Amazon.com

No one does tragedies as well as Thomas Hardy, and this new BBCproduction of his 1891 novel isa peach. Tess is a teenager captured between happiness with an educated man(Oliver Milburn) and a dreadful existence with a scheming aristocrat (JasonFlemyng). Compared to Roman Polanski's 1980 Oscar-winning film Tess, the BBC version is farmore interested in Hardy's text than in directorial exportations. Hence, thefamous strawberry scene in which the aristocrat seduces the young Tess is justlong enough to plumb the emotions; Polanski's version made the scene into aminiature classic of innocence and seduction. Both versions are worth seeing.

Star Justine Waddell gives Tess more pluck and less innocence than NatassjaKinski does. She makes Tess a character to root for, which can lead to your owntragedy when working through Hardy's tale. The film doesn't have the drop-deadgorgeousness of Polanski's version but is quite beautiful. Director Ian Sharpkeeps in line with Hardy's affection for rural settings and vistas. Flemyng issuch a great cad it leads one to wonder what he might have done with BillyZane's role in Titanic. Another winning adaptation of a classic from theBBC. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (12)

It's completely absured...and I loved every minute of it!
David Arquette does have an offbeat charm that a lot of people find "stupid", but if you've seen his movies and enjoy the way he delivers lines, this movie is for you.

The plot comes right out of a Knight Rider or some other cheesy 80s TV show, but it never takes itself seriously. David Arquette is a goofy guy trying to act tough. That in itself is pretty funny, but I get the impression he's doing it for the comedy. This movie is like a low-budget Bond film with Pee Wee Herman in the James Bond role.

The stunts were equally silly (like the car running up a tunnel wall had "miniature" written all over it). Sure the plot is a bit cheesy but it's fun enough to keep interested, and David Arquette (and the rest of the cast) is hilarious.

Let go of your super-critical mind and just sit back and take it for what it is. I had a blast watching this. It's a guilty pleasure.

Set for cruise control
RPM featuring the beautiful Famke Janssen and the witty David Arquette is a movie that got buried under the hype of other car heist films of the summer. I did not have high expectations for this film because I did not expect the action sequence and intensity of the summer blockbuster GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. However, I was not disappointed by the performances of Ms. Janssen and Mr. Arquette. Set mostly in France, this film managed to tickle more than a few funny bones. The two main characters in the film are the best at what they do...stealing cars. They are not in it for the money, they are in it for the adrenaline rush and the satisfaction of out-doing each other. Needless to say, they manage to get themselves into many sticky situations( literally for Ms. Janssen's character). You'll have to watch the film to see if they manage to get themselves out of their sticky predicaments. So set your remote control for cruise control and enjoy this movie.

A Car Wreck of a Movie
There are so many things wrong with this movie that I don't know where to start. I think it was Fox's way of capitalizing on the rush of car movies in the last few years.

My biggest problem is the plot. There are holes and side plots that really make no sense. Luke is a lot like Ferris Bueller, he gets in trouble and causes problems. His biggest problem is he's addicted to stealing classic cars, sometimes from right under their owner's noses. When his most recent escapade lands him in trouble with the law he jets off to Europe until it all blows over.

In addition to Luke's escapades as a classic car thief, and his rivalry with Claudia, who turns out is his sister, there's a side plot involving a woman from the states trying to arrest Luke, and an Italian detective who'd rather hop into the sack with her than help her solve the case. These two are thrown into the plot at random times, almost as comic relief, but it's not funny, and really has very little to do with the movie.

The plot gets even more complicated when you throw in a pretty girl for Luke to fall for, who just so happens to be tied into a ring of car thieves who want the RPM, a revolutionary prototype car. They offer Luke lots of money to steal it, and then up the odds by threatening the pretty girl he's gotten himself attached to. The pretty girl seems almost as an afterthought, they would have done better to offer Luke a way out of his problem in the US, it would have made him just as likely to steal the car.

The whole movie is almost like a train wreck. Not only does the plot jump around and take weird side turns when you least expect it, but the dialog is poor, and the characters seem built on stereotypes and have no personalities of their own. Building interesting, complex characters would have been lost on the script though, it too is built on stereotypes and already well used plot devices.

