Big budgeted and energetic thriller with a lot of rousing set-pieces, breathtaking scenes and visuallly stunning conclusion. The picture displays suspense, tension, thriller and non-stop action for 108 minutes, adding a surprising ending train duel. Major Vic "Deak" Deakins (John Travolta) and Captain Riley Hale (Christian Slater) are pilots in the United States Air Force, stationed in the southwest United States. Then terrorists steal nuclear warheads from the U. S. military but don't count on a pilot and park ranger spoiling their plans. Pilot Riley with help from spunky park ranger (Samantha Mathis) , sets out to find and retrieve the warheads before the big bang. Prepare to Go Ballistic !
This high-powered, streamlined film contains nail-biting set pieces action well staged by John Woo with jumps and more leaps while they're shooting. Hong Kong action king Woo once again attempts his hand at the big-budget Hollywood action extravaganza, with mixed and uneven results. There are no rough edges in Woo's second Hollywood outing, working with more money than on his first (Hard Target), a better cast and a script by prestigious Graham Yost (Speed), the director has fashioned a comfortably ludricous entertainment with its ups and downs. You're never bored in a Woo film, he's the kind of stylist who does
everything to the max. Mostly what he does is action and this script is tailor-made: a series of superb set-pieces in which a nuclear explosion is far from the climax. Packing triple storyline, whammy of cheesy dialogue, continuity problems, and unpredictabily undercuts, but doesn't obscure, his talent for choreographing mayhem. What follows is a balletic bloodbath typical of the director of¨A bullet in the head¨ and ¨Hard-boiled¨with men flying while leaping through the air, or turning somersaults to avoid bullets. Travolta plays the all-American-boy as creepily charming psychotic to great effect, in similar style to character he played in Face off. Travolta and Slater both get play the villain and hero in this sporadically ridiculous but consistingly thrilling film about two pilots confronting again and again until an overlong and incredible final duel. With two of Hollywood's most flamboyant actors playing each other, the film becomes a kind of elabotate self-parody and quasi-serious examination of the art of film acting. They're excessive maniacal, exaggerated villains, they're the best of the film, too. This is a nice picture with tight , mind-bogging twists and turns , alongside moving musical score by Hans Zimmer composed by an overwhelming synthesizer and colorful cinematography by Peter Levy. Well made high-tech hinkins and with plenty of impressive set pieces along with a flamboyant treatment and gorgeous images. Filmmaker John Woo brings his trademark ballets style to the action with a lot of plot twists. The motion picture was compellingly directed by John Woo , who originally did not want to do his trademark "Mexican Standoff" in this film , but John Travolta begged Woo to include the scene having been a great aficionado of Woo's films as Better tomorrow (1988) , The Killer (1989) , Bullet in head (1990) and Hard Boiled (1992). Woo's poetic-kinetic style has evolved, if not to the point of abstraction, then to delirium: he makes a virtue of incredulity. Starring duo: John Travolta, Christian Slater giving sympathetic but exaggerated interpretations, Travolta's overacting are silly but enjoyable. Travolta generally carries on with the air of a sociopath getting the most out of life. They are well accompanied by a notorious support cast with plenty of familiar faces, such as: Delroy Lindo, Bob Gunton, Frank Whaley, Howie Long, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Jack Thompson, Kurtwood Smith, Daniel Von Bergen, Carmen Argenziano, among others
John Woo direction is acceptable though with flaws, he moves well the camera with spectacular scenes, but doesn't match with his Hong Kong vehicles (Bullet in the head, The Killer, A better tomorrow I and II), John Woo followed with a successful American career (Hard Target, Broken arrow, Face off, Mission impossible II, Windtalkers). Rating: 5.5/10 . Pity it's quite so silly and embarrassing, but then action enthusiasts can't have everything. The flick will appeal to John Travolta and Christian Slater fans.