Quicksand (2003) User Reviews (47)

I expected better from Caine & Keaton **1/2 out of *****

[Welshfilmfan · 5/10 · 15 January 2009]

'Quicksand' was showing this evening on CH 5, Now I'm always very wary of watching movies on that particular channel as it has become synonymous with terrible films, but I decided to watch purely on it's starring actors, in this case being Michael Caine & Michael Keaton, It's not a terrible film by any means, but it's just so mediocre, it's the kind of Film that even Steven Segal himself would probably turn down.

Michael Keaton plays a New York Banker who travels to the South of France to investigate possible fraud on the Film that his company is financing, and soon finds himself up to his next in dirty cops & Russian gangsters and ends up getting framed for murder....

YAWN!!!!

Been there, done it, got the t-shirt! there is nothing in this film which hasn't been done better before.

Michael Caine is really slumming it here, like he has done many times before..... JAWS IV: THE REVENGE or THE SWARM anyone?.... and makes what could be described as a glorified cameo.

The Original 'Batman' Keaton pretty much disappeared after picking ghastly Movies to appear in, in the mid/late 90's, but really this is below him, Caine is merely cashing the check.

apparently this was filmed in 2001 and not released for nearly 3 years...that tells you just about everything.

as I've said above for a Film that never saw the inside of a Movie Theater it's not terrible, and watchable on TV on a Winter's night, but don't spend any money, it's not even worth the rental.

**1/2 out of *****

You've seen this one a zillion times before

[gridoon2024 · 4/10 · 27 August 2016]

It might be surprising to some that a film starring Michael Keaton and Michael Caine went straight to DVD in most countries; it is less surprising to anyone who watches the film. This is B-movie material all the way. You've seen the story a zillion times before: innocent man framed for murder, on the run, stranger in a strange land, trying to prove his innocence, picks up female ally / romantic interest along the way, corrupt police, thick-accented Russian mobsters, blah blah blah. Keaton is on autopilot here, but the supporting cast (not so much Caine, who for the first HOUR makes only a few fleeting cameo appearances, as Kathleen Wilhoite back in New York) try to inject some life into this clichéd, boring time-killer. *1/2 out of 4.

No chemistry...

[scifisuede · 5/10 · 1 January 2005]

It's not that good, but not too bad either. It's nice if you love France but are not there. If you're looking for a thriller, look elsewhere. The characters are rather flat, like cardboard cut outs. The plot is predictable and surreal, if not totally unreal. And, the chemistry between the characters are dry. Like between Keaton's character and the lead actress - you almost hope there's nothing going on between them because it'd be too predictable, but at the same time, you don't have the chance to hope so because it seems like there's no spark at all between them. It's rather hard too to tell who's who for each other unless you listen to their dialogue. Just too bad I missed the blinking corpse part - I didn't watch from the beginning! To be fair, it kept me watching until the end, and it's rather amusing to watch the predictable flow.

Michael times two make it fun for you...

[yoav-1 · 3 September 2003]

"Quicksand", a film directed by the man who made the mighty "Long Good Friday", is about a million miles away from that film. It is an action movie in the vein of "The Fugitive", messily made with an average result from the two lead actors. While the movie has nothing much going for it, after renting it on DVD I must confess that I watched it 'till the end and enjoyed it's

trashiness. So... if you've got too much spare time (like I do) and feel like a nice, B-movie night at home, you could do much worse than renting "Quicksand". Just don't expect another "Long Good Friday", maybe a "Short Trashy Monday".

This film is a horrific waste of time, money and actors.

[R-Grant · 1/10 · 22 December 2004]

My summary says it all. This film is highly unpleasant in places (for example one theme is systematic rape; this is also shown at one point). It does not even make up for this by being remotely worth watching: the acting is appalling, and even Michael Caine and Michael Keaton cannot make up for the terrific lack of ability in terms of plot, script and direction.