The only saving grace of the movie was the nice cars. There are a lot of nice classic cars in the movie, and you can momentarily lose yourself in their grace and looks before you're pulled back to realize that the plot stinks, the premise isn't very interesting, and overall it's just a very bad movie. If you insist on watching it, please consider renting or borrowing it instead of purchasing.

So bad its good
For all the folk that were expecting a bargin basement movie that you'd never heard of to be top quality, well, um, you better have a rethink on your expectation list.
Now about the movie. Its totally unrealistic. The premis of the movie is that you have two world class car thieves, a super car that doesn't require gasoline, and two uber-rich and powerful evil guys who don't like each other much. One wants the super car, the other is well, you'll have to watch to find out.
The cars in the movie are beautiful, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Lotus... That alone is worth the lost cost of the film. Throw in Femke and well thats a bonus. Yes the movie is stupid and silly, but its also fun if you approach with the correct mind set. This is a B class movie so dont expect much. Given that, enjoy the show. It really isn't a bad movie for sheer stupidity level.

I am mad at myself for wasting the time to watch this...
I saw this about 5 months ago...and it still irks me that I wasted and hour and a half of my life watching this worse film that ever was produced...it was sooo bad I thought it was a joke and waiting for a punchline somewhere.....who ever rated this more than 1 star....all I can say is.....Gee..I am still speechless!!!..I dont know what to say....I wasted [money amount]on this at [local store]...and pitched it right in the trash after I painfully watched it... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rutger Hauer and Kim Cattrall star in this festival of stolen plots and embarrassing dialogue. Harley Stone (Hauer) is a tough cop. The kind of cop who lives by his own rules. The kind of cop who smokes, swears, and eats junk food. The kind of cop who slams people into walls to drive home a conversational point. If it sounds like you've seen this character before, you have. Split Second is not so much a movie as a cinematic crib sheet, cheerfully ripping off Jaws, Aliens, and Hauer's own Blade Runner, just to name a few. Which is not for a moment to suggest that the movie isn't fun to watch. Connoisseurs of horror-action also-rans will be in spasms of delight over everything from the ludicrous plot to the cookie-cutter dialogue ("They say he's the best." "He is.") to the incredibly misguided decision to have Stone eat chocolate truffles throughout the entire film. It is honestly sometimes hard to tell what is an intentional joke and what's just plain bad. Anyway, there's a serial killer rampaging through London in 2008 and Stone doesn't want a new partner, especially one with all that book learning and blah, blah, blah. Just turn your brain off and enjoy the magic. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (26)

I Need this Movie on DVD!
Ok, so it isn't High Art but sure-as-shootin' it is entertaining. Despite the abundace of action the relationships between the characters develope and evolve, so you could say its a people movie. The dialogue is great and this movie has one of the finest collection of quips and one-liners to ever come from a single movie. Especially, if you like big guns. It has a few touching, quiet moments and they actually add to the movie instead of slowing it down. I have worn through two VHS copies of "Split Second" and I really need it to come out on DVD because I know I'll be watching it for years to come. It has a little bit of romance, and a lot of action. What more could you want from a movie?

Cinematic bliss, a touching reaffirmation of masculinity
It's not an easy time to be a real man. With the proliferation of shows like Sex and the City and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, men who want to uphold the proper ideals of their gender often face criticism instead of praise. That's why movies like this are so important today. It's important to have a movie where guys respond like rational men. Where the proper response to a rat on your kitchen counter is to spray the entire room with automatic weapons fire, killing every living thing in sight. Where the proper response to being told that the serial killer who murdered your partner is in fact Satan, who has come to earth to eat people's hearts and take them back to Hell, is to say that Satan is in deep %@!*. And with all of the pop psychology about figuring out what women want, its good to have this movie remind us of what a real man wants - Bigger Guns!!! Rutger Hauer is perfect as Harley Stone, a slightly psychotic cop in a future world of ecological disaster, hunting a serial killer who may or may not be the lord of darkness, and looks suspiciously like a much cheaper version of the Alien. And hey, who knew Satan was a Scorpio? I'll have to remember to check his horoscope in the future! This movie is an absolute B-Movie treat, great for a beer and pizza night on the couch. It's surprisingly hard to find nowadays, especially the DVD which sells for high prices. You could never get me to part with mine for any money though! Five stars for this move!!

