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When people start thinking that the United States is the only country with the directors that can make the great action flicks, they can think again. John Woo is basically the James Cameron of China. And Woo's film-making skill is on the same level as Cameron's since he can make films that have great eye-candy action and a film that makes us identify and care about its characters.

After seeing "Hard Boiled", I was completely blown away by the awesome gun fight scenes that were among the best my eyes ever witnessed. And there's plenty of it. The opening scene with the shoot-out at the teahouse is remembered for when Tequila (Yun Fat Chow) does a bunch of insane stunts like firing while jumping in mid-air and when he slides down the staircase handle and shoots the bad guys without getting hit. The warehouse betrayal will be known for the bad guys on the motorcycles shooting at the other bad guys, and then, Tony, who is really an informant for the police, betrays his gun-runner boss. And then that's when Tequila shows up and kicks a ton of @$$! There's even some shots of him shooting at the motorcycle engines and exploding them, which is some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen. And last but not the least, the climatic action scene at the hospital that lasts for over a half-hour, and it displays a long continued shot that lasts for almost 3 minutes. And in that shot Tequila and Tony shoot every bad guy in sight and while talking some emotional lines, I've never seen such a masterful shot like that until "Children of Men". This movie has EVERYTHING, grenades, shotguns, machine pistols and an entire arsenal of weapons that is shown in the hospital part. And we also have some suspense and emotional to along with the action since the hospital scene is very tense with all the babies in danger when Tequila tries to save them all while narrowly dodging bullets.

And also, the American audience probably liked the action because the setting was very different. We didn't see an American background or an American city like L.A, but what we see is Hong Kong. And in the action sequences we see Chinese stuff getting blown up, like in the teahouse for instance. We saw a bunch of Chinese pasta and tea (of course) getting smashed to bits. And it also works cause it's very unique compared to the same old American films that we get here in America.

The acting also works, Yung-Fat Chow, who is basically the Chinese Schwarzenegger due to his position as an action superstar is absolutely terrific as Tequila. Tequila is basically a maverick cop whose partner is killed during the teahouse shootout and seeks revenge against the Triad gang. However his boss is constantly pushing him over the edge and he has to deal with while disobeying orders to get to the Triads. And his character also delivers one of the most recognizable quotes in film history ("You're full of $h!t, you know that? There's a toilet over there.") I bet that if it was an American film, every person in the United States would be saying that in everyday situations, next to "Hasta la Vista, baby" and "Yippie-ki-yay, motherf**ker".

And Tony Leung, another Hong Kong superstar, totally shines as the undercover cop who is infiltrating the gang of weapon smugglers. And his loyalty is tested on whether or not he'll be loyal to the Triads or to the cops. And also, I'll remember his character for his face-off with that bad guy with eye patch in the hospital (forgot his name), and then one scene, they realize there are a bunch of innocent patients and they BOTH choose to let them go so they could finish their fight. But unfortunately the gang leader shows up and decides to kill them all and the eye-patch guy basically dies while standing up for what he believes is right that only the violent people should die. Very touching moment.

If you're looking for a great foreign action film and if you're tired of watching too many Hollywood stuff, then "Hard Boiled" is the film for you. The action is so insane that you'll probably see this over a hundred times before you die.

Yes.....Alien 3 was an embarrassment, especially after all the pop-culture and movie influence that both "Alien" and "Aliens" put on. "Alien" was perhaps the greatest horror ever made, even surpassing "The Exorcist" and "Halloween". "Aliens" is a sure contender for being the greatest action/sci-fi movie ever filmed. And just knowing these two facts is why this movie fails, because there was so much riding on this and it turned out to be disappointing. And they also seem to be going back to the first film with the idea of the lone warrior alien and they don't do anything new except make the alien a quadrupedal. But of course, it's understandable because what else could they make of the Alien series? A comedy? But the entire film doesn't present itself very well and that's why it fails.

After the end "Aliens", Ripley, Newt, Hicks and Bishop are still in hypersleep until a face-hugger on their ship somehow causes a fire (which makes no sense) and then cracks through Ripley's cryo-tube and impregnates her. Then the spaceship crash-lands on a an all-male prison planet with Ripley as the only survivor. But the face-hugger (which can somehow infect twice) infects a dog, and then all hell breaks loose in the prison.

After they couldn't get either Ridley Scott or James Cameron to come back, they gave the job to film auteur David Fincher while he was still a rookie, and his lack of experience is painfully apparent in here. He just doesn't generate a lot of suspense or tension and we start to ponder our reason for watching this movie in the first place.

The supporting characters are just a bunch of useless scum that people call prisoners and there isn't a single explanation given as to why we're supposed to care about them, especially Dillon who is perhaps one of the most repulsive characters I've ever seen put on a film. He basically puts down Ripley because of her gender and even unemotionally states to her "I am a murderer and a rapist of women". And you're gonna feel totally magnificent when he ends up dying in vain while fighting the alien at the end. And it also doesn't reveal anything new about the Ellen Ripley character and she's sorta flat in here. But Sigourney Weaver doesn't do that bad of a job at playing the character that she plays best.

And also as for the alien itself, its really dumb and poorly done. The idea of it being modeled after a dog isn't remotely interesting nor is it threatening. And also the scene when the chest-burster pops out of the dog was really disturbing to watch and also unnecessary. If it's horror that you're trying to make, you have to make scenes that are scary but at the same time you still want to watch it, and the dog's death scene did neither of that. Honestly, I hope that same dog bit the director and the writers in the @$$'s really hard. And also it was basically poorly done because it was the early 1990's and it was obviously a puppet that they were using and it was very stilted and totally fake. Even the aliens from the first two movies were more convincing and terrifying and those two were made YEARS before this came out.

Some stuff I rather liked were the good camera work when the alien was on the ceiling chasing the prisoners, but this still didn't contribute to the suspense and it was more of an eye-candy thing for me. And also the tragedy shown about Ripley that she constantly suffers all because of the aliens. But other than that, just pass this one....

After the ending of "Alien", Ripley is finally rescued by a salvage team after drifting out in space for 57 years in hypersleep. Then she tries to explain what really happened all those years ago to the "Company" board, but they instantly turn the story down, much to her disbelief. However on the same planet where her previous crew found the Alien egg, she finds out that now a colony of families have moved there and they could be in serious danger and her fears are proved correct when And one of the main reasons why this is a sequel that works so well is because it's aware that its a sequel and its a real continuation of the first movie. And this and Terminator 2: Judgement Day are living proof of why James Cameron is the one and only guy to be making sequels and he can make his sequels just as good as, if not better than, the first movie.

Because that its a true sequel, you would expect Ripley to be even further developed, and she is. In "Aliens" you get to find out so many things about her that you didn't realize in "Alien", such as the fact that she had a daughter who died while Ripley was in hypersleep, wow what a shame, because of this she tries to make up for her mistake by bonding with Newt, whose family was killed by the Alien attack. And we even find out her first name towards the end And her development is actually continued from the first movie rather than her developments being abrupt and coming out of nowhere. And while Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Oscar and she should've won obviously, because part of the reason why Ellen Ripley is an iconic character is not because of how she was written but how she was acted.

The supporting cast was among the best I've ever seen in any movie and it possibly rivals the one in "Predator" as the all-time greatest. The characters can remembered on the back of anyone's hand; Hicks, Vasquez, Hudson, Bishop, Burke and Apone and they all have their own thing for us to remember them by.

Hicks is blended in by the fantastic Michael Biehn as the silent, intelligent leader ("I like to keep this handy, for close encounters"). Vasquez is the totally bad@$$ woman pumped in sheer masculinity and toughness, ("I only need to know one thing, where....they....are). Bill Paxton is at his prime as Hudson, who acts tough all the time but is actually a timid little child inside ("How do I get out of this chicken$h!t outfit?"). And Bishop, the android with the big heart, plays an important role in Ripley's development through the movie, in "Alien" the android named "Ash" went berserk and made the crew expendable to get the alien organism since the start. And Ripley had an extreme distrust of Bishop even though Bishop is clearly gentle the minute you first see him. At the end they both make peace and sort it out when Ripley learns he ain't as bad and messed up as Ash was. And also, Paul Reiser is perfect as the slimy corporate guy who only wants to make a profit above other people's lives, and when he gets killed you're gonna stand up and cheer, I assure you. And Apone is the awesome sergeant who frequently belittles Hudson ("You secure that $h!t, Hudson!, "Hudson, get over here, over here!" in the film's funniest sequence).

