Description

Based on Tom Clancy's bestseller, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard) and starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER sweats with high-tech anxiety and the tension of men who hold Doomsday in their hands.A new technologically-superior Soviet nuclear sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast under the command of Captain Marko Ramius (Connery).The American government thinks Ramius is planning to attack.A lone CIA analyst (Baldwin) has a different idea: he thinks Ramius is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find him and prove it - because the entire Russian naval and air commands are trying to find him, too.The hunt is on! ... Read more

Reviews (157)

Fantastic adaption of Clancy's novel
A first-rate thriller that provides the goods again and again. Excellent cast, good direction (the almost always reliable McTiernan--see "Last Action Hero" for the only real blemish on his record), plenty of suspense and thrills. There are a few differences between the novel and the film, but only purists will quibble about that. And yes, Scotsman Connery plays a Lithuanian, but he does it well, and as always, brings a touch of class to the role. I despise Alec Baldwin, but he's perfect as Ryan--the right age and look combined with the proper mix of guile, humility, and cockiness. The film also boasts an excellent supporting cast, with kudos to Sam Neill, Richard Jordan, and Courtney Vance for their performances. Scott Glenn and James Earl Jones are also solid in their roles. The occasional "technobabble" and military talk may confuse those unfamiliar with such terms, but it doesn't detract from the plot or action--in other words, you can still understand and follow the film even if you don't understand the terminology. The DVD features no extras of note, unfortunately, but the transfer quality--while a bit off-color at times--is still far better than VHS, and those of you with home theaters BEWARE--the sound quality (5.1 Surround) is frighteningly good at times (is that torpedo in your living room, or on the screen?!?). A so-so disc, but an incredible, intelligent thriller that's worth buying in any format.

Decent film; terrible DVD
"The Hunt for Red October" is a smart, tightly directed adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel of the same name. It's probably one of the more entertaining submarine movies (if you'll buy into the genre). There are some wonderful performances (especially by Joss Ackland, Courtney B. Vance, and the late Richard Jordan) as well as some inspired casting (most notably Tim "Dr. Frank-N-Furter" Curry as Dr. Petrov). While this film is certainly no "Das Boot," it is highly entertaining for all of its 134 minutes.
However, as an avid collector of DVDs and laser discs, this is perhaps the worst video transfer I have ever seen. In fact, I've seen Chinese bootleg copies of other films that have been superior in terms of video quality. For example: In the opening sequence there is a great deal of dust and dirt on the screen - like you're in a third-rate theater watching the film after it has been showing for about a month and a half. Another example: There is an important interior scene on the USS Dallas that features a wonderfully acted and written interplay between Seaman Jones (Vance) and Seaman Beaumont (Ned Vaughn). However, each shot of Jones is inexplicably awash with so much video noise that it completely distracts from the performances.
Why Paramount would neglect such a film is beyond me. The other huge disapointment on this disc is the complete lack of any extras. This disc is a complete bust. Frankly, I hope that another edition is released out of respect to this worthy film.

The best of the Jack Ryan film series.
Based on Tom Clancy's 1984 novel of the same title, "The Hunt for Red October" is the first Jack Ryan adventure on film. Although I like Harrison Ford better in the role of Jack Ryan than either Alec Baldwin or Ben Affleck, "Red October" is the best of the Ryan films partly because of the script, but largely because of the ensemble cast including Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Earl Jones and, of course, Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius, the Lithuanian-born commanding officer on the Soviet nuclear submarine Red October who seeks to defect to the United States. Tension builds as Ramius and the Red October move closer to U.S. waters with the Soviet Navy in pursuit and U.S. forces unsure of Ramius' true intentions. "The Hunt for Red October" is a taut thriller, an excellent movie based on a modern masterpiece of a novel, and I fully recommend it.

One of the best movies you will ever see
Tom Clancy is a master writer. His books are amazing thrillers and the moives haven't been that bad either. This is the best of all the Tom Clancy books that have been made into moives and is one of the best book adaptations ever.

Captian Ramius(Connery) is the best the Soviet fleet has to offer. He's trained most of it and he's now in charge of a new Soviet sub. This sub has a new drive system that runs silent meaning it can't be detected by other subs sonars. After Ramius writes a letter to the Soviet Naval command the search is on. They alert the Americans saying Ramius and his crew has gone mad.

The Hunt for The Red October is on. The U.S. can't play around on this idea because the October could park in any U.S. bay and launch hundreds of Nuclear missiles. Jack Ryan(Baldwin) is a CIA Operative that gets selected to help with this mission. He's met Ramius before and doesn't believe that the man wants to harm the U.S. He believes that Ramius wants to defect along with his officers to the U.S., but he's not sure how Ramius is planning to do it. He now has only a couple of hours to prove the intentions of Ramius and save the ship before the U.S. or Soviet fleets find it and sink her.

All the actors are fantastic in the movie. Alec Baldwin is Jack Ryan is flawless. He played the role to perfection and it's the best movie he's ever made. Sean Connery is the man. Instead of killing Soviets he plays one to perfection in this moive. I love his accent and I though he did a great job of faking it. I loved Sam Neil in the moive. His character Vasily has always been one of my favorites because of his loyalty to Ramius. One of Neils best performances. Tim Curry is good as the weasal Soviet doctor. He plays a weasal better than anybody else. James Earl Jones is himself in this movie and like Connery is just the man. I also like Courtney Vance as 2nd Petty Officer Jones. He gives one of the most memorable performances of the movie. This is an all star cast and everybody is fantastic.

John Mctiernan is one of the best directors in Hollywood. He was one of the biggest when this moive was done with hit titles under his belt like Die Hard and Predator. He can make a good action thriller and this is one of the best ones ever made.

The cinematography is great in the film. You feel like your on real naval ships. The uniforms are authenic on both fleets. The sound is fantastic. This is such a well made movie and the is the movie that all submarine movies should stive to look like.

This is such a good movie. It's made to perfection with a great cast, well made, awesome score, and is just flawless. If you want to sit down and watch a good action thriller than this is it. You will struggle to find a better made movie than this.

Best of the Series
Though I have to admit that I prefered Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, I'll have to give THFRO the nod for the best in the series. The show's brilliant. Brilliant script that is well executed by wonderful acting. Sean Connery's the man. Can't imagine anyone else playing Ramius. Baldwin did a wonderful job playing Ryan. His best role till date. Would have been greeat to have seen him develop the character in the sequels. And furthermore, James Earl Jones aka the voice of Darth Vader makes his presence in all 3 movies felt though his air time's brief. His presence was greatly missed in The Sum of All Fears.

If the studios are planning another Jack Ryan movie..... please get rid of Affleckand bring back Baldwin. ... Read more

Description

Charlie Sheen is a fearless cop, who goes undercover inorder to infiltrate a notorious motorcycle gang, in this film based on atrue story.He soon finds a new outlaw persona taking hold of him andrisks destroying himself by getting too close to the evil he has swornto fight. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

decent movie based on a true story
This is probably the best biker gang-action movie. That's not saying a whole lot because most biker movies are kind of stupid. This one is a true story so it kind of makes this one more interesting. Michael Madsen is one of my favorite actors and he makes this movie worth watching as the leader of the biker gang. Dennis Berkley fits in perfect as one of the gang members. I wasn't too impressed with Charlie Sheen, though. His acting ability ranges somewhere between Erik Estrada and a turkey baster. He's just not my idea of an action hero. They should have got someone like William Forsythe to play the part of the undercover guy. He played a good biker gang member in Stone Cold. Beyond the Law is worth two hours of your time if you can overlook Charlie's bad acting and cheesey dialog.