The "setup" of Keaton (Keaton walks onto his balcony and discovers a sniper rifle there; rather than leave it he picks it up, just as a police chief is sniped) is ridiculous; apart from being hideously contrived and formulaic, it also neglects to take into account brutally obvious factors such as motive and bullet trajectory analysis, not to mention the fact that only the terminally stupid would assassinate someone by standing up on a balcony incredibly close to that person, while holding a sniper rifle. At that range Keaton could probably have popped the guy with a pistol.

The characters are drawn with big, big brush-strokes, the female lead is just appalling, and to top it off the final scene shows the vindicated Keaton back as a workaholic in his office, and the girl walks in, he smiles at her and she smiles softly back. Cut to credits. Yuck. Oh, and apparently a corpse blinks at the start, something to watch out for.

And WHY do they have to get shot in the eye? And WHAT is that tattoo which the bad guys have on their hands? And...WHY set him up in the first place if you're gonna try and kill him anyway?

Save your money, time and brain. Go look elsewhere.

An average thriller, it does get a couple yawns

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 6/10 · 4 April 2006]

I love Michael Keaton, but let's face it, the man hasn't done much since such classics as Batman and Johnny Dangerously. I'm still looking for a Michael movie that catches my eye because he is such a hidden talent. Quicksand is just like the others, average and nothing special as well as poorly written. It actually had potential to have suspense and an edge on your seat type of thrill ride, but ends up like most thrillers, because if you've seen the big shockers, then you have pretty much from that point see the rip offs. The acting is OK and the ending? Not so much to do with, this was an amateur movie and an insult to both Michaels. Let's hope for better improvements in the future!

6/10

A true shocker

[roger-bayliss · 2/10 · 29 September 2019]

It's sucked me in. Two big actors. Stupid plot. Awful screenplay. A C-grader and the two Michaels should have been ashamed to accept any money for this disaster.

Nice-to-watch: Hitchcock formula product

[manuel-pestalozzi · 7/10 · 16 June 2006]

This is a well crafted albeit formulaic movie. I don't find much fault with it - a blinking corpse can't distract me (contrary to other reviewers, as it seems). Incidentally, irritation is a major factor in the story, the main character, an ultra pedantic controller from a global consultancy enterprise (frankly a great, contemporary creation and a good, convincing performance by Michael Keaton) represents just a little, irritating grain of sand in the international machinery of crime.

The plot is the 39 steps, Saboteur, North by Northwest etc. all over. A wrongly accused and framed man on the run gets help from a beautiful woman and succeeds in turning the table on his pursuers. The grace, elegance and beauty of actress Judith Godrèche is a major asset of Quicksand. As far as the crime and the front for it are concerned, I found the movie credible. I assume in this aspect it relates to actuality more accurately than one might feel comfortable with. White slave trade from Eastern Europe is a new and unpleasant reality in Western Europe and probably in America as well. It happens in front of our doorsteps, so to speak. If Quicksand helps to bring this to mind, all the better.

They had some excellent location scouts working on this movie. Almost the whole story evolves in and around the town of Nice and I found they caught the feel of this picture postcard place with its not so nice underbelly perfectly. There is a great assassination scene in the central district - and one will find references to Hitchcock's Nice-movie To Catch a Thief here and there. My favorite location is the small open air cinema high up above the coastline in the hills which serves as meeting place between Keaton and Godrèche. Who wouldn't like to be there when the projector starts rolling?

If You Do Not Have Nothing Better To Do In a Rainy Saturday Afternoon, You May Watch and Even Appreciate This Movie

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 12 October 2003]

Jake Mellows (Michael Keaton) is a divorced American banker sent to Monaco to investigate the possibility of laundering of money. Apparently the laundry of money was made through the production of films. In Monaco, he meets Lela Forin (Judith Godrèche), the financial manager of Miramax films, and Michael Caine, a decadent, alcoholic and gambler previously famous actor of action movies. Being in Europe, makes him promise his teenager daughter to visit her in London. Then, he gets absurdly involved in the murdering of the ports chief of police of Monaco. Then he realizes that most of the high level characters of the story are somehow involved with corruption. Next, his daughter is kidnapped. Jake will have to fight against powerful persons trying to save his daughter and himself and prove his innocence. This plot is so absurd and has so many `holes' that becomes funny. The murdering of the ports chief of police `à la Kennedy' and how and why Jake is blamed are ridiculous. Anyway, if the viewer do not have nothing better to do in a rainy Saturday afternoon, there is a chance to enjoy this flick. The excellent Michael Caine is not decadent yet like his character, and Michael Keaton is a good actor. My vote is five.