The action is totally relentless and packs a heck of a wallop. But during the first hour you won't be seeing any of the aliens or the gunfights so we can focus on the characters and get to know them first. But the action has everything, big machine guns, flamethrowers, grenade launchers, you name it. And the final stand-off between Ripley on the loader and the alien queen ("Get away from her, you bi**h!") is among one the greatest ever filmed and it might be the fact that it was really a girl on girl fight which makes it more unique. And that's also why it works as a sequel, because the overall tone is different compared to "Alien", and the worst thing that Cameron would've done was to make it a rehash of the original, but he avoided doing that at all costs.

And this isn't considered one of the best ever action movies because of the action itself, but because it depicts a once innocent woman who lost nearly everything by a hostile species and will do anything to avenge herself and also try to rebuild what she lost. Awesome, awesome movie, this gets a perfect score from me.

After watching the great "Crimson Tide", I sought out to see more legendary submarine flicks. And while I was in Blockbuster, I saw "Run Silent, Run Deep" on the shelf and I remembered that movie being mentioned in "Crimson Tide" during the whole "submarine movie trivia" sequence on the bus. And the question that was asked was who the submarine commander in this movie was. And the guy answered "That guy with the ears and the mustache, Cary Grant." For those of you don't know what the answer was, it was really Clark Gable, and those massive ears and the thin 'stache were his trademarks throughout his career.

And once I picked up the DVD case, I showed it to my mother and she immediately saw the two actors on the front (Gable and Burt Lancaster) and told me how famous those two were. But the truth is, I didn't even know who those two guys were, obviously because of my young age at 17. But after I decided to rent it since it couldn't do any harm, my mother told me about the kind of acting legends that Gable and Lancaster were on the ride back home. But of course, it was a bunch of romance flicks that she told me about (Gone with the Wind, Elmer Gantry etc.), but I knew that if Gable and Lancaster were practically legends, and that this was a submarine film, I knew I might've started loving this. And strangely enough, I did. And I didn't even care for the fact that it was black and white, and the fact that it's 51 years old.

When it came to movies, I realized for the first time that my mother was right about Gable and Lancaster. Those two had real acting skill and were 2 of the best I've ever seen. But now in Hollywood we get too many male/female models who act and they have no talent. But I get to see what it was like in the old days when Hollywood cared about talent over money, fame and hotness.

Clark Gable is the submarine commander named P.J "Rich" Richardson. Rich is haunted by his memories of a Japanese battleship that destroyed his sub and his crew. For over a year, he dwells on that memory and wants vengeance more than anything. And then when a younger guy named James Bledsoe (Lancaster) heads a new sub that would be heading out into the Pacific to combat the Japanese, Rich abruptly takes command after convincing his superiors. And of course, Bledsoe isn't too happy about it but keeps his cool. And during the mission, Rich disobeys orders just to get the sub into the restricted areas which pushes the crew to planning on a mutiny, and causes tensions to rise between the two commanding officers (and I guess this is how Crimson Tide got that idea……).

The acting is excellent, thanks to Gable and Lancaster, we can feel the tension going on between these two. Oscar-winning acting in the 1950's was no different than it is today, and Gable and Lancaster could exhibit powerful human emotion especially when the 2 men clash over the safety and lives of the crew. And you're gonna find yourself siding with the both of them; you might side with Rich because of his quest for revenge even though he has to be doing the unethical to achieve his goal and Bledsoe just cares about the lives of the crew and even risked the sub being spotted when he ordered them to rise up to prevent a crew member from drowning. But by the end, the 2 men basically become each other when Rich realizes that revenge might not be worth it and when Bledsoe decides to go after the Japanese destroyer even when they're on their way home. Excellent character development to go along with the great story.

The action was, for its time, very well done. To be honest I expected much worse from the special effects, but you can still see what's going on with all the torpedoes and the subs underwater. And especially the explosions of the ships, while they were black and white, they still captured the grim reality of warfare on the ocean.

Also the thrills will make your heart pound like it did to mine and if the thrills were any more thrilling, I would've fainted. The scene at the end when the two subs face-off is among the best underwater battles I've seen in my life. The suspenseful part came when the fighter planes were dropping the bombs onto the sub underwater, and when one of the bombs hits the top of the sub and rolls over to explode and barely misses is when I nearly bit my fingernails off. And this was all perfectly edited and directed by the genius Robert Wise.

And another thing, that pin-up girl that the crew slaps on its back-side before battle is a total icon to me and it's hilarious. I wish that I had a poster like that at home, haha, but that's just the boy in me talking. And I think that was even referenced in "Die Hard" when John McClane pats a similar poster of a girl on the wall, and given Die Hard's reputation, that has clearly gotta be saying a lot about "RSRD". And I'm gonna remember that part forever because it displays the crew's humanity as men.

I'll admit that I said before that "Crimson Tide" was my favorite submarine movie of all time, but now I'm on the fence, because "Crimson Tide" took the idea of two submarine superiors clashing, from RSRD. And I'm not sure when I'm gonna decide. But anyway, this is a classic in its own right with two legendary actors and a great story about vengeance set in World War II.

Yup, you heard me, a real disappointment, especially after how great the first "Predator" movie was. But of course, everyone could've seen this coming, because that's how sequels tend to be like; very, very pale in comparison to the original.

This time we have the Predator not in the jungles of Central America, but now in the streets of Los Angeles that has become over-run with a gang war between the Jamaicans and the Columbians. Putting the Predator in the big city wasn't a terrible idea, because where else could you put him besides the jungle? But the thing is, it worked a whole lot better when he was in the jungle, because you could feel the deadly silence and the claustrophobic feel. But in a metropolis like LA, you're just gonna find yourself being distracted, and you can't focus enough on the Predator to be intimidated by it. And also, the film spends over 20 minutes trying to hide the Predator behind its camouflage, question is, why? We've already seen the Predator before and we already know what it looks like, so the movie is basically wasting time trying to keep us guessing.

But what really killed this movie for me was Danny Glover. And "Predator 2" did nothing for him except prove one fact; Glover can't play the bad@$$/maverick cop. Why? Because that's just not him, he's better off being the good cop who plays by the rules in the "Lethal Weapon" series. He somewhat acts very awkward when he tries to be the tough guy, but that's just ruined by his stilted mannerisms and his good boy face. An the bottom line is, he's just not very convincing. And what makes it even worse, is that his character "Mike Harrigan" is totally shallow and not a lot is explained about him. For instance, who is Mike Harrigan? What are his motives for him being a maverick? Did he used to have a family? What were his past experiences like? Movie doesn't say. In the original "Predator", we knew who Dutch Schaeffer was, we knew he was an ex-combatant who got involved in too many battles and he's seen a lot of death happen. And that's when he decided to tone himself down and become a rescuer and not an assassin.

And also the supporting cast is way outta the league of the one in the first movie. The special forces team members were their own individual characters and we basically wanted to see a spin-off prequel for each of those characters. But in Predator 2, all we get is Bill Paxton being bought in to do what he does best; comic relief. But the jokes that tells are so out-of-place and awkward, and in a few small parts, you can tell that Paxton is just embarrassed to be there in front of the camera and spewing out those crappy lines.

Gary Busey's performance is nothing special, and he basically just keeps the same expression throughout the whole way. And the idea of an NSA agent trying to capture an alien isn't even realistic.

But one thing I liked about this one is that it revealed new facts about the Predator itself. It reveals that it follows a code and a law and the killings that it commits is just an act of sport. And it only kills those who are armed and it doesn't strike at a pregnant woman so it won't take away any innocent lives.

But the action just doesn't interest you and the suspense is pretty much abysmal. Just watch this if you want to learn more about the alien and if you are a real die-hard fan of the first movie....even though you might be disappointed.

Alien....the creature......the film.....the legend. The one that started it all, the one that led to one of the greatest sequels ever made, one that got a comic book mini-series and 2 cross-over films with "Predator". This is THE film. And without a doubt, the greatest horror film ever created, and this totally makes "Halloween" look like "Chicken Little". You can forget about all those rubbish "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, 'cause "Alien" just takes horror up to so many levels! In "Alien", we find ourselves in the distant future with a crew just coming back from a haul of 20 million tons of ore back to Earth. But while the crew members are in stasis, their ship picks up an "SOS" from a nearby planet, and once the crew is awakened, they are forced by the "Company" regulations to follow that signal. And then when they land on the planet and it turns out that something terrifying is in store for them, when a hostile organism attaches itself to one of the crew members. And later on, it becomes clear that the crew member was being impregnated and then dies a horrible, violent death from a deadly breed of an other-worldly life-form. And now the rest of the crew must fight off the creature.