A great all around movie
The first time I saw "Beyond The Law" I didn't pay enough attention to it to understand it so I didn't see what all the fuss was about. After I watched it a few more times while I was visiting my family in Texas, I realized why everybody was bragging about it all the time. Charlie Sheen is an undercover cop surveying a biker gang by becoming one of the crew and gaining the respect of even the leader of the bikers.

If you watch the movie and pay attention to the whole thing, you'll find out that this is a great all around movie in every respect. It has good suspense, action, and best of all great acting. It's one of Charlie Sheen's best movies, if not his best, and one of the best movies to own for anybody if you ask me.

Great Performances
This film took my breath away when I saw it almost 10 years ago, and still does to this day. Charlie Sheen pulls off an excellent performance as Dan Saxon, and Michael Madsen does one of the best performances of his career as the down and dirty Blood. This movie is on my top 10 of all time list, and with very good reason. The grittyness of the times and situation were captured perfectly with this film. It's an absolute must see.

Good True Story
This is a good movie based on a true story. Charlie sheen is thrown into an undercover situation with very little training - two people could blow his cover at any time. Some might find the bike-building scene as a distraction, but I liked it. I think the portrait of some of the nuances of biker groups was rich in detail. Only complaint is that the biker "babes" in the movie were not accurate. Come on we all know biker babes are hot (my Mom is a biker babe) but the ones in the movie were - let's say, "lacking". Another non-intended comic point was the redneck bar scene. Charlie storms into a bar filled with "the meanest rednecks you ever seen" and they are all wearing pressed oxfords and loafers. But maybe that's the way rednecks dress in AZ? Charlie plays this multi-dimensional character very well. Overall, a good story well told.

Fixing the Shadow
Released here in Australia under the more 'spiritual' title "Fixing the Shadow", this film, based on a true story, deals with an undercover cop (Sheen) who verges on the suicidal. His pain stems from the confrontation he had with his cop-step-father who abused him as a child.

Sheen, encountering an Apache, learns the tale of someone who 'lost their shadow.' Thus, as Sheen goes undercover, he must confront his fears in order to be restored whole.

You can bear this in mind, otherwise this would just be another biker film. ... Read more

Description

Featuring an all-star cast headed by Laurence Fishburne, fireballs of high speed air action explode off the screen in this exciting story of the "Fighting 99th," the first squadron of black American pilots to be allowed to fight for their country. Based on the true story. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Excellent portrayal of courage regardless of race.
This is an inspiring movie about how African-American pilots overcame great odds on and off the battlefield. I have seen many war movies and this is one of the best, especially since it is based on a true story. Until I saw this movie, I wasn't aware of the great achievements of these pilots during WWII. This movie is definitely a testimony to the fact that courage is not dependent upon a person's color.

American History at its very best
The story of the magnificent 332nd Fighter Group is woven into a dramatic tapestry of the horror of war and the disjointed approach of many Americans to a difficult time and a situation many would have preferred to ignore. The performance of the pilots who graduated the Tuskegee Training Program (they NEVER lost an escorted bomber to enemy action!) unfolds against the backdrop of misunderstanding, racism and political machinations that nearly destroyed the entire enterprise. This film does a magnificent job of telling the tale without being melodramatic, preachy or snide, but does full justice to the accomplishments of the pilots and their eventual victory against both German pilots and their own nation's refusal to recognize their talents. For the student of World War II, this is a well-known and much-respected story. For the student of African-American History, it is a tale of pride which shines as brightly as the stars on the American Flag these men so courageously defended. Fishburn and Cuba Gooding are superior as men caught between their own humanity and the de-humanizing effects of war. If ever a film deserve a 5-Star rating, this one does.

Outstanding film about outstanding men! Long overdue!
This film is long overdue! The Tuskegee Airmen were one of the bravest groups of men to ever grace the uniformed services. They fought so much than just the "official" enemy. They fought racism on levels that most of us can never comprehend. Imagine the stress they must have been under at all times. Yet, they still took a stand for their country and changed things for all of us, regardless of race. These men have been so under-appreciated by the country, and especially by our home state, Alabama.

This movie should be incorporated into every Alabama history class in the state and every American hstory class in the country. It is an outstanding movie about an outstanding group of men. Every American should own it!

Note: In spite of what others may feel about the bravery and "kill counts" of the German fliers, the 332nd never lost a bomber that they were assigned to escort and even saved a few that they were not assigned to escort! Talk is cheap when there is documented proof! The Tuskegee Airmen rocked!

Outstanding!... But Could've Been Better
I was thrilled to hear about the coming of this movie--then saddened to realize that it was only to be shown as a TV movie. It seemed to me that the saga of these marvelous aviator warriors--treated as they were as second-class citizens by their own government--is one which deserved to be a silver-screen triumph. Our four-engine bombers were being punched out of the sky by the Luftwaffe, but NEVER when the Tuskegee pilots graced their wingtips. Their combat record was nothing short of amazing. The movie was well done, with great story, great actors, great acting. Still, I came away wishing that it might have been better in one respect: During the aerial combat segments, you hear the pilots bantering back and forth loudly over the radios using these rediculous phrases: "Take that, Gerry!" "That's for yo mamma, Gerry!" This was such a great movie; why did they have to dip into corny dialogue during the dog-fighting? It was a flawless procduction till it went hackneyed in those moments.
Aside from that, it was awe-inspiring, moving, even gripping. I just hope the subject is not dropped, and that someday the Tuskegee heroes' story is given even better homage--on the silver screen. This is a far more important story than, say, the sinking of the Titanic.

Proud of these heroes
I'm a white 64 year old Air Force veteran. Watching these heroes of WWII in dedicated, valorous performance, who never lost a bomber to the Nazis, brought tears and pride from me for them. For those still on the ground and for those still "On Patrol", thank you! ... Read more

Reviews (78)

Realism - but not truth
This is a very realistic movie about the combat experience at Hamburger Hill. It will probably become to Vietnam what "Battleground" has become to the Battle of the Bulge -- a classic, a very realistic portrayal of the experience, conveyed via fictitious characters.

But the biggest difference in the selling of "Hamburger Hill" from "Battleground" is that the promotional text for "Hamburger Hill" tells us "The most realistic portrayal of the Vietnam War ever filmed. Because it is the only one that's true." And yet when the small print rolls at the end of the movie, we see that these characters in the squad are entirely fictitious and not to be confused with anyone who actually ever lived -- and died.

This is not a minor point. We need to know what is fact and what is fiction. If we allow Hollywood "truth" to inform our decisions at the expense of real truth, then real truth is going to grab us by our tender parts someday, and we are going to be shocked to realize that we were off in some in-our-head fantasy that kept us from knowing the truth.