Time-Pass!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 13 September 2012]

John Mackenzie's 'Quicksand' is a Time-Pass flick, that isn't meant to be taken too seriously. It delivers what is promises: Fair Entertainment.

'Quicksand' Synopsis: After a workaholic banker journeys to Monaco to investigate the suspicious activities of a company, he finds himself framed for murder and running for his life.

'Quicksand' is pretty engaging, but its surely not flawless. The Screenplay has a few loopholes, that keep popping-up, but overall, the Screenplay is fairly constructed. John Mackenzie's Direction is decent. Cinematography is good. Editing is average.

Performance-Wise: Michael Keaton is excellent, as always. He plays the protagonist with ease. Sir Michael Caine appears in an extended cameo & he does just fine. Judith Godreche does an okay job. Rade Šerbedžija is superb.

On the whole, 'Quicksand' is a fair entertainer.

Do dead bodies blink? Twice?

[=G= · 4/10 · 4 April 2004]

The blinking corpse in the beginning of this film is a clue as to the shabby production which follows. A story of international intrigue with Keaton's character framed for murder and desperately trying to exonerate himself while on the run from both good and evil elements, "Quicksand" sinks slowly into its own messy conglomerated story which tries to do too much in too little time. Its good cast and nice locations can't make up for the poor screenplay, the herky-jerky flow, the numerous unanswered questions, and countless plot holes making this flick best saved for broadcast where one can switch channels with no liability as soon as they find themselves losing interest; which may be sooner than later. (C-)

A Well-Rounded Movie

[kellieb-1 · 9/10 · 14 February 2006]

Quicksand is a great movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the film when I caught it on TV. It had all of the mystery, suspense and drama of a top-notch film, but for some reason it lacks the notoriety. It didn't have a series of car chases and crashes that most American movies display. One has to wonder if this is why it wasn't the commercial success it should have been. Michael Keaton and Michael Caine gave stellar performances, which were supported by a wonderful European cast.

If you want to see a great movie with great actors and great footage of Europe, this is one of the best choices I can think of.

Potential unfulfilled

[mickey dripping · 7/10 · 9 July 2005]

This movie had potential. Speedy script: Class actors: competent crew; but somehow missed out. Half way through it became predictable. The denouement was hackneyed. There were enough bright moments to make it watchable through to the end but it is not a film I would ever watch again if I were given the choice. Nor is it one that either of the two Michael's will be remembered for.

For me the freshest thing to come out of this film was the performance of the female lead Judith Godreche. Attractive and sparkling she earns the sympathy of the viewer which is something that the characters portrayed by Messrs. Caine and Keaton fail to do.

bad. seriously bad. please don't waste your time/money

[ca26 · 2/10 · 27 August 2006]

OK, the plot is clear enough - a compliance officer for a bank travels to Monaco to verify the sources of investor funding on a suspicious movie production. The production turns out to be a front used by the Russian mafia (in conjunction with local police) to launder money. When Michael Keaton's character (the compliance officer) starts sniffing around, the bad guys decide to frame him for murder. And, because the local cops are involved in the scheme, they plan to catch and kill him. So, he's on the run in Europe and gets aid from a couple of other characters who get drawn in as well.

Anyways... the point of this review is not to tell you about the movie, but to save you money. This movie is not even mildly entertaining. It's worse than most 'made for TV' flicks you've seen. It's actually even worse than some pornos I've seen. It was obviously a "C"-level movie that got bumped up to "B" level because it has actors like Caine and Keaton in it. However, even though they are, as always, good actors, they still can't save this train wreck of a film. Bad writing and bad production meet head-on in what turns out to be an embarrassingly bad movie. I think the only entertainment value is as a "what NOT to do" lesson in film school. It's actually kinda funny (in a sad way), because it's so bad.