As other classic films should always have, "Alien" does great on the characters. And of course, the most recognizable one is the lead woman, Ellen Ripley who is played then-unknown Sigourney Weaver. She provides a very human face and you're gonna feel like you're actually watching a real-life woman in here, and it could be because of her accent, or her mannerisms. But as the film progresses, she develops into a more mentally tougher woman while combating the Alien. There are times when she totally keeps it cool, times when she's afraid, times when she's angry, and times when its just Ripley being Ripley. And thanks to Weavers acting talents, she can really dish out one hell of a character.

The rest of the supporting cast are nothing short of spectacular, Parker and Brett are the selfish, sarcastic men who only want to make a profit. And through most of the film, you can feel the tension that Ripley and Parker have. Lambert, who one of my favorites from here is the second woman who happens to be the opposite of Ripley, a total coward. Dallas, who the viewer might get the vibe that HE is the main character in the 1st 15 minutes or so, is pretty much the leader here. Kane, is the tired, dead-looking guy who is the one that carries the alien species inside of him. And finally, Ash is the one with the sinister purpose and you start to suspect that he's up to no good at some point. And movie characters need to have their own personalities and that's what "Alien" has.

And as for the Alien itself, well what can i say? It is the most horrifying creature in the history of cinema, period. I mean, how could you stop it? It has acid for blood, and is very lethal to fight face-to-face. And the special effects were over 20 years ahead of its time. The face-hugger on Kane looked so freaking real, that you're gonna be scared just by looking at it, even it doesn't do anything except breathe most of the time. And the sets couldn't have been better, very futuristic, yet there's always something ominous and dark about them.

The suspense is impossible to resist as the sequences deliver the chills at times when you least expect it, and when you do expect something to happen, nothing happens. And "Alien" is one of the very few horror films that understands that you can't scare people by raking up the bodies and the blood, but you have to build up the suspense to do it. And director Ridley Scott is such a genius, and he shows that here, he absolutely knows how to make any kind of film, ones that can scare (Alien), one that can sadden (Thelma and Louise), and one that can excite/thrill (Gladiator). And Ridley really keeps up the dark atmosphere, especially in the beginning when there's no talking for the 1st 5 minutes or so, we get the feeling that something's not right all the time. Some parts are very quiet and very depressing and we feel exactly what we see.

This is the legend that I'm talking about here, folks. Don't miss the chance to see this, because it will scare the living daylights outta you more than any other movie you're gonna see in your life. Take my word for it....I'm practically a movie buff, so I know what I'm talking about....

"The Abyss" was the first underwater film by film-making genius James Cameron. In less than 10 years after "The Abyss", "Titanic" came and swept the Oscars and the box-office with ease. And then in the 00's, he made a few underwater documentaries, but still has yet to make a real film (which he will, in 2009 with "Avatar").

And "The Abyss" is freaking excellent, and it's got everything, acting for the realism lovers, a story for the film lovers and special effects for the action/sci-fi lovers.

It tells the story of a diving team that are forced by the marines to search for a missing nuclear submarine that was sunk by an extra-terrestrial alien species. Once the Navy SEALS reach down to the diving team, the leader of the SEALS starts to become more and more paranoid and schizophrenic and hatches a plan to steal a nuclear warhead and use it on the aliens while believing it to be the Russians. And also the head of the diving team also has to go on this mission while dealing with his ex-wife.

James Cameron has always been known for giving his characters very human personalities and characteristics. And there's this one scene at the beginning when the whole diving team are all singing along to a song on the radio which shows off their goofiness and the human nature that we all have.

"Goddammit, you bitch! You never backed away from anything in your life! Now fight!"-Bud Brigman

Ed Harris who plays as the central character Virgil "Bud" Brigman, is at his best. Bud is basically, as i said before, a very human and vulnerable character, and although he frequently makes jokes and taunts his soon-to-be ex-wife, Lindsey (Mary Mastrantonio). But deep inside, he's very troubled and still loves his wife which is evident when he throws his wedding ring into the toilet and then goes through the trouble to get it back. Also, after the film's 2nd hour, he tries to resuscitate his wife in the one of the best scenes of the movie, you can totally see Harris' acting skill in there. And Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio is excellent as Bud's wife and displays the right emotions at the right time, like when she and Bud start to re-connect towards the end and when he about thousands of feet below her.

"It went for the warhead, and they think it's cute."-Hiram Coffey

Another high-point performance is Michael Biehn as the insane Hiram Coffey. Everything Biehn does in here justifies the claim that he should've gotten an Oscar for this. As soon as Coffey enters the rig, you can tell that there's something about him that is sinister and when his hand starts shaking, you feel like that theory is proved correct. It is to this day, the most realistic portrayal of a delusional man suffering from pressure-induced paranoia, and I've never seen an actor perform like that in my life. And we all must be wondering why Biehn never got the recognition he deserved.

And the other supporting actors are totally memorable and likable because of their humanity, and that's what James Cameron does best. And after seeing this movie you can remember all their names right off the bat: Hippy, Catfish, One-Night and Jammer. And they each got their gimmicks, like Hippy with his pet white rat and Catfish with his fist that used to be called "The Hammer". And like in "Predator" and "Aliens", "The Abyss" makes you care about and wanna see an individual movie on each character to show you more of him/her. But the world ain't perfect, so we may never get to see that happen.

The special effects were great and totally ahead of its time, and the water tentacle completely blew me away and I wonder how they did that since modern film studios can't do that if their life depended on it. And I think that tentacle was probably the inspiration for the boss "Morpha" in that Legend of Zelda game. The aliens and the mother-ship were very well-done and Cameron would only get better with the special effects in Terminator 2.

Also, Cameron's directing shows us a story about the survival of humanity and how we might be destroying ourselves. And that's what the aliens show Bud at the end when gets onto their ship. And they plan on sending a massive tidal wave to wipe everyone out. But after seeing Bud's message to wife, they realize that not all humans deserve to die, so they spare them.

And as for the adrenaline rushes, you're gonna be relying on the thrills mostly. The part when the rig gets damaged and a few people drown is one of the best edited and one of the most suspense filled sequences ever. And when Brigman and Coffey face off in a brief fight scene, basically has James Cameron written all over it. And the sub chase is another one worth mentioning.

"The Abyss" is just another one of the greats that James Cameron has to offer, and he is only gonna be making more in the future.

I guess James Cameron made action films better for all of us. Not just for the audience, but for the actors and the people involved in the movies too. He even smashed the gender barrier in the world of action movies and gave us the toughest females ever (Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley, Helen Tasker, and Lindsay Brigman). And in 1995 he wrote up a screenplay that had a really fascinating story about the impending millennium and he called it "Strange Days". But instead of directing it, he decided to hand over the directing duties to his ex-wife Katheryn Bigelow, who made "Point Break" a few years before. And I've gotta say, women have really earned their place in action cinema, and we owe it to good ol' James Cameron.

Strange Days tells the story taking place at the turn of the millennium from the 1000's to the 2000's and from 1999 to 2000. And due to the fact that it's a science fiction film, it features an outlawed device called SQUID that people can use with inserted discs to see, feel and experience an event that someone else already recorded. And a former cop named Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) who is now a hustler and seller of this device frequently uses the thing that he devotes his life to in order to experience the old memories of his ex-wife. And two other sub-plots emerge when he gets a disc that reveals corruption in the LAPD and another that shows a serial killer stalking, raping and murdering women. And it all finally converges at the end.

Two years after playing the heartless Nazi Amon Goeth in "Schindler's List", Ralph Fiennes shows a completely different side of him in here. His character Lenny Nero is basically a vulnerable, weak guy who happens to be a lying, deceiving and vain hustler and due to his occasional silliness, it's almost impossible to see the negative aspects of his personality. He's also quite stubborn and a fool for love since his ex-wife chose fortune and fame over him. And Fiennes was perfectly cast here due to his skill of conveying several personality traits into a character. Also, his character is somewhat unique since he isn't really as macho and he seems to be more feminine due to his clothing style of silk and spandex. And we all know we can't keep ripping-off other movie characters to be make a profit, and "Strange Days" does the opposite. It does what it should do to get originality.

My favorite acting performance in here was, without a doubt, Angela Basset as Mace. We all know that James Cameron constantly puts tough female characters in his films, but Mace in "Strange Days" takes the cake! She serves as Lenny's bodyguard and provides a couple cool fight scenes. Mace used to be an average woman and then her husband got arrested and when he started doing time, Mace completely changed and became more masculine, kinda like Sarah Connor between the first two Terminator movies.