There were real men, with real names and probably not so Hollywood-viable lives in that squad. Perhaps someone someday will tell us their real story.

So, I do recommend this movie -- highly so. What is told here needs telling -- and thinking about. But please do not tell us it is the truth: keep the line between fact and fiction clear, or we will all suffer for it eventually.

The toughest movie about the Vietnam War
"Full Metal Jacket" and "Platoon" are probably better movies ABOUT the war in Viet Nam - this is one of the only movies IN the War. Other reviewers have referred to a lack of plot; they're right. This is not a tale, it's a chronicle, a portrait of a series of events and of the men who lived them. Every soldier who went to war and survived two or more battles will see Truth in this movie - especially the truth that brotherhood is the only explanation for surviving combat. Those who do not assume responsibility, who do not recognize the job to be done and do it do not survive, let alone prevail. Hill 937 was one of those places where the 101st made their names to shine, and the sergeant's warning to the reporter could be the division's watchword: get out of here - you haven't earned the right to be here. "Hamburger Hill" shows soldiers earning their right, and that's enough.

"The battle of every war cliche in existence"
This is a sucker's movie. We're supposed to retire our minds and emotionally offer our feelings and hearts on a platter to whatever happens on the screen.

Goodness! Combat is SO dirty and muddy. Isn't that just so squalid. Nice that no one gets sick and the guns work, isn't it?

My, my! They are having such fun with the always so cute, hot and cold running Vietnamese whores. And unlimited beer available with the brothel, out there in the 'boonies.

Oh, dear! Racial tensions, fights (that the Blacks always pick and always win)... but really-we-hang-together-and-value-one-another-when-it-counts. Because after all we're all really victims of the System and the Man.

Right, sure! The attack makes no sense and we know it doesn't and they are cutting us to pieces and killing us all, but somehow we are going to keep attacking and we care and we are going to win and get that hill, not for the officers or the Army but for ourselves and as a point of pride to honor our dead....yet remember brothers to chant "it don't mean a thang."

No worries. We take no special precautions or security out of the line, have no problems with mines and booby traps, and none of the local Vietnamese seem actually to be VC. Kind of like we're doing grown-ups camping. And we're to believe this works for them?.

Yeah, right! Officers, command structure, regs, training, supply, rotations, Army, etc. are all invisible. It's just us EMs messin' around and having a set of peer group interactions.

"Realistic." Sure! No interfaces with the ARVNs, civil authorities, US civilian and paramilitry programs. It's us and a shadowly enemy that we sporadically fight.

Makes sense? Our medic is a fruitcake, an ideologue, and a whiner; but we all forgive him and actually love him because he's there when it counts. And despite being a self-pitying, racist, Section 8 case does a wonderful, competent, courageous job for us in combat.

And somehow we're fighting in the rainy season, to take a hill, trying to climb almost straight up, and without artillery or aircraft fire support being any use (except for the predictible cliche - it kills some of US from time to time). This is not how any infantry works -- and for sure not the casualty-shy, lazy, and keep-the-fight-at-a-distance U. S. Army.

I FEEL a lot. But I try to anchor it in realities, not the shoddy schlock that this movie represents. It's trying to emotionally goose the audience. Characters, plot, and anything else that might have made it more than a few good special effects shots were clearly beyound the capacities of the people responsible for this mess.

Good
Not as flashy or over-the-top as some other war films, 'Hamburger Hill' is still a solid and worth the watch. What keeps the movie together is the character study and racial tension between the American soldiers. The plot is very thin, but the movie is done well.

Best of a short list
As a Marine combat veteran with almost three years in Viet Nam, I know this was the best movie made about the war of the top three movies made in the 80s about Viet Nam (four if you count Apocalypse Now Redux - more of a psychedelic view of the war rather than reality). Hamburger Hill shows Grunts at the various stages of their tour in country, the individuals and their wants and desires, and how they died.

By comparison, Platoon was good, but with a typical Stone political bent and philosoiphical ending. Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket was just plain poor, with a typical left-wing view about something Kubrick obviously knew very little. The best part of that movie was the boot camp section and only then because the DI, Lee Ermey, had been a real Marine DI.

Hamburger Hill was factual and the various actors played their parts with the guts and truism that many in Hollywood fail to produce (ala Sheen in Platoon).

Hamburger Hill is a solid war movie in general, a solid Viet Nam movie in particular and one that deserved much more credit than it received. Two thumbs up... ... Read more

Reviews (31)

True story of hope.
While about the only inner city experience I had was working in Buffalo for a couple of months, I did enjoy this movie. If you didn't catch it in the opening, it is based on a true story, and that in and of itself is an awesome testimony of hope. I think that Louanne Johnson would ask for no sympathy being a former Marine. I remember seeing this movie the year after I graduated and enjoying the song, "Gangsta's Paradise" by rapper, Coolio. It was a major status symbol that made this movie great. That was almost 10 years ago. Today, I find myself having a major problem with that song. Listen to the lyrics closely enough, and it appears that Coolio is plain feeling sorry for himself, bathing himself in self pity. That, in my opinion, contradicts the movie by saying, "I am nothing more than a victim of circumstances." Boo-hoo-hoo!! I don't know how many jobs I've been fired from, only to dust myself off and get another one. You are only a victim if you make yourself a victim.

Michelle Pfeiffer played an awesome role, the encourager. You take a close look at the role of Courtney Vance as the principal, the one who wants you to knock before entering and you can't help but ask a simple question, "Is he a prick, or a piller of society?" He almost falls into a neutral category for me because of who he is, and his definition of tough love is not something everyone agrees with. It isn't everyday I'd give a movie of this nature a 5 star, but it is an exception.

THESE MINDS AREN'T DANGEROUS THEIR JUST NOT AT ALL APPEALING
Michelle Pfeiffer who is very talented and very beautiful failed to move me here as an ex-marine who becomes an English Teacher at an tough inner-city school where she confronts freaks and viloent students who don't want to learn. The message here is the fact that kids who are mouthy and think that they are tough have a right to do what they want, kind of stupid to see this film now and think it would actually make an impact on today's youth, with it's bland and unbelivable wish fullfilment. I don't see how poetry can tame tough,restive delinquents. Half hour into the film you will feel dissallusined on why you rented this video, and by the end you will throw the VCR or DVD out the window with the movie follwing behind it. Now that's a dangerous mind.

DANGEROUSLY INSPIRING
Definitely a must see movie. "rage rage against the dying of the light" WOW. Every black and latino person must see this movie and understand how the ghetto life is affecting us and adapt some skills to make it a better place. I absorbed the lessons in the movie.

Wonderful
Michelle Pfeiffer stars in this wondrful movie about a ex-marine who desperatly wants to teach, so takes on the job of teaching a group of troubled teenagers. As time progresses, the teacher starts to learn that the only way to get the children to understand what she wants them to, is to reward them after they do what she asks.