There are goofs in almost every scene, aside from the cheesy lines and plot holes. I'm not angry or being vindictive. It's simply the truth. I actually went into this movie with high hopes because I love Keaton. But this is just such a waste of time, I'm trying to save anyone else from accidentally renting it. Anyone who gave this movie a good review is actually working for the distributor or production company. It's not even debatable, it's soooo bad, and the goofs are so glaring.

I honestly assume that the reason Keaton and Caine signed on was because they owed someone a favor, or because it was a slow time for them & they got to take their families on vacation in the South of France for free.

Goofs and plot holes from beginning to end. Look for the blinking corpse at the beginning, and look for Caine's ventriloquism near the end.

12 Things I Learned From This Movie !

[elshikh4 · 20 February 2010]

1_Always use a movie star to narrate the ransom message.

2_Always show the ransom message on a public cinema (and on the loop).

3_Always walk in the streets without any make up while you're a fugitive (despite having an access to a make up room).

4_Always stand under the light in front of the bad guys who are looking for you.

5_Always meet the police in the same place that the main bad guy, who wants to kill you, uses to hang out.

6_Always wait to the last second to alert the girl that there is a bomb on her boat.

7_Always allure the men while being pregnant, and being in love with your man.

8_Always tight the good man's kidnapped daughter beside the lunch table, so she can be tortured by seeing other people eating, while she's not, and be close to the telephone if her daddy calls.

9_Always kill the bad guys who are fighting arresting while they have no weapons with them.

10_Always in France the TV opens on the English-speaking news channels.

11_Always the substitute clothes, that are found accidentally, fit the runners from justice.

12_Always frame an American. These people can run so fast, and prove their innocence so plainly!

What I really loved about this movie is Michael Caine's line "Are you his daughter?!". And his frankness about doing movies, like this, only for money.

Finally, "Do you have lunch with me?" Well, NOOOOOOO!!

The movie star version of a paid vacation

[MBunge · 4/10 · 31 May 2010]

I once heard a saying that all happy families are the same but all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. While not all good movies are the same, it's certainly true that bad movies come in an almost infinite number of varieties. Quicksand would be a particular sort of terrible film known as the "Movie Star Vacation Project". It's where not-all-that-talented people manage to get the money to produce their horrible script solely because one or more genuine movie stars agrees to act in it, but the stars only agree to do it because the film is being shot in a certain location where the star would like to hang out for a couple of months. They don't give a damn whether the movie is any good or not, they just look at it as a paid vacation.

Martin Raikes (Michael Keaton) is a bank examiner who goes to the south of France to check on an allegation of improper financial behavior at a movie studio. Once there, he meets Lela Forin (Judith Godreche), unaware that she's the frontwoman for a Russian mobster named Oleg (Rade Sherbedgia). It turns out Oleg is using the movie studio as a way to launder money, something which Raikes doesn't appear at all close to discovering but Oleg decides to frame him for the murder of a French police official anyway. Raikes has to flee the authorities and become a crime-stopping detective to uncover what's happened to him, something he takes to like a duck to water. Eventually he and Lela team up with Jake Mallows (Michael Caine), an aging British movie star who Oleg has hired to make a pretend film as part of the movie studio facade. There's also this bit about the Russians using the phony French studio to make rape videos and Raike's daughter gets kidnapped and there's this weird subplot back in the U.S. involving Raike's smartass and very pregnant secretary Beth Ann (Kathleen Wilhoite), which seems to exist just to make Quicksand about 15 minutes longer.