Tom Sizemore, who is a Bigelow regular, is great as Lenny's best pal and Juliette Lewis is great as Nero's ex-wife and she provides a realistic portrayal as the hot woman who wants nothing but money and could care less for morality and love. She also does some great singing in a couple scenes when she's performing with her band. And the dirty cop Steckler played by Vincent D'Onofrio before his Law and Order days, is played flawlessly and he's a pretty scary guy and he's willing to do anything to cover up what he and his partner did (although I'm not gonna tell exactly what in this review, you'll have to watch and find out).

"Strange Days" has got it all; action, science fiction, suspense, and romance. The SQUID things were really something cool, original and creative, and it would be even better if it was really invented someday. This isn't really as action-packed as James Cameron's movies tend to be like, since it's got a different director, but the vision of Los Angeles is just remarkable, there's arson fires and riots packed in almost every scene and its just horrifying. Even though it hasn't happened yet, it makes you think and it makes you worry, especially if you're foolish enough to be living in LA.

And remember, a woman actually made one of the greatest action adventures of all time. Katheryn Bigelow, we salute you.

Since the release of "Memento" (which I honestly haven't seen yet) Christopher Nolan has become a rising star in the world of film directing. And he finally shined with both "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight" which revitalized the Batman character and established it as the most popular and even putting him above Spider-man. The fact is, Nolan is among the greatest film-makers in the world and he is going to keep making new classics for the years to come, and I'm already looking forward to "Inception" in 2010. In 2002, he directed a remake of the Norweigian film of the same name called "Insomnia", and I gotta say, it's the best psychological thriller I've ever seen and it even surpasses "The Silence of the Lambs" big time.

The premise-A highly known and highly accomplished Los Angeles detective named Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is sent to a town in Alaska to solve a murder case involving a 17 year old girl. But his partner Hap, just revealed to him that he's planning on testifying against him because he knows about Dormer planting evidence to gain a conviction on a previous case. And all that guilt, fear and the midnight sun that is constantly shining sends Dormer a whole week of no sleep (insomnia). And Dormer starts to lose his concentration and his reasoning.

Al Pacino has been known for dominating every movie he's in and stealing the show from the other actors and he totally does that in here. And it also seems that he was perfectly cast in here because he has the look of a guy who hasn't slept in days. And that might be due to his facial appearance with the dark circles under his eyes and his wrinkled face and he even looks tired the moment he gets off the plane at the beginning. And the more days that pass, he looks more and more fatigued. And I wonder if Pacino really kept himself awake during filming or if he's really that good as a method actor. Although fatigue is the main emotion that he demonstrates here, his feeling of guilt is masterfully shown after he accidentally kills his partner in the thick fog while they're chasing the killer. And we, as the audience wonder if it was really a mistake, or if he shot him on purpose to shut his partner up and prevent his testimony. And Dormer even does some extreme measures to cover up what really happened. At the end, the question is never answered and we're left wondering about his morality and how ethical of a cop he really is. And also the scene when he confronts the victim's boyfriend (whose a smart-mouth, always doing his "f**k the world act") and he really shuts him up. I personally thought that was pretty darn cool and he really fits into the mind of Will Dormer and gives one of his finest performances ever.

Robin Williams, who plays as the girl's killer, is known for doing comedy roles and he should start listening to everyone's advice and stick to doing dramatic or serious roles, because he is WAY better when he's doing the kind of acting he does in "Insomnia". He actually doesn't start showing his face until about half-way through the movie and spends the first half either hiding his face or giving sinister, yet strangely non-threatening phone calls to Dormer. And it turns out that he saw Dormer shoot his partner and spends the rest of the movie blackmailing him and forces him to pin the murder of the girl on someone else.

Hilary Swank gives perhaps the 2nd best acting performance and once again, Nolan casted her perfectly as the detective who idolizes Dormer. I guess it has to do something with the way Swank's mannerisms are like. And she's totally believable as the character who looks up to Dormer and she seems like she wants to impress him all the time. And she cuts Dormer some slack even though he gives a vague explanation for an incident involving an officers death.

Having a trio of former Oscar winners really helped the film here, and also was the masterful direction of Nolan, he makes the scenery of Alaska somewhat peaceful, yet disturbing. And as all psychological thrillers go...u have to keep the suspense and tension going though the whole move....otherwise, what's the point? At first, you can feel the tension between Dormer and his partner, and then between Dormer and the killer.

This is simply the best psycho-thriller I've ever seen, and if you think that "The Silence of the Lambs" was something, wait 'till you see this!

About 2 decades ago, people witnessed the age of when the action genre in films was at its finest. The world was given some of the greatest action entertainments ever (Terminator's 1 and 2, Die Hard, Predator, Robocop etc). And all of that was shamefully thrown away for the cheap rip-off's just so Hollywood can make a profit. And here we get WWE starting to finance and distribute films in hopes of expanding their fanbase and their publicity. And they start by throwing their superstar John Cena in his horrendous, over-the-top debut.

"The Marine" follows John Triton (Cena) who has been recently discharged for disobeying direct orders and he now has a lousy security job (but at the end, the problem of having a job he hates isn't even resolved, but what do we care?). Later on, a group of diamond thieves who are trying to evade the authorities after their latest heist kidnap Triton's wife. Triton decides to do the usual in a dumb action flick; he decides to go after them and take the law into his own hands. But the plot itself is too weak for us to care about what's going on. I mean the problem basically occurred by chance and coincidence when Triton and his wife just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time at the gas station. And all the plot elements don't mesh together very well.

And of course its action because the WWE wrestlers just want to prove their masculinity. And overall, the action sucks. There's explosions and gunfire, lots and lots of explosions and gunfire. But the special effects team must've been on crack because the blasts look like splashes of Sunny Delight, and the gunfire looks like it was made from a home computer with just that stupid orange X and the annoying sparkles that we see.

And the acting performance by Cena is atrocious and more wooden than a redwood forest. Robert Patrick as Rome is sub-par since he wasn't as threatening as he used to be in Terminator 2 and even in Die Hard 2 which he appeared in only 2 scenes. He's pretty much just spewing out dumb one-liners and acting goofy. All that, rather than the intimidating silence he's known for.

And the rest is just a bunch of badly timed jokes, dialogue and scenarios. Especially the part when Morgan is telling about his experiences with his camp counselor and Rome ordering him to find the generator. That part was WAY outta place, badly acted and awkward and it felt like it was never gonna end. And towards the end when Triton surely kills Rome in the blast, then after reviving his wife, Rome suddenly rises again with severe burns and then Triton kills him for good, VERY VERY B movie, if you ask me. And the "The Marine" is chock full of moments like those.

I didn't give this the lowest score because some of the fist fights here were alright and I liked some of the pop-culture references such as the ones to Terminator and Scarface here.

But don't waste your time, this is for John Cena die-hards only......

Alright guys, I'm gonna be straight with you. In this review, I'm gonna be praising "Out for Justice" and will be recommending it to anyone, but the truth is, Steven Seagal's best movie to me is always gonna be "Under Siege", period. "Out for Justice" to me is more like his second best, even though you might think that saying that might not be saying much at all, the truth is "Out for Justice" is an a great martial arts film that is worth your time.

During Steven Seagal's ponytail years and before "Under Siege" came out, Seagal was basically putting out a few martial arts films that were considered to be something new at the time. And because of that, they were box-office successes and other actors such as Jean Claude Van Damme and Wesley Snipes started doing what Seagal was doing and the three of them rose to stardom. But during the course of the 1990's and the 2000's, the mainstream culture started to look to other martial artists (like Jason Statham in his ridiculous Transporter films) and Seagal, Van Damme and Snipes started doing their thing in the straight-to-DVD way and things will never be the same again.

But thank god we still have the movies to watch forever, and "Out for Justice" does Seagal's career a whole lot of true justice. In this, he plays a Gino Felino, a tough as nails cop who grew up on the streets of Brooklyn and with Mafia ties. But one day, his best friend Bobby is ruthlessly shot and killed in daylight and in front of his wife and kids by a wannabe wise-guy named Richie (William Forsythe). And Gino happens to know him since those two were kids, and he's willing to do anything to get to Richie, such as arresting his sister to get information and even being rough with his parents. Also, even the mob guys are after Richie since he's making them look bad, but they keep screwing up and Richie keeps killing whoever they send to get him.

And Seagal isn't too shabby as an actor when he gives that depressing monologue about his character's father, but I'll admit that there were some areas that he could've improved on to make it better. And his slick fighting skills make his character really stand out. And also the part when he saves a harmless pup from being run-over by a car after its owner threw it out in a garbage bag on the road, is what is another defining point of him. And then in the end he finds that owner and kicks that guy in his family jewels. Pretty funny stuff there.