GREAT Movie
This movies is so good that everybody should at least watch it once or twice. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Not Twain's Huck, but lively and charming
Once you accept that Elijah Wood is several years too young for the role AND playing both Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn simultaneously (Tom is left out of the movie, but some of his character and the incident of his being shot remains), he does a bang-up job with the part and is surrounded by enough good character actors to bring off a plausible Classics Illustrated version of the great American novel. Certainly it moves at a fast pace, and does not shy away from some ugly scenes showing Pap's murderously abusive behavior, the tragic and pointless feud, and the sheer nastiness of the King and Duke. The race issue is glossed over much too easily - all Huck needs is a kind little heart to get beyond the prejudices of his entire society, and his new-found perspective seems to spread far too easily to everyone in his life. But this is Disney, so perhaps a full development of Twain's themes is hardly to be expected. Enjoy it for the colorful characters and for Wood's lively and charming performance as Huck.

One of the greatest movies ever made!
Elijah Wood plays Huckleberry Finn, a young boy growing up in the pre-Civil War South. Huck's father is a drunken troublemaker, and is rarely around. The boy has been taken in by two kindly old women who are trying their best to civilize him, but aren't having an easy time of it. Huck lives for freedom and adventure, and the river is constantly calling his name. His best friend is a slave named Jim (Courtney B. Vance), and the two look out for each other, more-so with every passing day. When Huck's father Pap returns for the boy one night, having heard that he's inherited a nice some of money (for those days), the boy is desperate to escape. Trapped and left alone the next day in his father's run-down cabin, Huck escapes and fakes his own "murder." He takes a boat to Jackson's Island, where no one lives and hardly anyone visits, and there he runs into his old friend Jim! The two best friends go swimming, fishing, and have a generally great time, when Jim tells Huck that he's run away and is planning to head down river and then up to the free states. After a personal struggle with the idea of playing abolitionist, a dangerous thing to do, Huck agrees to help his friend escape slavery. The two soon find themselves heading down the river, but at a faster pace than they had expected. They have discovered that Jim is wanted not only for being a runaway, but also for being Huck's "murderer." Huck and Jim have several interesting experiences throughout their journey, including getting mixed up in a tragic family feud, nearly getting caught several times, and teaming up with a pair of con artists known as the King and the Duke (played wonderfully by Jason Robards and Robbie Coltrane). It's here where they meet three lovely sisters (Anne Heche, Laura Bundy, and a young, and very cute Renee O'Connor) and decide to help the girls at their own risk, rather than go on with the cruel scam they were being forced to act out by the two conmen.
I'm soooo happy this wonderful film has come to DVD. This is a perfect film in so many respects. The casting is perfect, the camera work is gorgeous, and the spirit of adventure, friendship, drama, and fun is portrayed perfectly in every scene. True, this is not very similar to the book, Tom Sawyer isn't even mentioned. For a perfect interpretation of the book in the form of a wonderful film you need to get the version starring Patrick Day, which is only on VHS right now as far as I know. You'll want to get the 2 tape version if you can find it, rather than the edited 1 tape version. But while I love the Patrick Day version, this one is by far my favorite. It captures everything I feel a Huck film should, in a shorter, more exciting and to the point story than the book tells. True, it's been Disney-fied, but being a Disney fanatic, I don't mind at all. My feeling is they usually improve the stories they take on. This film is loaded with adventure and friendship, which is the main reason I'm such a Tom and Huck fan, and Elijah Wood really shines in the starring role. His chemistry with Courtney B. Vance is perfect! I had nearly worn my VHS out by the time this film came to DVD. The extras are nice, but there aren't THAT many. It could have delivered more in that department. But remember that this is a Disney DVD, and one they seem to have given low priority, so I'm just glad it's been released on DVD and has any extras at all. My favorite film of all time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was given zero extras, and Hocus Pocus, another fave, also had none if I recall correctly. Anyway, I definitely recommend this film for families, Tom and Huck fans, and just pretty much everybody! It's a perfect movie for a rainy Saturday night, baking something sweet and cuddling with someone special.

He's GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!
With his bulbous blue eyes, sculpted cheeks, full lips and cleft chin Elijah Wood looks just like a Botticelli cherub on the loose down Mark Twain's river. The spirit of the novel is captured in full in this story of a self-sufficient boy in 1840's Missouri who forsakes all conventionality to travel southward with his friend, a grown runaway slave who strives for freedom and the chance to buy his wife and children who've been sold elsewhere away from him. In the course of their adventures, which Huck (Wood) narrates so well one feels he's truly and personally speaking to you, they find themselves in the midst of a robbery, in the center of a family feud; Huck goes into girlish drag to steal necessities out from under a suspicious housewife's nose, and, with a pair of con men they meet along the way, they get sucked into becoming core players in a scam to swindle three bereaved daughters out of their inheritance, then facing an angry mob foaming for justice when the truth is revealed.

Elijah Wood brilliantly portrays the lead, bringing to life one of history's most beloved characters and clearly transmitting all the earthy playfulness, confidence, determination, independence, and warmth Twain's Huck Finn possessed, made even more delightful by his rare combination of uncommon Baroque-style beauty and modern puppyish cuteness. Courtney Vance is jovial and friendly as the spirited Jim, and Robbie Coltrane and Jason Robards are comically devious as the scheming 'Duke' and 'King'. The scenery, plantation houses, river boats and banks, busy docks, and woods are all picturesque, visually authentic sights to behold.

The movie does differ from the book in that Tom Sawyer is completely cut from the story, only making perhaps a brief appearance as one of the boys cheering the opening scene fight between Huck and another lad. Therefore, the whole sequence with Tom at the end isn't performed. Also, the 'N-word', which was used liberally throughout the book, has been omitted to conform with current times, replaced always by the address of 'slave'. And, of course,(LOL)in the book Jim and Huck do most of their traveling together in the nude, and we sure as heck can't have THAT going on in a Disney film or in ANY film containing a minor for that matter!

Very good, cute movie!
I couldn't even tell you how many times I've rented and watched this movie! This has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid! I'll be watching this a whole heck of a lot more now that I own it. I think this movie would be good for anyone to watch!

OMG...ELIJAH WOOD IS THE CUTEST LITTLE THING!!!
OMG Elijah Wood is the CUTEST LITTLE THING!! You all HAVE to watch this. He does an EXCELLENT job i think; plus you just want to pinch his cheeks. You'll never look at Frodo Baggins the same. NEways, the movie is really cute, I almost cried, etc. Haven't read the book, so I can't compare them, but trust me, Mark Twain would've been proud. ... Read more

Description

In 1958, the members of Team Daedalus, a group of top Air Force test pilots, were ready to serve their country as the first Americans in space but were pushed aside. Now, as a Russian satellite fails and is about to crash into earth, Team Daedalus is back in action in a rescue mission. ... Read more

Reviews (138)

A pleasantly entertaining movie.
Originally, I had no burning desire to see this movie. However, after a couple of friends told me how good they thought it was, I decided I'd better go see it. I'm glad I did.

The byplay between Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones is reminiscent of that between Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in the ODD COUPLE movies. They just can't help but pick at each other. I think Donald Sutherland and James Garner could have had bigger roles in the movie (i.e., more lines), but they did a beautiful job with what they had.

