Chaos (II) (2005)

This is a reasonably brisk paced and entertaining action thriller. There's a similar story to Spike Lee's critical hit, Inside Man, only Chaos was made two years ago, and is as yet awaiting its release. This may give an indication to the fact the film is not really a bankable product. This is not down to quality, because this is by no means a bad film, it's just what you might call a marketing nightmare, as a theatrical release anyway. It's a "thinks it's cleverer than it is" thriller starring two martial arts stars, but without martial arts. In fact this isn't action all the way as you might expect with Jason Statham and Wesley Snipes as two of the headliners. Eventually this will find a release, but probably DTV.

Chaos is an enjoyable flick though. We have Ryan Phillipe and Jason Statham teaming up to investigate a bank heist. As the title suggests, this film is about Chaos, or the Chaos theory, whereby seemingly random acts are in fact connected. Wesley Snipes co-stars as the bank robber in question. The cast are good. Phillipe shares lead duties with Statham, and handles the film well. His character is pretty two dimensional but he does it convincingly and handles the action well too. Statham, delivering another strange accent, supposedly American, is despite his accent, charismatic. It's Wesley Snipes though who stands out, actually enjoying himself after a string of sub-standard, lazy performances in his DTV action vehicles and also in Blade Trinity.

The film looks polished, has a decent score and is a good watch. It just feels very DTV but a better than the normal DTV. Indeed this may have one or two twists too many but the twisting plot manages to keep you guessing as it unravels. Overall not bad, but nothing new. **½