Also, William Forsythe's portrayal as the psychotic Richie is another one of the movies best parts. He's completely believable in his role as a guy who was always breaking the law since the start and then finally loses his mind when he starts taking crack and dope. And Forsythe displays his character's emotions of insanity and fury with sheer skill, and also I laugh every time the line "Shut up about the f**king mouse!" is said.

And as always, the action is what's best, the aikido/ martial arts is completely realistic and doesn't seem too fake or stiff that some karate-esquire movies do. The action is absolutely and positively brutal, bloody and violent. And this is clear proof why Steven Seagal is the best at what he does, the scene in the bar in which Gino takes a billiard ball wrapped in a towel and whacks Richies men and knocks a guy's teeth out is one of Seagal's best ever fight scenes. And who could forget the end when Gino storms that house with a shotgun and totally trashes the hell out of Richie?

I actually just rented this movie last night from Blockbuster and I was amazed at how wrong I was about Seagal before. He doesn't deserve all the criticism he gets for not giving any depth to his characters, but in "Out for Justice" I was seeing some of that. And next thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna buy this on DVD and add it to my collection. Who knows? Maybe I'll even start making a collection of Seagal movies and this is along with "Under Siege" is a start.....

"Crimson Tide" is one of my favorites and to me is the best submarine movie ever made. And I don't understand why people say the "The Hunt for Red October" is THE submarine film. Because, to me THFRO was very long and moved at a snail's pace, and also the murky underwater action scenes were hard to look at because you could hardly see what was going on.

However, "Crimson Tide" is an improvement in my opinion. It's over 2 hours long, but its pace moves by so fast that you're not gonna realize it. But if you're looking for tons of explosions and gunfire, then this ain't your kind of movie, it happens to be more suspense-oriented. Otherwise, you can just check out "Die Hard", "Terminator" or "Aliens", for the action-packed extravaganza that most people want. But I guess the scene in which the subs face off and each are firing the torpedoes at each other could be considered action. And that scene in probably the best part of the entire movie since there is no way anyone could resist the suspense and especially when the sub is sinking and the water pressure is rising and it could compress at any second.

Without going on and on too much I'll just give the basic premise of the movie so you won't get too confused. It's been a couple years after the Soviet Union collapsed and now a radical leader and his followers are trying to takeover the Russian government and is threatening to launch nuclear missiles into both the United States and Russia itself if they interfere with him. And the USA sends a submarine with nuclear missiles out to the Pacific Ocean in case the event of when the Russian missiles are launched and they could instantly counter-attack. But the two commanding officers clash on whether or not the missiles should be fired since they are debating if Russia is attacking or not. But since they are so far down in sea level, they can't communicate to get their orders. At first, it may seem uninteresting, but you'll realize how much suspense and tension is in here when you see it.

As for the acting, well what can I say? Denzel Washington has gotta be the greatest method actor in Hollywood right now and "Crimson Tide" is a prime example. So far in his career, he already won an Oscar for "Glory" and "Training Day" in which he gave two outstanding performances that will forever be remembered in Hollywood. But his work in "Crimson Tide" is, and I dare say, tops both of his Oscar-winning performances. He plays the lead role as Lt. Commander Ron Hunter, who is objecting his Captain's orders to attack Russia since it would cause a complete nuclear holocaust with billions of deaths involved.

Gene Hackman, who is another Hollywood favorite, is Captain Frank Ramsey, the crazy old guy who will stop at nothing to ensure that World War III between the USA and Russia happens. His character even preferred to have a missile drill happening when the sub had a fire and its safety was endangered, and as a result an officer lost his life.

Hackman's character represents the way the USA was before in a time of war, and they seeked anything to get involved in that war so other countries would fear them. Washington's character symbolizes what the USA is like during the 1990's and they would try to stay as neutral as possible. Also, the scene when Denzel and Gene are arguing and shouting over each other about the nukes and before the mutiny happens has gotta be one of the greatest acted scenes ever. And this basically provides the tension that makes "Crimson Tide" what it is as a film. And the bulk of the movie, the question "Will they launch or not?" goes on. Just watch it and found out.

Also, the dialogue is among the best I've ever heard, and heck, I'll say that it even challenges "Pulp Fiction" as having some of the best lines ever. What's interesting is that Quentin Tarantino provided some of it in here and that's clearly evident. The Silver Surfer reference and the submarine movie trivia are the real punch-ups here. My favorite line from this is "You don't put on a condom unless you're gonna f**k!".

"Crimson Tide" is an excellent thriller movie that stands out because of the suspense, the tension, the acting and the punchy dialogue. Do yourself a favor and forget "The Hunt for Red October"! "Crimson Tide" will blow you away!

I wanna start by saying that I absolutely love "Die Hard", it's one of my favorite films of all time and its the film that changed the action genre forever. In the years following its release, many of the action flicks have borrowed the basic premise of "Die Hard", making it film about a cop or someone along those lines fighting the bad guys in a limited location, whether its on a bus (Speed), a battleship (Under Siege), a hockey stadium (Sudden Death). But now what we get here is "Die Hard on a plane" which goes by the name "Passenger 57".

It's not that good. I really didn't find myself caring about about the cop whose wife was killed in a holdup all because Snipes just doesn't give a lot of emotional depth in here. And its too bad that he wasn't given good material to work with since his lines seem so forced and awkward when he says them. In "Die Hard", it was totally different because Bruce Willis blended into the role of John McClane perfectly, he just soothed out his lines with heart, soul and personality. Snipes just does the opposite.

Also, the main villain Charles Rane didn't interest me that much, 'cause Bruce Payne's performance was somewhat wooden and dry. But I'll admit that the part when the little kid on the plane pretended to shoot him and Rane responded by pretending to shoot him back was somewhat amusing.

The martial arts action was another low-point for me, the sequences seemed to be very stilted and stiff. Every action flick has at least GOT to have good action, there's no denying that. But when I see the kind of action this film has to offer, it doesn't make me feel like I wanna do it in real life to someone I hate.

One thing that wasn't too shabby was the soundtrack and the composers skill to at least save the action scenes from falling apart completely.

I wouldn't call this "boring" to watch, but it's just a little bland and uninteresting, in fact its got a less than 90 minute runtime, so you could watch it if you REALLY, REALLY don't have anything to do.

Oh yeah, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"......The greatest overall action film next to "Die Hard" and the greatest science fiction one next to "Aliens". It is, without a doubt, my favorite movie of all time and I would give this 20 stars if I could and this is a film that everyone recognizes and knows about and this is a film that absolutely gets what it deserves.

In 1991, Arnold Schwarzenegger had finally cemented his reputation as the world's greatest action star after a couple great classics (The Terminator, Predator, Total Recall and the Conan films). This is the movie that defined Schwarzenegger forever as the one and only "Terminator", the cyborg sent from the future to protect the kid (Edward Furlong) who will save the entire world. Even though he's a machine, he learns what humans need to do and what they were put on this Earth for. And like what action films lack, T2 develops its characters flawlessly, and yes, EVEN the Terminator is given development as a character! When the T-100 arrives to the mid 1990's, he is basically awkward and socially clueless and knows nothing about human emotion or interaction. As the film progresses, he learns how humans behave and learns a few one-liners from John (Hasta la Vista, baby) and Spoilers: at the end before the Terminator melts himself in molten steel, his humanity is completely obvious, "I know now why you cry, for it is something I can never do." And just before he completely disappears in the molten steel, he gives the "thumbs-up" gesture, something that John had taught him before.

It is also probably the most heart-breaking ending and even the most insensitive guy will cry to that.

Also, Linda Hamilton makes one of the greatest ever screen performances by a female, and even challenges the performance of Sigourney Weaver in "Aliens". And her character has really developed from the first movie. The main problem with most movie sequels that have been made is that they usually act like the film before it never happened. But Sarah Connor has transformed from a timid waitress into a smart and brutal militaristic woman. And it shows off James Cameron's film-making genius and he truly knows how to make a great action film and a great sequel to follow it, because of this and "Aliens" (which I will write up a review soon) 2 of the greatest sequels ever made. During the course of this film, Sarah Connor has already developed a phobia for Terminator's due to her experiences in the first movie. And during most of the film, she doesn't trust the Terminator at all and even tries to destroy its CPU chip (only in a deleted scene). But at the end, when the Terminator is just about to destroy itself, she shakes hands with him and makes peace with him.....very,very touching moment. Also, Hamilton did a great job at providing the narration, with some greatly written lines, and she utters them with perfect drama and suspense to reveal the story in the beginning and what's next for the future at the end.