Still fun after all these years
I have a weakness for Rutger Hauer movies that needs to be satiated every few months if I am to function. I cannot specify one specific trait about this actor that I find so satisfying. Is it his acting skills, which are substantial even though he often appears in low budget junk? Or is it his presence, a physically imposing stature that makes him a natural to play cops or bad guys equally well? I guess both of these traits play a part. Hauer is a phenomenal entertainer, always turning in a great performance even if the movie is mediocre. Check out the scene in the made for cable television film "Fatherland" where Hauer tells his son a story about an old watchmaker. It's a mesmerizing piece of acting that is deeply moving. Most of this actor's films don't have as good a script as that movie does, but even still Hauer manages to stand head and shoulders above his co-stars. One of my latest fixes for this actor's work found me digging up a copy of "Split Second," an apocalyptic sort of tale from the early '90s that I have had a fondness for since I saw it ten years ago.

In the near future-London of 2008, to be exact-the world has undergone serious weather disturbances. Global warming melted a significant portion of the earth's icecaps, resulting in serious flooding in port cities around the world. London itself is often under several feet of water, requiring residents to wear waterproof clothing and footwear anytime they go outside. Hauer plays a cop named Harley Stone, a throwback to the old days of police work when a guy pounded a beat and employed tried and true techniques to solve crimes. Stone lives like a slob, constantly eating chocolate truffles, drinking, and generally taking poor care of himself. But he's a good cop, one of the best, and anytime a murder occurs he's not far from the scene. Stone's methods rile the rank and file, especially his boss Paulsen (Pete Postalthwaite). This cop continually hassles Stone about his rogue way of bringing in the bad guys, but can't bring himself to retire his star detective. And now he needs Harley Stone more than ever as a vicious murderer rampages across London. This criminal seems to worship the occult and mutilates the victims in the most heinous of ways.

In order to keep an eye on the department renegade, Paulsen assigns an egghead named Dick Durbin (Neil Duncan) to act as Stone's new partner. Durbin's one of these guys with way too much schooling; he's got a ton of degrees, including a doctorate from Oxford, and a tendency to harp on Harley about eating right and exercising. As the two detectives investigate the latest round of zodiac style killings, dropping wisecracks along the way, a former squeeze of Harley's named Michelle (Kim Cattrall) enters the picture. Meanwhile, the gruesome crimes continue, with the criminal specifically targeting Stone in order to mock his adversary. As if by magic, the killer manages to leave a grotesque surprise in a box at the cop shop, addressed to Harley Stone and wrapped with a lot of love. The cops know they have to do something soon before even more citizens fall victim to this nefarious evildoer. Moreover, alarming evidence increasingly points to supernatural origin for the killer. When Durbin and Stone finally confront this creature face to face, all of Durbin's educated veneer collapses like a wet bag. He goes along with Stone completely now, muttering the same line repeatedly until it turns into a mantra: "We need guns. Big guns." The inevitable showdown in the sewers of London is more fun than it should be from a movie of this caliber.

"Split Second" was a better film the first time than the second time around. The first viewing came at a time when I could care less about such fundamental cinematic concepts as structured plot, a good script, and believable characters. While the characters in this movie are largely believable and interesting, the script and the plot leave a lot to be desired. The dialogue is the same sort of stuff we hear in every action film made since the 1960s. Durbin and Stone are your typical old cop/young cop team, with all the attendant baggage that cliché implies. Stone at first despises his new protégé but soon learns to grudgingly admire the guy. Durbin initially scoffs at Harley's bad behavior and unorthodox police skills, but soon falls in line when he learns the older detective was right all along. Moreover, the plot is the typical B budget potboiler with more holes than a pound of Swiss cheese. How, for instance, did a demonic beast manage to leave a box in the middle of a heavily guarded police station without anyone seeing him? In broad daylight? C'mon! Suspension of disbelief is a prerequisite for watching these types of films, but "Split Second" pushes the envelope beyond the tearing point. Another point against the film is Kim Cattrall, who doesn't have much to do except act the part of the imperiled female. Too, her hair makes her look like Moe Howard on a bad day.

Yet, despite these immense and inestimable flaws, "Split Second" is highly entertaining. The idea has heart even if it rips off "Aliens" and every other scary sci-fi flick known to man. Durbin and Stone are fun to watch as they savagely riff off one another. It's too bad the DVD presents few extras and only a full screen picture transfer. Rutger Hauer fans will want to add this one to their collections soon, but unfortunately it looks like it is out of print. Try and find a copy somewhere, though, because it is ultimately an entertaining piece of fluff good for passing a few hours.

