEATER WITH A CARGO BAY? NO NO NO!! It is a 1 man AIR FORCE, stealth bomber. Also Army pilots "carrier qualified" and F-14 qualified? No.
No. This movie was terrible, do not rent or buy it.

Horrible! Don't even rent it!!!
First of all, the movie/plot description on the DVD clamshell is so inaccurate that I wondered if I had received the wrong DVD. Example: The plot description states that a new Army (?) Stealth aircraft" has been stolen, so some special forces rangers are to lead an AH-64 Apache Squadron to bring the Stealth back to U.S. hands. Fine. BUT, there were NO AH-64's in the movie at all. AND, since when does the Army develop fixed-wing aircraft these days? Rangers in dire need of haircuts with no body armour going into battle? USAF/Army pilots that are carrier qualified to fly F-14s?
This movie is so technically inaccurate that it was frustrating. Very rarely do you see any of the actors (good or bad) actually aim there weapons when firing. Horrible acting, horrible technical advising (if there was any), lousy plot...I can go on and on. WARNING!: Don't be fooled by the DVD cover!!!!

short but sweet
This movie shows that with some team work anything can happen, even if you get killed in the process you did what you could to make a difference in the world. This movie was short but it a good movie.

What were they thinking??
The budget for this movie obviously didn't include any technical advisors. This might have made for some enjoyable fare if there weren't so many obvious technical goofs and downright stupid plot points. Examples: An army pilot is carrier qualified to fly the F-14. Battle sequences that any Quake player could execute better. An F-117A with a cargo bay to carry passengers! There are many more, but I think you get the point.

This movie is for someone who has absolutely no knowledge of the real world. I can usually suspend belief if the story is any good, but this one just stinks!

Daniel Baldwin, I hope you don't include this turd on your resume because it's a career killer! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Just Shoot Me!
The title indicates a genre populated by movies such as "Armageddon" (seriously funny Bruce Willis) or "Deep Impact" (straight to the end of the World - almost). Well, only the title could indicate quality. The characters are cast in a grey, two-dimensional plot which offers nothing but repeated yawns. I actually didn't manage to view through in one night. As for technical quality on DVD: Forget it!

NOT RECCOMENDED
DO NOT CONFUSE THIS MOVIE WITH ONE BY THE SAME NAME ABOUT THE END TIMES. IT IS NOT THE SAME MOVIE. NOT A GOOD MOVIE, NO POINT TO IT.

You Have Got To Be Kidding!
Mindless, numbing garbage -- plain and simple. Don't get ripped off by wasting money on this completely ridiculous FLIM!

Possibly the Worst Sci-Fi Movie Ever Made!
A worthless plot combine with truly awful acting in the dazzling rendition of mindlessness. If I had anything to do with this ridiculous waste of celluloid I would shoot myself. It gets 1 star mainly because there is no selection for "zero". Pass this one up unless you need something to wedge a table leg.

ONE STAR IS TOO MUCH
I am a huge Sandra Berhard fan, but honey, this is the worst movie ever! Sandra is terribly miscast as a spaceship captain, and Laura San Giacomo is a horrible mess as a Shakespeare crazed computer terrorist. This is blackmail material for all involved! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

tricks of the trade
ACTIVE STEALTH stars Daniel Baldwin, Fred Williamson, and Hannes Jaenicke (sp.?) in a standard rescue-mission action flick. Soldiers fly in a "modified" Stealth fighter to save their comrade, held prisoner by a Central American drug lord. Watching the DVD the first time, the movie held my interest, and I thought it was average fare--entertaining but not memorable.

I watched the DVD again with commentary by director Fred Olen Ray, and it was a blast. Ray is a hoot. His comments give all kinds of insight into how the movie was made. He introduces actors, and explains how shots are usually set up and executed. He explains special effects. Ray tells what it cost to rent the plane, and how the crew created "smoke" blowing past the actors in a few scenes (a worker blowing pipe smoke at them, actually).

Throughout the commentary, Fred is entertaining. If you've ever wondered how a B-movie gets made, ACTIVE STEALTH is for you.

I give the movie 3 stars, and the DVD 5 stars. Split the difference, and the ACTIVE STEALTH DVD gets 4 stars.

This is so innaccurate!
This movie was a real loser. It is so innaccurate. "Rangers assulting a target in broad daylight with standard issue M-16's an M9's with no silencers or scopes. Most Rangers would use an M-4 or an MP5. No face paint, no stealth at all. Also, what Army unit flys a news crew style helicopter to pickup Rangers in the middle of South America? It should have been a Blackhwawk or a Huey gunship with AH-64 Apache air support.
The capabibility to shoot of these "Rangers" is terrible too. At little more than 100 feet they empty an entire clip and hit nothing but air.
The worst part of the movie was Army pilots flying an Air Force F-117 TWO SEATER WITH A CARGO BAY? NO NO NO!! It is a 1 man AIR FORCE, stealth bomber. Also Army pilots "carrier qualified" and F-14 qualified? No.
No. This movie was terrible, do not rent or buy it.

Horrible! Don't even rent it!!!
First of all, the movie/plot description on the DVD clamshell is so inaccurate that I wondered if I had received the wrong DVD. Example: The plot description states that a new Army (?) Stealth aircraft" has been stolen, so some special forces rangers are to lead an AH-64 Apache Squadron to bring the Stealth back to U.S. hands. Fine. BUT, there were NO AH-64's in the movie at all. AND, since when does the Army develop fixed-wing aircraft these days? Rangers in dire need of haircuts with no body armour going into battle? USAF/Army pilots that are carrier qualified to fly F-14s?
This movie is so technically inaccurate that it was frustrating. Very rarely do you see any of the actors (good or bad) actually aim there weapons when firing. Horrible acting, horrible technical advising (if there was any), lousy plot...I can go on and on. WARNING!: Don't be fooled by the DVD cover!!!!

short but sweet
This movie shows that with some team work anything can happen, even if you get killed in the process you did what you could to make a difference in the world. This movie was short but it a good movie.

What were they thinking??
The budget for this movie obviously didn't include any technical advisors. This might have made for some enjoyable fare if there weren't so many obvious technical goofs and downright stupid plot points. Examples: An army pilot is carrier qualified to fly the F-14. Battle sequences that any Quake player could execute better. An F-117A with a cargo bay to carry passengers! There are many more, but I think you get the point.

This movie is for someone who has absolutely no knowledge of the real world. I can usually suspend belief if the story is any good, but this one just stinks!

Daniel Baldwin, I hope you don't include this turd on your resume because it's a career killer! ... Read more