Also, Edward Furlong really makes a name for himself in his film debut. He is absolutely perfect as the juvenile offender who is affected by the absence of his mother and biological father. Throughout the film, he becomes attached to the Terminator and teaches him the meaning of human life. And no one else could've done the role better or equally as great. FYI, it's not really that easy for a kid with limited acting experience to pull it off.The line, "She's not my mother, ''Todd''" shows what Furlong can do and says that line with the perfect facial expression and delivery. And Furlong and Hamilton are really the 2 who provide the intense emotion that has capitalized James Cameron's films ever since.

The villainous T-1000 (Robert Patrick) has gotta be the icon for movie villains, 'cause the whole "liquid metal" thing is so cool. And the film was even a landmark for special effects which make the action scenes stand out and make them among the best in the genre.

This is further proof of why every action fan needs to have James Cameron alive to give em a reason to live. I'm already looking forward to "Avatar" and "Battle Angel", and I'm sure those 2 will kick @$$ once they come out.

If it weren't for this film, every other action flick that you see these days wouldn't be the same. When you watch it, just keep in mind that this movie changed a lot of things. It's not just an excellent action epic, but a very emotionally charged story about human survival.

After spending a few years as a martial arts instructor and after starring in some mediocre action flicks (Above the Law, Hard to Kill, Marked for Death), Steven Seagal hit his peak in 1992 with "Under Siege" that was a box office hit and after this he probably started to get ahead of himself and made a atrocious effort at film directing with "On Deadly Ground" and after that he was never the same all because of his ego. But we still have this to remember him by when he at his best.

It's actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, but it still has a few flaws. Casey Ryback "the lowly, lowly cook" might be somewhat interesting since he is the only character played by Seagal that has some humanity in him. This is perhaps most evident in the scene when two of his boys are dancing to hip-hop music and you can tell that's apparently enjoying himself and enjoying that his cooks are having fun. And also the scene when he finds out that perhaps his closest friend, the Captain was killed and gives him a proper respectful memorial of him. And you can tell that he's upset by it. So at least we get to see Seagal in another kind of character besides those annoying wooden performances that he usually puts forth.

Tommy Lee Jones as William Strannix is another high point of "Under Siege", since even though he's a little over-the-top, he doesn't show any shame, embarrassment or awkwardness for acting that way. He delivers his lines perfectly, but because of the material he was given he wasn't really as threatening as Clarence Boddicker of Robocop, The Joker in The Dark Knight or Anton Chigurgh of No Country for Old Men were. But he was still very entertaining to watch and a very realistic psychopath.

Gary Busey as Commander Krill is not really as memorable here and his flame was starting to wear out after his great role as "Buddy Holly" in the 70's. But if you see two names like Jones and Busey as the 2 bad guys in this, then you gotta know that it's worth watching. Busey still manages to put up some tension with Seagal at the beginning when he keeps harassing him and his cooks. Erika Eleniak is absolutely sexy as the damsel in distress in this and makes an unforgettable scene when she pops out of the cake and goes topless for a few seconds, which all those who fantasize about Playboy girls will remember.

The action is obviously the high point here, and Seagal delivers some great martial arts as usual. The fistfights the explosions are really great to look at and the sound may have been a a little bit ahead of its time since it was nominated for 2 Oscars related to only the action genre. The knife fight between Ryback and Strannix is one of the better ones I've ever seen thanks to the music and cinematography. And like a said, its basically a rip-off of Die Hard only that it's set in a different place.

When you first hear of this film, you might automatically hate it because of Seagal, but give it a chance and its a good way to kill an hour and 40 minutes.

"Robocop" was what gave the world the robotic police officer that would rival the Terminator as the greatest cyborg film character of all time. Although, I'm not gonna take a side in that debate, but I am gonna give Robocop the recognition it deserves. He was something that was totally new at the time (1987), and since then the movie got 2 (crappy) sequels, a comic book and a mini-series.

Robocop is set in the future and portrays a very dark version of Detroit, and its crime level has gone up considerably. In it, a cop named Alex Murphy gets literally blown away by a gang of nasty criminals on his first day on the job. But later a company (OCP) uses his remains to build a mechanical cop in order to cut down on the crime in order to build "Delta City" to replace the corrupted dystopia that was once Detroit. Later on, Robocop makes a name for himself around the city, but unexpectedly he starts remembering what he was before his death, and through this we start to learn more about Murphy since we didn't zilch about him before he died. And this is how he starts to regain his lost humanity. And the first rule about making a movie with a robot for a character is that you MUST make it human in some way, that's the reason why Robocop worked so well and why "Terminator 2" worked so well. Towards the ending, after he takes off his helmet for the final battle, reveals his face. And a little later, after the Old Man asks him for his name, he replies "Murphy", this is one of the most heart-touching moments in science fiction which generally don't have moments like those. The symbolism in here is perfect.

Another thing that really got me were the bad guys. And the best of the gang is without a doubt, Kurtwood Smith as Clarence Boddicker. Honestly, I have never seen a guy who looks like a 50 year old pencil pusher to be so threatening. He delivers his lines with such ferocity and perfection that he becomes perhaps one of the greatest villains in the history of cinema. And his classic lines, "Can you fly, Bobby?" and "B*****s, leave!" will never be forgotten. Also, his crew is worth noting, Emil will be known for the gas station scene (probably the best part of the movie), Joe will be remembered for his laugh and his "Does it hurt? Does it hurt?" line. And Leon will be recognized for his hilarious expression he makes when the disfigured Emil confronts him and when Robocop pulls his hair in the dance club. And lastly Clarence will be known for pretty much everything he does and says in here. And all these guys are MEAN, plain and simple. They basically kill and hurt others for their own amusement and express no pity or remorse at all. These guys are as real as movie villains could possibly get.

The action is excellent, the gas station scene was bad@$$, the drug factory shootout was fantastic and the ending when Robocop takes out all the bad guys in the same place where they killed him at the steel mill is unforgettable, thanks to the Cobra Assault Cannons (forgot what they're called), but it's one of the sweetest weapons ever made up in a film.

The one liners couldn't have been better. "Dead or alive, you're coming with me" is a quote that should've been on the Top 100, but for some reason, it's not. "Your move, creep" is another worth mentioning. And the before mentioned stuff that the bad guys say are pretty cool to say in real life situations as well.

Robocop is a classic in the golden age of science fiction when we didn't have too many of that over-the-top, unoriginal crap that we're getting now. I'm gonna cherish this movie forever, and I hope you will too.

In 1998, I was only about seven years old and therefore I couldn't see it in the theaters because of the rating, but my guess is, the entire world got a wake-up call to the horrifying truth about their government. And the thing is, everything that happened in "Enemy of the State" is very, very possible of happening. But that's just me thinking, 'cause it was over 11 years ago and and I couldn't remember if I tried. Did this movie do the same thing to the government as "Jaws" did to the beaches? Perhaps.

The movie is about a highly accomplished lawyer named Robert Clayton Dean played by Will Smith in the performance of his career and makes an extremely believable character and expresses his emotions of anger and paranoia just perfectly. Dean accidentally gets a videotape of a covered-up political murder and in most of the movie, he doesn't realize it. But he's aware that the people (NSA agents) chasing him are watching him for sinister purposes. Robert Dean is also one of the smartest characters in the history of films, as he is able to outsmart a corrupt agency who have practically everything on him, such as satellites, tracers and cameras.

Gene Hackman also stands out as the gruff, foul-mouthed former conspirer and government agent named Brill, who has had experience in surveillance technology and assists Dean in getting away from these dirty agents. However, Hackman doesn't show up until after the first hour, but that demonstrates his character who has spent most of his life hiding and it shows the secretiveness of Brill. Although the role is somewhat smaller, Hackman makes the best of it.

And as for the NSA agents played by Jon Voight, Barry Pepper, Seth Green and Jack Black.....all of these guys are DIRTY, and I mean that in the truest meaning possible. These guys are ruining an innocent man's life, screwing up his credit cards, and even wrecking his marriage just so they can get away with what they did. Believe me, you are gonna find yourself HATING these guys, and I mean it. And as movie villains go....you're supposed to hate them, sometimes in other movies, you might be amused or not feel anything at all, but "Enemy of the State" does what it's supposed to do. Also, they're very realistic 'cause they aren't stupid and they know what they're doing with all the technology they have.

Most of the film's thrills comes from the suspense rather than the action, as much of Tony Scott's films are like. The chase scenes such as the beginning when the NSA guys are going after Zavitz and when they're chasing Dean in the hotel and on the streets are terrificly shot and edited. Also, later on the action comes in after Dean and Brill run from the agents is also a highlight, and it's pretty hilarious after Dean asks Brill why he blew up the building and he reacts by saying "Because you made a phone call!" which demonstrates how careful he is. And of course the ending stand-ff between the agents and the Italian mob is absolutely bad@$$ in the true sense of the word.