The first hour of Quicksand is pretty boring and lame. The highlight of it is largely Raikes being chased by French police through a tunnel. Yeah, that's the best moment. Raikes grabs a handy shovel and uses it to knock out some lights, which somehow causes the police to lose track of him even though the tunnel remains brightly lit at all times. Even for a melodrama where it's more about running and shouting and blowing stuff up than making any sense, the lack of any sort of realistic behavior or action is quite apparent. This is supposed to be one of those stories about an ordinary guy ripped out of his ordinary life and his desperate struggle to escape from the foreign "quicksand" into which he's plunged. But while these filmmakers have clearly watched those sorts of movies, they clearly don't understand how to tell that story themselves. This is like one of those bad episodes from the later seasons of Miami Vice, with an extra 30 minutes tacked on. Yeah, it's that terrible.

The last half hour of this film, however, is more than just boring and lame. It descends into a bizarre and apparently unintentional parody. At least it's unintentional for the filmmakers. There's a point where you can tell Michael Keaton has figured out just how much this movie sucks and decides to see how far he can push the suck. It's not that he phones in his performance, but he doesn't bother to try and salvage anything decent of this mess. He just goes full bore, almost as though he wants to deliberately emphasize how silly and simplistic the story becomes. That's unlike Michael Caine, who does the same professional job and takes the story as seriously as he does anything else.

There's no way Keaton and Caine were paid a lot of money to do this film and even though Caine is a old-school actor who'll take almost any job offered to him, you know the only reason they're in this is because when they weren't on set, they could lounge around Europe on the producer's dime. That's a pretty sweet deal for them. It's fairly sour for those of us unlucky enough to watch Quicksand.

A terrific film....except for a HUGE plot hole. How come no one associated with the film noticed it and filled this hole?!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 16 December 2020]

Martin Raikes (Michael Keaton) is a forensic accountant...a guy who investigates irregularities in the banking industry. When an irregularity pops up at a French movie studio, he heads to France to look into things...though nothing seems that out of the ordinary. That is, until someone shows up and tries to give him a briefcase full of cash! He naturally refuses and shortly after this, he's set up...making it appear as if he' murdered a government official and embezzled money. And, when he tries to give himself up to the SWAT-like team that descends on him, he notices the leader of the team is the same man that tried to bribe him...and Raikes takes off! Soon, he's being chased all over southern France and the television stations are filled with film footage of him supposedly readying for the murder. It's obvious he's been set up and set up very completely. In fact, the mob behind all this is so thorough and deadly that he can't possibly trust the police or other authorities...so he tries desperately to hide out and still somehow investigate what's really happening.



"Quicksand" is a very tense and exciting film. It also GENERALLY has an intelligently written and interesting plot. But the trivia section for this film notes a glaring plot problem that I also noticed. Raikes has someone who can clear him and he makes a video of her confessing to the truth. He then sends this confession ONLY to himself and one other person who he trusted. Why not send a copy to CNN, the FBI, the CIA, the YMCA, the Boys Club of America, the Prime Minister, Ronald McDonald....heck, ANYONE and EVERYONE! Sending it to social media or handing out CDs with the confession on every street corner would have made a lot of sense as well...but he only sends it to himself as well as to someone who, it turns out, is part of this huge conspiracy! It is a shame, as without this very big plot hole, the film was great. Plus, Keaton was very good in the lead and the movie one I still recommend...with this one big reservation! As it is, it's a wonderful film with a confusingly bad plot hole....confusing that it was so obvious but got made anyway. Sadly, without this plot hole, I might have even scored the movie a 9 or 10....the rest of it was THAT good.

By the way, IMDB says that Raikes traveled to Monaco but in the film he actually goes to nearby Nice, France (a short distance from Monaco). The only Monaco connection I noticed in the film was that the mob deposited money into an account in this tiny country in order to make him appear guilty of taking bribes.

Part of the Michael Caine Collection...?

[tim-764-291856 · 5/10 · 25 January 2013]

So says The Daily Mail as they not only want to give this film away as a 'freebie' with their newspaper, they are trying to make us want it too, because, this is a Michael Keaton, not Caine, film.