A movie to watch over and over and over....
Let's face it, the monster absorbing it's victims DNA is crap, and it is never clearly explained what the heck the monster is or where it came from.
Who cares?
The important thing here is that the movie serves up a few genuine chills and even more laughs. Every time I run into a problem, I realize that "we need bigger guns... Big big F)*&^)* guns... NOT big enough!".
The interactions between the characters are what make this a true delight. Rent it, suspend your higher brain functions and enjoy.

Great B-movie titles have nothing to do with the movie...
Split Second is a true B-movie, one of the last of its breed. Back in the early 90s, it was still able to get a theatrical release. Today, this thing would be rocketed into straight-to-DVD land, along with many, many others of its ilk. While Hauer still had a small shred of respectability left, he decided to rip off many good films with Split Second, including Blade Runner. The result is pure cheese.

Like many cheesy genre flicks (of the straight to video or DVD type), the movie is made up of parts of good movies that we all know. Of course, the finished product can't hold a candle to any of them, but it makes us think of those films and can be kind of fun. Split Second is part Blade Runner, part Alien, part Predator, and part every single hard-boiled cop movie you've ever seen. Hauer is a hardcore London cop named Harley Stone, who walks around with a big black trench coat, big black boots, and a whole bunch of very, very large guns. He smokes, he smokes while brushing his teeth, he drinks coffee and he eats chocolate constantly because he's addicted to caffeine because he never sleeps because years ago some kind of disgusting creature attacked and scarred him before killing his partner. Now he's psychically linked to the monster and so he hears loud heartbeats when he's near. Oh, and it's the year 2008 and London is under a few feet of water and it's always dark out. This enables the filmmakers to show a lot of rain and puddle-slicked streets with neon lights and a lot of cool posturing.

Of course, in true Dirty Harry style, Stone is paired with a partner (even though he works alone and is insane) who happens to be a complete yuppie nerd cop. Kim Cattrall manages to be the target girlfriend who gets in a shower scene. They chase the creature, which is slimy and of course, bathed in a lot of shadow to mask a low budget. The monster may be Satan, it may not be, but rest assured: the ending sets up a sequel. Of course, there were never any takers (though you have to wonder given the disappearance of Hauer from anything resembling quality if he'll be back).

The director is Tony Maylem, who depending on your love of slasher flicks is either going up or down since he made The Burning in 1980. The DVD is out of print, and judging by the price of a used copy, people have obviously come to appreciate this as Hall of Fame B-movie junk. The movie really should be back in print at a dirt cheap price though. It's perfect as that type of flick. Alternatively, you can stay up late and watch it on cable like I felt compelled to all those years ago.

Recommended for die-hard Rutger Hauer fans and lovers of movies you know are bad but that you still insist on seeing... ... Read more

Amazon.com

David Arquette's offbeat charm will likely never make him a leading man. That's part of the fun of RPM, a tongue-in-cheek Euro-American car-jacking adventure about an American techno wizard whose sideline is stealing vintage autos for fun and... well, mostly just for fun. When New York gets too hot for him he flies off to Europe, heists his way through the coolest vintage autos in the south of France, and then hires himself out to a corporate pirate who desires a tightly guarded experimental car that runs without gas. Famke Janssen slinks her way through the film as Arquette's sexy nemesis, who matches him car for car and races him to the prize, and Emmanuelle Seigner costars as one of Arquette's victims won over by his goofy allure. It's a cute, if silly, little picture that plays like a low-budget James Bond spoof: cool gadgets, sexy women, handsome sports cars, all set in the lovely countryside of southern France. Ian Sharp isn't much of an action director but he captures the breezy spirit of the wisecracking script (cowritten by Pulp Fiction's Roger Avary). Like Arquette, he doesn't take any of it seriously either, and it works for this amusing little lark of an action-comedy. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (12)

It's completely absured...and I loved every minute of it!
David Arquette does have an offbeat charm that a lot of people find "stupid", but if you've seen his movies and enjoy the way he delivers lines, this movie is for you.