The story in this movie was engaging. I found myself asking the same questions as the characters. The action and the comedy were both subtle and more effective for it. I think the strong point of this movie was its characters. They were all vivid and pretty well developed. Their motivations were easy to understand. The one shortcoming was that there was no emotional attachment to them and so one part of the climax didn't have the effect it should have.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable movie. If you're looking for a good laugh and a sense of wonder, this will definitely satisfy you. If you're looking for slap-bang action, go somewhere else.

Better with Age
Great story line, great gags, great characters, great visual effects. True. But a true gem to see 4 great actors of our time perform together quite possibly for the last time. Americans extend the hand of friendship to the Russians before the breakup of the USSR to repair the "only" communication satelite they have. But things dont go their way when truths begin to unfold some beginning on the ground but the most dramatic ones in orbit. Tommy Lee Jones and Donald Sutherland steal the movie with their trademark charismatic one liners. Enjoy it with a big bucket of buttered popcorn.

The Ripe Stuff
Maybe this would not have done as well if it had been called "The Ripe Stuff" but I think it would have been a great title for this one. It certainly brings back memories and shows what can be done when you take the best entertainment ideas and put them all together in a beautiful experience.

This movie makes for a fun evening. I would have loved for Hawk to have set up a tent and cooking fire on the moon but that would have spoiled it.

Not Bad.
'Space Cowboys' is a decent fiilm about aging astronauts traning to go back into space. The plot is a little silly, but one should treat it more like a science fiction film than a serious drama. The high point of the movie are the 4 veteran actors. The bring delight to the screen.

Not bad for a bunch of old guys!
This film was one of the few that I saw on the recommendation of my parents, who saw the movie in the theater. I then went to see it a week or so later. My dad told me the truth, as he always does- when it comes to his ratings on movies. I later bought this film on dvd. I've been told that older actors are having a hard time finding work these days. Well, in my opinion, it takes a movie like this one to prove that the old guys still can make a great movie. Hat's off to Clint Eastwood for making a killer movie! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The material used for this beautifully made HBO documentary dates back to the 1930s, when journalists conducted thousands of interviews with former slaves who'd been emancipated at the end of the Civil War. A selection of these faithfully transcribed "slave narratives" are vividly read (acted, really) here by a host of distinguished performers, ranging from Samuel L. Jackson to Oprah Winfrey, from Don Cheadle to Angela Bassett, with narration by Whoopi Goldberg. Since there's obviously no film available from the slave period, the producers use artfully edited photos, file footage, some atmospheric new film, and shots of the performers in action to bring the material to life. Add all of that to the DVD bonus features (text bios of individual slaves and a couple of lengthy audio segments), and you have a moving record of bitter, weary, yet resilient and quietly proud people living with memories that never would, or could, fade. --Sam Graham ... Read more

Amazon.com

Painted in mile-wide strokes of black satirical comedy, The LastSupper turns intolerance into a parlor trick, then repeats it ad nauseam incase we missed the joke. Still, redundancy can be fun when applied to thepremeditated murder of right-wing extremists by self-righteous left-wingzealots; director Stacy Title is an equal-opportunity offender, never takingsides. The grisly high jinks commence when a truck-driving, child-molesting,Hitler-loving ex-Marine (Bill Paxton, acing the role) is accidentally killedwhile dining with a clutch of snobby liberal grad students, played with uniformexcellence by Cameron Diaz (showing early promise), Ron Eldard, Courtney B.Vance, Annabeth Gish, and coproducer Jonathan Penner. Having acquired a tastefor blood, the wine-poisoning liberals stage "last suppers" with hand-pickedtargets (Charles Durning, Mark Harmon, Jason Alexander, and ultimately RonPerlman), eventually attracting a suspicious sheriff (fine work by SNLalumnus Nora Dunn). It's got all the subtlety of a pile-driver, but The LastSupper craftily defends free speech by exposing its most vicious violations.--Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Eat... drink... and be buried...
I loved this movie! It was original, surprising, funny, shocking...BRILLIANT - and the ending...its rare that a movie has such a neat ending! The story centers around 5 Liberal left winged grad students who enjoy getting together and having a meal, while discussing current events & political opinions w/ guests. But it turns into a dangerous game when they accidentally kill a racist dinner guest. (Played by Bill Paxton - what a switch from the roles he usually plays!!) After that, they began to invite over people, and if they don't agree w/ their beliefs, they poison them. Its sounds a little kooky but the way screenwriter Dan Rosen puts the story together is amazing.

I don't recommend this movie for younger viewers; just because I don't think they would understand it - you have to be familiar w/ Liberals vs. Conservatives, right wing vs. left wing, etc. to understand the movie. I loved each and every one of the characters esp. Courtney B. Vance and Cameron Diaz! (this was one of Miss Diaz's first movies) It has some awesome cameos too! (Jason Alexander from "Seinfeld" plays one of the victims) On top of all that the soundtrack is GREAT too (a lot KC & The Sunshine Band, and dance music) I recommend you pick this movie up...it's a wickedly amusing dark comedy that will have you laughing all night!

Want to see everyone "get their due?"
An entertaining weekend movie, though it has moments that make you feel like you are putting yourself through it!

Five liberal grad students' favorite activity is dinner with a stranger-they enjoy the copmany of a guest they disagree with, over one of Cori's homecooked meals. We begin the movie with the night that dinner went wrong. After a guest too conservative for the conservatives (it was later revealed that he was more evil that they imagined)is killed, they decide to save the world by eliminating hosts of ultra-conservative, prejudiced and/or ignorant people.

Naturally, everything unravels...after one ignorant guest finds their liberal opinions convincing, they get nervous and quickly convince him not to change his mind, hence another body in the back yard. The meals get simpler (the fancy meals shrivel up into unembellished white bread sandwiches), the garden becomes a jungle (each grave is covered with tomato plants, a cover-up), and the blood (and tomatoes!) is everywhere!

Yes, I am biased to recommend this. I love all the point-of-view shots and humor that makes fun of everyone from every view point. Yes it's funny-if not QUITE sick!

Liberal Vengence
This is an excellent movie that never really recieved much publicity when it came out. What this movie basically tries to depict what it would be like if a group of liberals decided to go to extreme measures to rid the world of outspoken right-wingers who's death (to coin a phrase) would make the world a better place in their eyes. It does not sound like something worth observing but a few years ago I just happened to catch it playing on a cable movie channel and I just couldn't stop watching it!

The movie starts with you introduction to the primary characters consisting of a group of liberal graduate students at Iowa State University. This group is played by Ron Eldard, Annabeth Gish, Jonathan Penner, a still relatively unknown Cameron Diaz, and the great character actor Courtney B. Vance. The story starts out on a stormy night while all but one of the students is watching T.V. and discussing the nonsense gloating of well known conservative Norman Arbuthnot (Ron Perlman). Then there is a knock on the door and upon answering it they find out that their other roommate's car had broken down and he had been brought home by a truckdriver named Zack (Bill Paxton). They decide to be polite and invite Zack in for dinner. Through the course of events they find out that Zack is an extreme right-winger and desert storm veteran (and argument waiting to happen). To make a long story short they get into a scuff wherein Zack breaks Pete's (Ron Eldard) arm and Marc (Jonathan Penner) in the heat of the moment stabs Zack in the back with a kitchen knife.

