It's always fun to watch these films focused around a particular subculture, in this case the subculture surrounding skydiving enthusiasts. And this one has plenty of action and stunts, many of them way over the top -- a prerequisite for any great action film. It reminded me of a typical James Bond film, without all the arrogance and bombastic dialogue.
The cinematography was spot on and the score was fantastic. The acting varied from great to mediocre -- about what you'd expect from a well-funded, major-studio, action-genre project. Wesley Snipes was great as the main character who was investigating the parachuting crime gang. Gary Busey (who played the bad guy) was a little over the top -- common for bad guys in this type of film. The dialogue was not forced and the editing was pretty good too, considering the difficulty of maintaining a smooth flow with all those incredible stunts.
The plot moved along at a good pace although it wasn't always credible, but that's par for an action movie -- if you're going to stretch credibility for all those stunts, who cares if the plot wanders from reality now and again? You're watching it for the action, not cerebral stimulation.
The violence was way too much, though. The plot could have been advanced and the characters developed without all that excessive violence. Less violence and less graphic, wanton violence would have made for a lighter feel for this film and been more consistent with its overall tone.
One thing I like about this film is the fair treatment for people of color. It was racially balanced with several black characters in the film, including the lead (Wesley Snipes), but it was not a "black film." (I don't like the way that producers arbitrarily segregate films into the category of "black film" for a black audience -- I thought we got rid of segregation back in the 60's). Also, the black characters were not relegated to playing subservient characters like waiters, porters or assistants -- they had substantial roles as protagonists. And they weren't forced to speak with substandard grammar and pronunciation as many filmmakers impose upon black characters.
Overall, if you like action films or movies about aviation, (and you can handle the wanton violence) this should be on your watch list.
Triggers: graphic wanton violence: guns, knives, hand-to-hand fighting, violence against women by the protagonist; some text (signage); airline disaster; drug crime and drug use
7/10 (submitted 12 June 2020, 4:50 p.m. EDT)
The cinematography was spot on and the score was fantastic. The acting varied from great to mediocre -- about what you'd expect from a well-funded, major-studio, action-genre project. Wesley Snipes was great as the main character who was investigating the parachuting crime gang. Gary Busey (who played the bad guy) was a little over the top -- common for bad guys in this type of film. The dialogue was not forced and the editing was pretty good too, considering the difficulty of maintaining a smooth flow with all those incredible stunts.
The plot moved along at a good pace although it wasn't always credible, but that's par for an action movie -- if you're going to stretch credibility for all those stunts, who cares if the plot wanders from reality now and again? You're watching it for the action, not cerebral stimulation.
The violence was way too much, though. The plot could have been advanced and the characters developed without all that excessive violence. Less violence and less graphic, wanton violence would have made for a lighter feel for this film and been more consistent with its overall tone.
One thing I like about this film is the fair treatment for people of color. It was racially balanced with several black characters in the film, including the lead (Wesley Snipes), but it was not a "black film." (I don't like the way that producers arbitrarily segregate films into the category of "black film" for a black audience -- I thought we got rid of segregation back in the 60's). Also, the black characters were not relegated to playing subservient characters like waiters, porters or assistants -- they had substantial roles as protagonists. And they weren't forced to speak with substandard grammar and pronunciation as many filmmakers impose upon black characters.
Overall, if you like action films or movies about aviation, (and you can handle the wanton violence) this should be on your watch list.
Triggers: graphic wanton violence: guns, knives, hand-to-hand fighting, violence against women by the protagonist; some text (signage); airline disaster; drug crime and drug use
7/10 (submitted 12 June 2020, 4:50 p.m. EDT)