I absolutely love "Enemy of the State" and support its position as one of the best thrillers of all time, because its very smart and doesn't treat the audience like they're a bunch of idiots. Buy it, rent it or borrow it from a friend, and watch the movie that happens to be the smartest thriller ever made....

When people think of James Cameron, all that comes to mind is the first 2 Terminator's, Aliens and the dumb, sappy Titanic. But one film that is often overlooked on his profile is 1994's "True Lies" which differs in tone from Cameron's other darker films such as the before-mentioned Aliens the Terminator films. "True Lies" gives us a tone that is lighter and more comedic, but still packing the hardcore energy that Cameron is known for.

Arnie Schwarzenegger plays a secret agent named Harry Tasker who is working for "The Omega Sector", also called "The Last Line of Defense" that fights against terrorism. But, to make it interesting, he hides his job from his thrill-seeking wife Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis in her best performance since "Halloween") and his daughter Dana, while fooling them into thinking he's a computer salesman. And Harry sets out to stop a terrorist from an Arabic country named Aziz (Art Malik in an excellent performance that will literally make you fear him and yet, he amuses you at the same time) from bombing America.

And after the first hour the movie takes a break from the main plot and focuses on Harry's marriage to Helen and how he's going to fix it since he thinks she's having an affair, but finds out it's not the case. So we basically get 2 different stories here, one about Harry's job and the other about his personal life.

Another performance worth noting is Tom Arnold as the witty Gib, and he should've at least won an award or two of some kind for providing most of the comic relief that makes this movie great. And also Bill Paxton as the woman-seducing Simon, really makes a name for himself here. Although, he isn't as great as he was in "Aliens", but he's worth checking out. Also, Arnie is shown in a more human character than all of the others that he's done, and the reason why it works is because he doesn't try so hard to do it like he did in his later movies such as "End of Days" and "Collateral Damage". In the scene after Harry and Helen escape the terrorists on the island, Harry puts his wife's ring on her finger and proceeds to kiss her. To me, this is the most humane film moment of Schwarzenegger's entire career and plus that scene after he rescues Dana from Aziz.

Like any other James Cameron movie, the action is top-notch, the scene in the bathroom is one of the best I've ever seen since Arnie is basically fighting someone his own size and not a bunch of wimpy guys that he takes out with one punch each. Some of the stuff here may seem over-the-top to some people such as the the chase with the Aziz on the motorcycle and Arnie on horseback, and the scene when the machine pistol falls down the stairs and seemingly shoots every bad guy in the room. And of course, who could forget when he takes a fighter jet and soars through Miami and kills the terrorists in the building with it? But who cares? The point of it is that it's fun and was a fine competitor to "Speed" for the best summer action flick of 1994. Give it a chance, watch it, and just have fun with it....

In 1987, Arnold Schwarzenegger was solidifying his position as an action superstar with the releases of the epic Conan, the influential Terminator and the somewhat mediocre Commando that was still fun to watch anyway. However, that position wouldn't be fully cemented until the arrival of Terminator 2 in 1991 which forever raised the bar for the action genre.

But plain and simple, "Predator" is a staple for Schwarzenegger's profile. It introduced the ultra cool "Predator" to the world and changed the popular culture's perspectives on alien movies. But the movie itself isn't just known for the central character, like the crappy Friday the 13th movies that are only known for the murderous Jason Voorhees and his stupid hockey mask. But "Predator" is known for the movie as a whole, with a great simplistic plot, awesome characters and great action that will make people want to see this again and again.

The movie is a about a former soldier/mercenary named Dutch (Arnie) who has been involved in a lot of conflict and has since decided to settle down and be the leader of a rescue team. He goes to a South American country to participate in a mission that would supposedly rescue a Cabinet Minister and a few other hostages, but later on he finds out that he's been set up and it was actually a mission to destroy a rebel base that would've invaded sooner or later. And Dutch gets ticked off and he and his team try to escape the jungle, but they're then being pursued by an alien who "hunts" rather than kills. As the situation escalates, Dutch starts to lose his sanity and that's totally evident in the final showdown with the creature.

Like James Cameron's "Aliens" that came out the year before, "Predator" is shaped by it's excellent characters, Dutch is the great, silent leader who is somewhat broken inside from all the combat that he went through in the past and his quote "If it bleeds, we can kill it" is among the greatest. Blain is the totally cool tobacco-chewing, mini-gun-totting guy who spewed out 2 of the movie's best lines: "I ain't got time to bleed", and "This stuff'll make you a goddamn sexual tyrannosaurus, just like me". Mac is pretty much Blain's best bud and frequently shaves with his razor and without the shaving cream to show his manliness. Hawkins is the super-nerd of the group who reads comic books and occasionally makes some sick jokes about his girlfriend. Billy is the silent, no-nonsense spiritual dude. Dillon is the dirty CIA agent who was best pals with Dutch a few years back and then sets up Dutch and his team, which leads to their demise and his, as well. And finally, Poncho is the sympathetic, yet sarcastic soldier who connects with Anna, their hostage, during the course of the film. And these guys are great characters; and they each have their own personalities, which makes you want to see more out of each guy.

And of course, I can't forget about the "Predator". The high-tech alien that hunts other creatures for sport was a very creative and original idea. It also held a very intimidating presence and the special effects were very well done, especially the camouflage. And I'm still wondering how that managed to do that in 1987.

And last, but not the least, the action really stands out thanks to the direction of John McTiernan, who directed this right before he made "Die Hard". The scene when the team attacks the rebel camp is, without a doubt one of the best in cinema, since it shows each team member providing something in the attack, and it's not just one guy who acts like a one-man army and destroys everything in his path all by himself. Also, Dutch's confrontation with the predator at the end, which displays more prehistoric styles of combat with the setting of the boulder and spike traps. And this movie makes up the modern warfare action and the caveman action so well.

Any action/sci-fi junkie should watch this, and they will be HOOKED. And you will want to see this again and again.

It was the mid-1990's and that decade plus the 1980's were perhaps the only times when films had action plus real characters and a real story to go along with it. When it became the 2000's the action genre got dumbed down into 80-90 minute shoot 'em up's and things were never the same.

But at least we have multiple films to remember the era when action/thriller films were at their prime, and The Rock is a perfect example to define that.

Nowadays, people always criticize Michael Bay for making unwatchable garbage (Pearl Harbor, Armageddon)....but this is before he screwed himself up big time, although 2007's "Transformers" wasn't that bad either....but anyway, everything about The Rock is so freaking cool and likable. The casting of Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery couldn't have been any better. Nicolas Cage has usually been getting a lot of flak for being a "performer" rather than an "actor" meaning he's always been acting goofy and over-the-top. But it's that exact reason why it works so well, 'cause his character is basically a chemical weapons geek, and that's what the stereotypical nerd is like. For example, "''I just wanna find some *rockets*!''".....Cage puts in some perfect facial expressions and mannerisms in here.

Connery is great and believable as the tough former British spy and frequently verbally abuses Goodspeed (Cage) during their mission on the island. And that makes some pretty good tension which is a great thing to add in a movie along with the action. Also, Ed Harris is great as the moral General who sees using a major threat as being necessary to avenge the forgotten memories of his own former soldiers, and who knows? You might find yourself to feel sympathy for him.

SPOILERS- The car chase scene in this one might remind a lot of viewers of the one in "Bullitt" 'cause of all the ups and downs.....but since it's the 90's it's a lot more enjoyable. And the action also has some emotion to go along with it, such as the bathroom scene when all the Navy SEALS get slaughtered with all the slow motion and soft music...and the part when the President of the United States gives a heartfelt speech to himself before ordering the attack on the island.

I've enjoyed this movie a lot and I'm sure you will too. Right now, I have it on DVD and I consider it a staple in my action film collection. Watch it and be forever amazed.....

I have no idea why so many want to bash this film.....because it's Wesley Snipes? Because it's straight-to-DVD? This movie "7 Seconds" isn't that bad.....it's got some decent one-liner dialog, and some good thrills and some rad car chases.

Since his trademark series "Blade" came to a close in 2004, Wesley has been really almost hitting rock bottom since then. He's been getting the same fate as Seagal and Van Damme only because no on likes martial arts anymore.....so sad. Its actually even more enjoyable to watch than seeing Rambo pick up a rocket launcher or firing those bomb arrows. And even more than Arnie getting his hands on a freaking machine gun and saying "I'll be Back" in a dramatic fashion. Martial arts is more worth watching because it's something that can be done and its a practice.

So Snipes, Seagal and Van Damme seem like they would rather allow their careers to tank than give up their martial arts skills, and i praise all of them for that.