In the aftermath of this incident, they (as calmly as they could) decide that it is best to not mention this to anyone as the courts would probably side with Zack. So they bury Zack in the backyard and dump his pickup in the river. Well in the days after the incident, after much deep conversation about what happened (which we liberals tend to do), they start to think about whether what happened was actually a bad thing or not. (What if someone with enought motivation were to get rid of some of these dangerous right wing a** ho*es and in the process make the world a "better place")

So they basically form a plan to invite a different person for dinner and discussion every weekend that has extreme conservative views and try to change their minds about things through debate. And if the person cannot be persuaded, they kill them by giving them wine poisoned with arsenic. Thereby getting rid of a potentially dangerous person (A potential Hitler they call it) and making the world a better place.

So this is how the story gets started and how the suspense is wound up through the course of their plan. The people that they invite over are played by many well-known actors including Charles Durning, Mark Harmon, Jason Alexander(Seinfeld), and finally Ron Perlman's character himself. The story is suspensefull and gripping and also includes a lot of insitefull symbolizm. A definite must see for anyone liberal or conservative. It holds a special significance for me because I am an Iowa State grad student myself (note: I am not really sure that it was actually filmed in Ames, Iowa I really don't recognize any of the scenery shown in the movie). Let it be known that the extremedy of the political and social viewpoints presented by the characters in this film are not my viewpoints or beliefs. It is just a wonderful movie for all adults. See it, absorb it, love it!

Dark Humor at its best / original script
This is black comedy at its best. Stacy Title wrote an incredibly original script. The acting is amazing with a very young Cameron Diaz which Im not a huge fan of but this may be her best performance. Courtney Vance is great as usual & 1 of my favorite female actresses Annabeth Gish. Also Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) gives an hilarious performance as an extreme conservative right winger. The story 5 left wing liberal grad students in Iowa share a house together & every Sunday they have supper together discussing left wing politics /socialism & ways they can change the world. In short they come across a drifter truck driver (Bill Paxton) who comes to their door. They invite him in for the ritual supper & he turns out to be a fascist,mysoginistic hitler loving ex marine. In an argument with one of the hosts he breaks their arm. They stab him in the back killing him then they hide the body in their garden. Deciding this is the only way to make a difference they come up with an idea to start inviting known conservative right wingers for last suppers allowing them to plead their choice of political & social views. Like judge & jury if not up to agreement with the hosts a little poison goes in the right wingers wine. A very dark original indie film & script. One of my favorite dark satirical comedies.

A good movie I never remember hearing about

I rented this movie and was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it. The story was demented and there were a few laughs, mostly as the groups victims argued their opposing positions, not knowing they were literaly debating for their lives. "A toast..." *thud* The cast was excellent - Courtney B. Vance and Nora Dunn both get big thumbs up, while Ron Eldard's whining got on my nerves towards the (surprise) end. All in all, a pretty good movie. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Before Harrison Ford assumed the mantle of playing Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan hero in Patriot Games, Alec Baldwin took a swing at the character in this John McTiernan film and hit one to the fence. If less instantly sympathetic than Ford, Baldwin is in some respects more interesting and nuanced as Ryan, and drawing comparisons between both actors' performances can make for some interesting postmovie discussion. That aside, The Hunt for Red October stands alone as a uniquely exciting adventure with a fantastic costar: Sean Connery as a Russian nuclear submarine captain attempting to defect to the West on his ship. Ryan must figure out his true motives for approaching the U.S. McTiernan (Predator, Die Hard) made an exceptionally handsome movie here with action sequences that really do take one's breath away. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (157)

Fantastic adaption of Clancy's novel
A first-rate thriller that provides the goods again and again. Excellent cast, good direction (the almost always reliable McTiernan--see "Last Action Hero" for the only real blemish on his record), plenty of suspense and thrills. There are a few differences between the novel and the film, but only purists will quibble about that. And yes, Scotsman Connery plays a Lithuanian, but he does it well, and as always, brings a touch of class to the role. I despise Alec Baldwin, but he's perfect as Ryan--the right age and look combined with the proper mix of guile, humility, and cockiness. The film also boasts an excellent supporting cast, with kudos to Sam Neill, Richard Jordan, and Courtney Vance for their performances. Scott Glenn and James Earl Jones are also solid in their roles. The occasional "technobabble" and military talk may confuse those unfamiliar with such terms, but it doesn't detract from the plot or action--in other words, you can still understand and follow the film even if you don't understand the terminology. The DVD features no extras of note, unfortunately, but the transfer quality--while a bit off-color at times--is still far better than VHS, and those of you with home theaters BEWARE--the sound quality (5.1 Surround) is frighteningly good at times (is that torpedo in your living room, or on the screen?!?). A so-so disc, but an incredible, intelligent thriller that's worth buying in any format.

Decent film; terrible DVD
"The Hunt for Red October" is a smart, tightly directed adaptation of Tom Clancy's novel of the same name. It's probably one of the more entertaining submarine movies (if you'll buy into the genre). There are some wonderful performances (especially by Joss Ackland, Courtney B. Vance, and the late Richard Jordan) as well as some inspired casting (most notably Tim "Dr. Frank-N-Furter" Curry as Dr. Petrov). While this film is certainly no "Das Boot," it is highly entertaining for all of its 134 minutes.
However, as an avid collector of DVDs and laser discs, this is perhaps the worst video transfer I have ever seen. In fact, I've seen Chinese bootleg copies of other films that have been superior in terms of video quality. For example: In the opening sequence there is a great deal of dust and dirt on the screen - like you're in a third-rate theater watching the film after it has been showing for about a month and a half. Another example: There is an important interior scene on the USS Dallas that features a wonderfully acted and written interplay between Seaman Jones (Vance) and Seaman Beaumont (Ned Vaughn). However, each shot of Jones is inexplicably awash with so much video noise that it completely distracts from the performances.
Why Paramount would neglect such a film is beyond me. The other huge disapointment on this disc is the complete lack of any extras. This disc is a complete bust. Frankly, I hope that another edition is released out of respect to this worthy film.

The best of the Jack Ryan film series.
Based on Tom Clancy's 1984 novel of the same title, "The Hunt for Red October" is the first Jack Ryan adventure on film. Although I like Harrison Ford better in the role of Jack Ryan than either Alec Baldwin or Ben Affleck, "Red October" is the best of the Ryan films partly because of the script, but largely because of the ensemble cast including Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, Tim Curry, James Earl Jones and, of course, Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius, the Lithuanian-born commanding officer on the Soviet nuclear submarine Red October who seeks to defect to the United States. Tension builds as Ramius and the Red October move closer to U.S. waters with the Soviet Navy in pursuit and U.S. forces unsure of Ramius' true intentions. "The Hunt for Red October" is a taut thriller, an excellent movie based on a modern masterpiece of a novel, and I fully recommend it.

One of the best movies you will ever see
Tom Clancy is a master writer. His books are amazing thrillers and the moives haven't been that bad either. This is the best of all the Tom Clancy books that have been made into moives and is one of the best book adaptations ever.

