Review of Raven

Burt Reynolds goes slumming in this mediocre straight-to-video espionage thriller with Matt Battaglia as CIA mercenaries who are sent into Bosnia to steal a decoding machine. Everything about this potboiler is forgettable except for Burt—hamming it up and having fun the whole time—and the various soft-core sex scenes between "Emmanuelle" actress Krista Allen and Battaglia and a steamy scene in the back of a limo between a horny senator and a call girl. Veteran stunt coordinator Russell Solberg keeps it trim and slim at 93 merciful minutes with Reynolds playing a quasi-villain and Battaglia as a straight-up hero. The big Bosnia battle scene is as good as this minor action thriller gets and then everybody circles everybody else and blurt dialogue that drives the narrative rather than develop the characters. Nobody but Burt displays an ounce of charisma. Don't worry about Burt; he survives this stinker, but you may not like the time squandered on something as generic and predictable. Nothing but Burt stands out.