Caine gets to shout 'bloody' again (as in his most famous ever line, in The Italian Job), this time about money he's owed, or he owes - not always sure who is pointing guns at whom, or why, the next, they're in a heap on the floor. Keaton is seemably always on the run, after setting off for south of France to dig up some info on some deal that's been flagged up as dodgy. Next thing, he's shot the Chief of Police, on Armistice Day, in a French town and everybody has seen him do it - and yes! there's a very convenient film crew who almost knew he was about to do it...The investigating police are dodgy as there's all sorts of cover-ups going on, to do with porno film rackets and illegal immigrants and such, I think..(nothing too explicit, cert 15).

Anyway, this credibility straining movie, in old style 4:3 ratio has its moments, cannot recall too many of them, now, that it's finished, except Caine, who is really quite obnoxious, but in a Michael Caine sort of way - i.e - we know he's such a great guy in real life so we forgive him (& for his not-too-rare dodgy choices of film roles) as he gets to try strangling folk, with his bare hands as well as string, or rope, or whatever...

Some of the French actresses are pleasing, both to the eye and their attempt at adding a different perspective to an otherwise quite unpleasant film.

Never mind, this is still better than some Michael Caine movies out there and the transfer quality and sound is OK.

Quicksand stays afloat and doesn't leave one with that sinking feeling

[Equalizer90-1 · 7/10 · 1 December 2006]

First of all I have to admit I was a little misled by the title of the movie. I saw the title "Quicksand" and immediately thought it was a cheap horror film. This is a reasonable mistake to make. I feel films with such titles should include an explanatory note or a picture of a mutated monster if relevant to the story (most of the time this is the case), in order to establish their true nature.

Quicksand is a surprisingly good thriller.

Quicksand stars Michael Keaton, Michael Caine and the professor guy who dies at the start of Mission Impossible 2.

Keaton plays Martin Raikes; a dedicated Compliance Officer with a New York bank who investigates unusual activity with bank funds. An anomaly is identified with the bank account connected to a film studio in France. It becomes clear that Russian gangsters are using the facility to launder money. As soon as Raikes becomes a difficulty the Russians set him up for the murder of a French cop.

Caine takes on the role of Jake Mellows, a washed up actor with a serious gambling problem who is hired by the Russians to front a bogus action movie called Quicksand in order to launder the money.

When Mellows is made aware of the fake film and Raikes discovers his daughter has been kidnapped, they must work together to bring down the Russian criminals.

The story is fairly simple and quite entertaining. The French backdrop is stunning at times and the acting isn't too bad.

It's mostly Keaton, acting as Keaton usually does (technically known as Keatonism) for most part of the film.

The legend Caine turns up in the latter stages and in typical fashion steals the show. The Mission Impossible 2 professor doesn't really do much but a good choice for the head Russian gangster.

Quicksand had some highlights. The fight between Caine and Keaton was quite funny and Keaton's daughter has a creepy English accent. They're not really highlights are they? Oh well, it kept me amused.

Quicksand is by no means a great thriller, in fact there was no real action to speak of, but it's intriguing and the performances of Keaton and Caine make it worthwhile.

Awful

[arfdawg-1 · 2/10 · 30 January 2014]

The workaholic head of the compliance section of a New York bank flies to Monaco to investigate unusual deposits from an offshore bank.

He meets a down-on-his-luck international film star who has become embroiled in criminal activities.

From the very first frame you know this is going to suck.

Poor production values. Poor story line. Horrible directing. Bad acting.

Just the worst.

Michael Keaton really can't act. And there is no wonder that this movie was shelved for so long and then released on video only.

good story...poor direction

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 1 November 2022]

The michaels... caine and katon. Both amazing. Raikes (keaton) is the head of a large financial company, who wants to find any irregularities before the s.e.c. Does. So when he gets an anonymous tip to shenanigans going on at the site in monaco, raikes goes to check it out. The mob is involved, but we're not sure just who or how. And.... we jump the shark 22 minutes in. Raikes has been set up as the assassin. Film star jake mellows (caine) may or may not be involved. One of the problems is that so many things are just not believable; he wouldn't have picked up the assault rifle. We've all seen enough murder she wrotes and columbos to know that you never pick up a random gun, and you never pull a knife out of someone. Another problem is that there's never really much suspense. Even back in 2003, they could pinpoint a cell phone quickly. And raike's hiding places were so lame... the coppers would have to be pretty blind not to see him. Some less than optimal directing. This could have been a top notch production, but many short cuts were taken. It has some blood and guts, some cussing. Directed by john mackenzie. Only made one more after this. He was already in his mid seventies.