The plot comes right out of a Knight Rider or some other cheesy 80s TV show, but it never takes itself seriously. David Arquette is a goofy guy trying to act tough. That in itself is pretty funny, but I get the impression he's doing it for the comedy. This movie is like a low-budget Bond film with Pee Wee Herman in the James Bond role.

The stunts were equally silly (like the car running up a tunnel wall had "miniature" written all over it). Sure the plot is a bit cheesy but it's fun enough to keep interested, and David Arquette (and the rest of the cast) is hilarious.

Let go of your super-critical mind and just sit back and take it for what it is. I had a blast watching this. It's a guilty pleasure.

Set for cruise control
RPM featuring the beautiful Famke Janssen and the witty David Arquette is a movie that got buried under the hype of other car heist films of the summer. I did not have high expectations for this film because I did not expect the action sequence and intensity of the summer blockbuster GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. However, I was not disappointed by the performances of Ms. Janssen and Mr. Arquette. Set mostly in France, this film managed to tickle more than a few funny bones. The two main characters in the film are the best at what they do...stealing cars. They are not in it for the money, they are in it for the adrenaline rush and the satisfaction of out-doing each other. Needless to say, they manage to get themselves into many sticky situations( literally for Ms. Janssen's character). You'll have to watch the film to see if they manage to get themselves out of their sticky predicaments. So set your remote control for cruise control and enjoy this movie.

A Car Wreck of a Movie
There are so many things wrong with this movie that I don't know where to start. I think it was Fox's way of capitalizing on the rush of car movies in the last few years.

My biggest problem is the plot. There are holes and side plots that really make no sense. Luke is a lot like Ferris Bueller, he gets in trouble and causes problems. His biggest problem is he's addicted to stealing classic cars, sometimes from right under their owner's noses. When his most recent escapade lands him in trouble with the law he jets off to Europe until it all blows over.

In addition to Luke's escapades as a classic car thief, and his rivalry with Claudia, who turns out is his sister, there's a side plot involving a woman from the states trying to arrest Luke, and an Italian detective who'd rather hop into the sack with her than help her solve the case. These two are thrown into the plot at random times, almost as comic relief, but it's not funny, and really has very little to do with the movie.

The plot gets even more complicated when you throw in a pretty girl for Luke to fall for, who just so happens to be tied into a ring of car thieves who want the RPM, a revolutionary prototype car. They offer Luke lots of money to steal it, and then up the odds by threatening the pretty girl he's gotten himself attached to. The pretty girl seems almost as an afterthought, they would have done better to offer Luke a way out of his problem in the US, it would have made him just as likely to steal the car.

The whole movie is almost like a train wreck. Not only does the plot jump around and take weird side turns when you least expect it, but the dialog is poor, and the characters seem built on stereotypes and have no personalities of their own. Building interesting, complex characters would have been lost on the script though, it too is built on stereotypes and already well used plot devices.

The only saving grace of the movie was the nice cars. There are a lot of nice classic cars in the movie, and you can momentarily lose yourself in their grace and looks before you're pulled back to realize that the plot stinks, the premise isn't very interesting, and overall it's just a very bad movie. If you insist on watching it, please consider renting or borrowing it instead of purchasing.

So bad its good
For all the folk that were expecting a bargin basement movie that you'd never heard of to be top quality, well, um, you better have a rethink on your expectation list.
Now about the movie. Its totally unrealistic. The premis of the movie is that you have two world class car thieves, a super car that doesn't require gasoline, and two uber-rich and powerful evil guys who don't like each other much. One wants the super car, the other is well, you'll have to watch to find out.
The cars in the movie are beautiful, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Lotus... That alone is worth the lost cost of the film. Throw in Femke and well thats a bonus. Yes the movie is stupid and silly, but its also fun if you approach with the correct mind set. This is a B class movie so dont expect much. Given that, enjoy the show. It really isn't a bad movie for sheer stupidity level.

I am mad at myself for wasting the time to watch this...
I saw this about 5 months ago...and it still irks me that I wasted and hour and a half of my life watching this worse film that ever was produced...it was sooo bad I thought it was a joke and waiting for a punchline somewhere.....who ever rated this more than 1 star....all I can say is.....Gee..I am still speechless!!!..I dont know what to say....I wasted [money amount]on this at [local store]...and pitched it right in the trash after I painfully watched it... ... Read more