Captian Ramius(Connery) is the best the Soviet fleet has to offer. He's trained most of it and he's now in charge of a new Soviet sub. This sub has a new drive system that runs silent meaning it can't be detected by other subs sonars. After Ramius writes a letter to the Soviet Naval command the search is on. They alert the Americans saying Ramius and his crew has gone mad.

The Hunt for The Red October is on. The U.S. can't play around on this idea because the October could park in any U.S. bay and launch hundreds of Nuclear missiles. Jack Ryan(Baldwin) is a CIA Operative that gets selected to help with this mission. He's met Ramius before and doesn't believe that the man wants to harm the U.S. He believes that Ramius wants to defect along with his officers to the U.S., but he's not sure how Ramius is planning to do it. He now has only a couple of hours to prove the intentions of Ramius and save the ship before the U.S. or Soviet fleets find it and sink her.

All the actors are fantastic in the movie. Alec Baldwin is Jack Ryan is flawless. He played the role to perfection and it's the best movie he's ever made. Sean Connery is the man. Instead of killing Soviets he plays one to perfection in this moive. I love his accent and I though he did a great job of faking it. I loved Sam Neil in the moive. His character Vasily has always been one of my favorites because of his loyalty to Ramius. One of Neils best performances. Tim Curry is good as the weasal Soviet doctor. He plays a weasal better than anybody else. James Earl Jones is himself in this movie and like Connery is just the man. I also like Courtney Vance as 2nd Petty Officer Jones. He gives one of the most memorable performances of the movie. This is an all star cast and everybody is fantastic.

John Mctiernan is one of the best directors in Hollywood. He was one of the biggest when this moive was done with hit titles under his belt like Die Hard and Predator. He can make a good action thriller and this is one of the best ones ever made.

The cinematography is great in the film. You feel like your on real naval ships. The uniforms are authenic on both fleets. The sound is fantastic. This is such a well made movie and the is the movie that all submarine movies should stive to look like.

This is such a good movie. It's made to perfection with a great cast, well made, awesome score, and is just flawless. If you want to sit down and watch a good action thriller than this is it. You will struggle to find a better made movie than this.

Best of the Series
Though I have to admit that I prefered Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, I'll have to give THFRO the nod for the best in the series. The show's brilliant. Brilliant script that is well executed by wonderful acting. Sean Connery's the man. Can't imagine anyone else playing Ramius. Baldwin did a wonderful job playing Ryan. His best role till date. Would have been greeat to have seen him develop the character in the sequels. And furthermore, James Earl Jones aka the voice of Darth Vader makes his presence in all 3 movies felt though his air time's brief. His presence was greatly missed in The Sum of All Fears.

If the studios are planning another Jack Ryan movie..... please get rid of Affleckand bring back Baldwin. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Food for the Soul....
This is a beautiful, spiritual movie filled with love, laughter and hope. All I have to say is...why did I wait five years to see it? This is truly a treasure and I am shocked to see there are so few reviews.

When you put Whitney Houston and Denzel Washington in the same movie, the sparks are going to fly. Denzel Washington is the "fine" Angel Dudley who is sent to earth to help a young minister see what is really important in life.

Courtney Vance plays the part of the minister who is loosing his church, his wife (Whitney Houston) and seems to have forgotten that family is the most important part of life. The Angel Dudley accidentally falls in love with"The Preacher's Wife!" The attraction is very innocent, but holds your attention for sure.

There are some movies which will capture your heart with the music and Whitney shines in this one! The gospel music is uplifting and inspiring and sets the tone for the entire movie. You will be getting out the tissues when she sings: "I Believe In You And Me." My cousin sang this to her husband at her wedding a few years ago and there was not a dry eye in the room. She is also the one who introduced me to this movie! Thank you Jewels!

The humor is laugh out loud funny and you will just love the minister's mother-in-law! There is great comedy, acting, storytelling and this is one of those movies the whole family can enjoy....(hint, hint...to movie makers everywhere!)

There are some movies you just have to own. This is one of them! If it wasn't so late tonight, I would have watched this movie again! A completely wonderful romantic comedy. If only they would make more movies like this one!

One of the best "feel good" family movies of all times
This movie is perhaps one of the best family films of all times. It is beautifully casted with Whitney Houston as "The Preacher's Wife" and Denzel "Dreamboat" Washington as Dudley the angel. The movie moves along smoothly and brilliantly. And there is such a good message in it. Definitely a film for the whole family to watch. The film gives you hope and you end up feeling really good about life. Give it a try, no disappointments here.

Great movie, and a much better remake.
Fine and uplifting remake has everything going for it. A great leading man (Denzel Washington) and a great cast of characters that will lift your sprits when you are down. Great support is giving by Courtney B. Vance and Whitney Houston, and the soundtrack by Miss Houston is simply amazing. See it, and let a smile come a cross your face.

Wonderful, heart-warming movie!
Great story, great characters, great music! This is one of those films you'll watch over and over again.

A Heart-Filled Christmas Movie!
Another Christmas must-have for the family. It a film about a misguided preacher who gets guidance from a gardinan angel who helps him, his church and his family have faith again. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Dedicated fans of Robert Altman will want to check out this drowsySouthern comedy, which is shot through with the director's feel for location and his musical sense of storytelling. Non-Altman fanatics might want to tread more carefully. Cookie's Fortune begins beautifully, as handyman Willis (Charles S. Dutton) staggers home from a blues club in the small town ofHollySprings, Mississippi. In the wee hours of a warm night, he has anaffectionate chat with elderly matriarch Jewel Mae "Cookie" Orcutt (the grandPatricia Neal) and the gentle history of their friendship is sketched in afew brief exchanges. Soon enough, Cookie has checked out of this world tojoin her dear departed husband, prompting her nieces to make the suicide looklike a murder---to protect the dubious family name, of course. They are thelocal drama diva (Glenn Close), a Scarlett O'Hara in her own mind, and herdreamy sister (Julianne Moore), who ain't quite right in the head. WillWillis be blamed for the murder? Will the inheritance go to the nieces? WillLiv Tyler and Chris O'Donnell find a place to express their lust? None ofthese questions is especially burning, and Altman doesn't seem terriblyanxious about the answers. Instead, he aims for a particular kind oflaid-back quirky southern comedy, unevenly filtered through his screen ofsour irony. Like a jazzman blowing improv, some of this works and some of it doesn't. Speaking of music, the film boasts a nifty R&B soundscapedevised by former Eurythmics man David Stewart, with a boost from bluesbelter Ruby Wilson. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Amazon.com

What do you get when you cross the director of I Know What You Did Last Summer with Sylvester Stallone? You get a slasher film in which the victims are not screaming, scantily clad teens, but parka-clad cops. Whether that's an improvement on the genre is open for debate. With Eye See You (which never hit U.S. theaters but was released internationally as D-Tox), Stallone's career has officially "Van-Dammed." But the role of FBI special agent Jake Malloy is something of a dramatic departure. Unable to catch a cop killer before he nastily dispatches his girlfriend (wouldn't you know; right before Jake was about to propose!), Jake takes to the bottle. He enters a snowbound rehab center for cops housed in the Wyoming mountains. The demons Jake must confront are not just psychological. A killer is stalking the residents one by one. Shallow characterizations and ham-fisted dialogue are good for armchair heckling, but for Stallone fans, this will be of interest as even more of a career curiosity than Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (34)

One of Sly's Best!
I noticed several years ago that Sly was making this moving. Afterwards, though, it passed my mind. I went to the video store one day and saw this title and instantly made the connection that this was originally D-Tox. I was disappointed that it made a straight to DVD appearance. Being a big Sly fan that I am, I would have loved to have seen this in theaters!
Anyways, I picked up the title and was expecting a decent film. But instead I got a great film!
The all-star cast makes this movie entertaining and chalk full of great actors who know how to act! The story itself is original and very suspensefull! Perhaps the best one I have seen to date!
This title is one of the more gruesome Stallone films with people's eyes getting drilled (although you don't actually see it happen but you do see the aftermath) and people getting their throats cut and what have ya. Definately not for the person with a touchy stomach.
All in all a great movie that really deserved a chance in theaters!