Not worth it

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 19 April 2019]

QUICKSAND is a cheap B-movie thriller with a cast all slumming it and a plot which seems to be stitched together hurriedly from bits and pieces of previous, better movies. It's set in Monaco and shot in France, where boring hero Michael Keaton turns up only to find himself framed for murder and on the run. Trite dialogue and dull direction are the order of the day here, with the only saving grace a fun, sweary turn from Michael Caine as a hasbeen actor.

A great film professionally directed and yet to be discovered

[ed56 · 10/10 · 4 December 2005]

Martin Raikes is a banker who gets way over his head with one of the bank's client a group which is used as money laundry for the Russian mob in France. What's wrong with you people? This film definitely has all action thriller needed. A top cast, great villains, beautiful leading actress just as the beautiful filming location and cinematography. Both Michael and Michael bring wonderful performances to the screen. Director John Mackenzie directs expertly and shows he hasn't lost a thing since "The long good Friday" (1980). After watching this movie I hope for 2 things: 1. That people will give more credit to this film. 2. That the film industry will keep bringing us excellent films like this one. This, along with Ronin (1998) are two of the few smart action/intrigue films we have had in the last years. This one rates 10/10. Highly Recommended.

Modestly enjoyable - but nothing special

[I_Ailurophile · 6/10 · 23 November 2021]

Apart from the top-billed Michaels, there are more than a few other very recognizable names and faces here: Judith Godreche, Kathleen Wilhoite, Rade Serbedzija, and others have been seen in pictures time and again. Everyone involved gives sound performances, making their roles as believable as they could be. Characters and dialogue are perhaps unremarkable, but suitable, and the narrative and scene writing are strong, ably building intrigue and suspense. 'Quicksand' is fairly decent.

However, all the quality only extends so far. There are too many moments to play out in the film that feel like pure Hollywood contrivance. Case in point: protagonist Martin Raikes, workaholic banker, somehow possesses skills, knowledge, and daring-do common to career spies in other blockbusters. Exchange one star for another, and one plotline for another - rounding details aside, some shots and scenes could be substituted into other pictures, and vice versa, without skipping a beat. None of this is to say that their employment here is bad; 'Quicksand' is adequately enjoyable. I just wish there were more here to spark the imagination. At times the cast seems to see it, too, as occasionally the artifice shines through in their portrayals.

Music, direction, costume design - not a lot here leaps out. In fairness, there's some cleverness scattered throughout the screenplay, including the climax. All the assembled actors are wonderful as scene partners; with Keaton, Godreche, and Caine getting the most time on screen as such, they have the most opportunity to play off one another, and it's a minor joy to watch. Would that the qualifier "minor" weren't necessary.

I like 'Quicksand' well enough. It's duly entertaining. Everyone involved did their job well; I specifically fault no one for the less than riveting outcome the final cut represents. The question is if all this is enough to give the feature a passing grade, and I suppose that's up to each individual viewer. Why, maybe I'm being too harsh, and am just too jaded and cynical to fully appreciate this. I'm just of the mind that a good movie should make the viewer feel something, anything, and as generally well-made as it is, 'Quicksand' fails to completely inspire.

Modestly worthwhile if you come across it, but don't go out of your way. Perhaps most recommendable as a good movie to put on if you want to "watch" something without having to heavily engage with it..

It's okay

[WankerReviews · 5/10 · 25 September 2019]

Started off great, nice chase scenes, Michael Keaton trying to piece eveything together, after being framed of murder. The Lela character wasn't very likable, and she made the movie drag a bit towards the middle. Then Keaton and Caine cross paths and movie picks up again. I liked their banter and Caine adds good humor. It's an okay movie, but I wouldn't watch again