Even though the starting scene might be a rip-off from the one in "Heat" (and yeah, they even take the hockey masks, lol), and the flashbacks are shown a little bit too much, but i guess its for a reason, to show who the characters are talking about, i guess.

And also, Alexsie, that Russian gangster guy with Cerebral Palsy, is also a pretty interesting character, cause the actor does a good job of getting into him, and boy, was he INSANE.

So come on, people....just give it a chance and give Wesley some of that recognition he deserves back. 'cause he doesn't deserve to be in this position.....

People these days and during much of the 90's thought the LA cops as being corrupt 'cause of the Rodney King LA Riots or whatever....but this came out and is set before all that horrible riot stuff happened.

This movie is VERY based on the 1980's culture, and much of the New Wave music and the clothes reflect that. and that's a good thing 'cause it gives teenagers these days an opportunity to see what the world was like before.

After making the groundbreaking "The French Connection" in '71, William Friedkin had yet to make another slick cop movie....and he finally did that in '85....14 years later. and he distanced himself from TFC, and avoided making the same movie twice and made something totally different and more unique.

This one isn't about a cop facing a drug smuggler, bank robber, terrorist or a killer or whatever.....but a counterfeiter, a psychopathic, murderous counterfeiter who would kill his own men and anyone else who gets in his way, without any remorse whatsoever. And that's Willem DaFoe in the year before he delivered that sensational performance in "Platoon", is perfect as Rick Masters. and dafoe even has the look of a heartless madman, and even looks like a freaking mannequin at some points in this movie.

William Petersen, before his CSI days, shines as Richard Chance, the secret service agent who goes after Masters 'cause he killed his partner who was only 2 days away from retirement. Chance then becomes so enraged and he doesn't care what he has to do to arrest Masters, if that includes arguing with his boss, or taking advantage of a sexy parolee who is giving him info about Masters. He's pretty devious for a law enforcement agent and an anti-hero who you might not sympathize with.

The action and the thrills are top notch, especially the historical car chase that exceeds the ones in Bullitt and Friedkin's own; "The French Connection". It features Chance and his new partner, Vulkovich, being chased by a couple bad guys and has cross the tracks before an incoming train and go on the wrong side of the freeway that'll keep you on the edge of your seat.

There's some violence and some nudity in here, so it might not be suitable for kids, also, one more thing, the ending is gonna surprise you and this warning isn't going to be enough to save you, cause you will freak out by what happens.

So, because of the LA Riots, LA cops have been forever branded as dirty and corrupt, *sigh* pretty sad, right? but LA cops are still heroes cause of all that bad crap going on over in LA today....and the 80's were even worse....

I highly recommend this, I have it on Special Edition and im gonna keep this movie among my collection forever! hehe

This is one of those rare movies that will never be forgotten, regardless of what age we will be in the future. I can guarantee that when the time comes when we'll be having flying cars, a vaccine that will obliterate every disease known to man and when the contiential drift makes the world strangely different than it is now, the movie "Pulp Fiction" will still be in the public conscious and everyone will still know what it is and what it's about.

The best part of the movie for me is the dialogue, and it is without a doubt the best screenplay ever written. Everything that comes out of the characters mouth is so effing cool and that's precisely what makes the characters stand out so well. These guys here are just normal people having normal everyday conversations about what cheeseburgers are called in Paris and how foot massages and having sex are totally different. It also makes some reference to pop-culture that no other film has. And what they always say is a thrill to listen to even though they don't contribute anything to the story.

Also, the movie's unusual structure is another high point, it isn't as straight-forward as the other movies are which is why they're boring to watch because you find out what everything is about almost right away. But for this, you're gonna have to watch the whole thing to get the answers to your questions that you think earlier in the movie. Like why did Jules and Vincent have the beach clothes on instead of the business suits they just had on? Or, why was Vincent alone in Butch's apartment and Jules wasn't around? Another purpose for this structure is to clearly describe each characters story like Butch with his watch, Mia Wallace going out with another guy to get a break from her violent crime lord of a husband or Vincent's stupidity and Jules with his odd biblical beliefs.

Quentin Tarantino made a masterpiece that surpasses all the Godfather films and the Shawshank Redemption. He basically takes what he did with Reservoir Dogs but made it longer, improved the dialogue and made the characters more deeper. Because of his film-making genius, this WILL stand the test of time forever.

So my guess is that "Fatal Attraction" is a movie that no one likes anymore and doesn't seem to stand the test of time only because people don't want it to. It only has 16,000 votes on here and only has a score of 6.7, come on people! This movie is much better than that!

It's freaking excellent, and Glenn Close never got the recognition she deserved, and she fits into the role as Alex Forrest perfectly. She manages to make us feel pity for her because she's sad, lonely and doesn't have anyone by her side, and that's why she's so obsessed with making Dan (Michael Douglas) her own. And you would also hate her because she becomes a knife-wielding, bunny-boiling, and child-kidnapping maniac.

Michael Douglas is in one of his seminal roles in his entire career, and since this released in the same year as "Wall Street", a movie which he won an Oscar for, this was one of the reasons why 1987 was the year of Michael Douglas. He plays the guy who is happily married with a gorgeous wife and daughter (which some of you may mistake for a boy). And he just makes a common mistake by sleeping with a woman he bumped into at a party (Glenn Close). However, it turns out she's a total psycho and starts stalking Dan and his family.

Even though "Fatal Attraction" has been dead to the public eye, it is still a guaranteed classic that is worth your time, and to all the married women, you should try to force your husbands to watch this so they can understand what you get just for having an affair. Want a clear idea what this movie is? Think "Basic Instinct" but with less sex and a deeper storyline and a more believable woman who's messed up in the head.

This movie is a 100% pure rush of adrenalin to the heart, mind and your desire to be entertained. "Speed" has been called "Die Hard on a Bus" since the movie centers on a cop named Jack (Keanu Reeves) who is out to stop an insane bomber (Dennis Hopper) who put one of his little friends on a city bus and when the bus hits 50 MPH it will be activated and if it drops to 50 or below, it'll blow up, while taking all the passengers with it.

And this is why the movie has seemingly never-ending surprises, twists and suspense. It's a great idea that is executed so well. For most of the movie the hot driver Anne (Sandra Bullock) and Jack have to find a way to get around traffic and an incomplete freeway to keep the bus going and another thing, keep in mind that they can't keep going around over 50 MPH forever, because think about the bombers demands getting his money in just 3 hours. And also, if they try to get the passengers off he will set the bomb off and use a little common sense, gas doesn't last forever. So how the hell are they gonna get out of this mess? Watch it and find out.

Is this a Die Hard rip-off? Yes. Is it the best rip-off of Die Hard? Absolutely. "Under Siege" (Die Hard on a ship) was a bit dull and since it was Steven Seagal, I don't think I need to say more. "Passenger 57" (Die Hard on a plane) was poorly executed and didn't have a shred of intelligence; in other words; it was dumb.

This one "Die Hard on a Bus" is freakishly awesome, Reeves is at his best without being so wooden as usual ("There's enough C-4 on this thing to put a hole in the world"). Dennis Hopper makes a classic, creepy bad guy named Howard Payne who blows Hans Gruber out of the park ("Poor people are crazy, Jack. I'm eccentric"). And Sandra Bullock creates some really good chemistry with Keanu in this, and her acting is flawless because she gets into a very humane character than can be seen by her reaction when she accidentally hits a baby carriage. And she's also clearly vulnerable since she occasionally breaks down when something bad happens. And I say Sandra Bullock's acting is the one of the best parts of the movie and her magnus opus of her whole career. Also Jeff Daniels wasn't too shabby as Harry since, like Bullock, provides some human sense into this movie ("That's our scumbaaaaag!")

The supporting cast on the bus has a few people who are worth pointing out such as the cussing Ortiz ("Man sure has a hard-on for this bus") and Stephens, the annoying tourist who tries to act cool to impress people but he's really timid and totally loses it when he realizes the situation on the bus.

The stunts are also really cool, you get to see Jack go under the bus to try to disarm the bomb at high speed and when he uses the crane to hold the elevator in the beginning. And the film won a couple Oscars for Sound and special effects, I think. And it deserved them, 'cause the movie looks AND sounds like if a real life bomb threat happened. SPOILERS!: And the part when the bus collided with the plane at the end was perfectly done with the bad@$$ explosion.

This is over 2 hours long, (thank god!) unlike most action films that are about 90 minutes or less and don't have a a lot of suspense or development because of it. And the suspense in "Speed" will NEVER stop until you see the credits roll. This is well worth your money and your time, make sure you watch this before you die, because I'm glad I did.