This could have been sooo good.
With a cast made of people such as Stallone, Tom Berenger, Kris Kristofferson, and Charles S. Dutton, this could have been a good movie. Unfortunately it wasn't.

(Possible Spoilers)

Stallone is a Federal Agent tracking a cop killer. Naturally the killer goes after Stallone's girlfriend and Stallone goes off the deep end. Finally his partner convinces him to enter a detox center for police officers. Unfortunately it seems the killer has tracked him there.

The movie could have been good. Stallone has the hangdog character down perfect at this point in his career and there are some very good supporting actors backing him up. My biggest problem involved the usage of the villain. The movie kind of dropped us right in the middle of the opening case and didn't explain any motivation on the background of the killer. There was no proper antagonist really thrown into this movie and the character seemed more a throw away than anything else. It's a shame really because there were some tense moments but with nothing to really play against, the movie ultimately fell flat.

MYOPIC
EYE SEE YOU starts out pretty good, offering us a weird serial killer after cops. Then it goes off its beam a little, including a puzzling scene where Stallone shoots a man hanging, with duct tape over his mouth. Did they think this was the serial killer? Got me. Anyway switch to a remote detox clinic in Wyoming (actually a beautifully filmed British Columbia) run by the lifeless Kris Kristofferson. Here Stallone is joined by a series of cops who are also suffering their personal demons: Robert Patrick is an obnoxious beefed up bore; Robert Prosky brings a little dignity to his role as an aging cop who supposedly deserted his partner who got killed; Sean Patrick Flannery in a brief but intense role as a cop who witnessed an explosion that killed 20+ children; Christopher Fulford as a British cop with a fear of the dark; Courtney B. Vance who spoke so soft I'm not sure what his role was, other than being the "religious one". Jeremy Wright and Ms. Alvarado were wasted in non-dimensional roles. Polly Walker was pretty as Jenny, although her range was limited. Charles S. Dutton played every cop you've ever seen including Dennis Franz. And why Tom Berenger as a handyman? Director Gillepsie did everything he could to point the murder finger at Berenger.
So what's good? Stallone, amazingly, does a pretty convincing job, a low-key but intense portrayal. The cinematography is gorgeous, giving the winter scenery both a breathtaking beauty and an ominous evil. And the finale is very well executed.
So overall, you could do worse....it's entertaining most of the time.

Actually Not That Bad
I orginally rented this movie at Blockbuster not knowing if it was going to be good or bad. I never heard of this particular movie but I was struck by the amount of stars that were in this which include: Stallone, Kristopherson, and Berenger.

As far as plot goes the serial killing aspect was very original (i.e. the displaying of the bodies at the beginning). Some of the other aspects are typical of the genre, as in Stallone's predictable tragedy.

Stallone does a decent job as Special Agent Jake Malloy with a supporting cast that rises above some of this film's short comings.

All and all. This film left me entertained from beginning to end and I recommend it to anyone who loves the serial killer genre.

Special features include cast interviews and some deleted scenes (which I felt should have been left in).

a snowy and chilly dissapointment
Stallone goes into a d-tox clinic in the chilly regions 3 months after his girlfriend dies from the hands of a killer. He checks in with other frustrated and insane cops(sorta like the NCPD, Nut Case Police Department) and hes trying to get rid of those demons, but the killer is back for more, who could it be(I knew who the killer was when he got there). when you got a good cast like this your always suspecting a good ride but the cast cant make this one live and breathe. stupid wooden characterizations, dumb dialouge. only the performance from Stallone and the grisly awesome spiked up finale is what keeps it alive. something you'd expect greatly from the director of I Know What You Did Last Winter. this one gives you frostbiting icicle nuts. the cast include Stallone, Sean Patrick Flannery(who was good for his part), Robert Patrick(too whiny and flaunting his masculinity), Robert Prosky(who gets the chair), Kris Kristofferson(whats up Doc), Polly Walker(ever so beautiful), Jeffrey Wright(the only thing standing out was his face), Charles Dutton(fat and plump), Christopher Fulford(ahhhh, the british are coming), Courtney B. Vance(could of been more better with his preist cop), Dina Meyer(thank god she died) and Tom Berenger(his character was the most annoying). ... Read more

Reviews (24)

The Piano Lesson
Overall I thought this movie was pretty good although there were some parts of it that were pretty boring. In the beginning of it the movie seemed strange because the family was being haunted by Sutter's ghost. I'm not going to tell you that much more about it because I think you should go and see it for yourself.

Hallmark censorship
An already posted review claims that this TV version is true to August Wilson's play. Only partly--and the differences are almost certainly attributable to Hallmark. Wilson adapted his own original stage script, but this version is shorter than the original (which may be a good thing--Wilson does like to let his characters gab) and the language is very different. For example, the nice, politically correct folks who want to sell greeting cards at Hallmark no doubt forced Wilson to remove the numerous instances of the word "ni____" from his play. Some other "rough" language (which can now be heard on the evening news, much less TV fiction) also failed to pass Hallmark's censors.
The TV production also "opens" the play from its original setting in Doaker's living room and kitchen and adds a silent, visual accompaniment to Doaker's marvelous tale about the family piano.
Do these changes damage the play? No, but they certainly do alter its flavor.
On one hand, I'm very happy that this great Black American playwright allowed one of his scripts to have a TV production and that we now have this video record of that production. On the other hand, it seems a shame that Wilson had to compromise his artistry in order to reach a wider audience than theatre itself can supply.

A Lesson of My Own
I teach language arts, including drama, at a rural high school. I read "The Piano Lesson" and was hoping for a film version that I could show to my students to go along with their reading. This film is true to the play and shows viewers what happens when we don't carry on family traditions and make good use of the gifts and talents we have. The cast and production crew have done a marvelous job of creating a compelling version of this Pulitzer Prize winning play. I highly recommend it for its many levels of enjoyment and learning.

This is the best video I've ever seen!
I haven't watched the film, but the guy on the right looks like Tim Meadows, so it is with irreverence and insincerity that I give this film AN EMOTIONAL TWO THUMBS UP! I mean, FIVE STARS!

Excellent!
Very creative film with a subtle supernatural twist. All actors turn in great performances. The men singing around the kitchen table is a scene not to be missed. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

decent movie based on a true story
This is probably