Reviews

This movie works on some levels, just not very many. It's a decent muck-about-in-the-snow actioner. But the plot and character developments are about as sensical as an average episode of Walker: Texas Ranger. Come to think of it, those beards everyone is sporting in Arctic Blue look rather familiar. But moving on.

Hauer still manages to be compelling in a role that keeps you wondering if the guy is evil or just plain crazy. Everyone else is on par with a TV movie-of-the-week. Not terrible, just not terribly good, either. They're all hampered by a weak script with holes you could drop a snow avalanche through. Northern Exposure it ain't. There are worse movies you could while away 95 minutes with, but there are better options, too.

This enjoyable film reminds me of a more pedestrian version of Last of the Dog Men, at least in feel. The landscape is compelling and the performances all around are quite good. The director has an easy hand which works well even with the mystery and pseudo-action sequences. Good job by the young girl that plays Hauer's daughter. Too often these child roles fall into the maudlin, but she comes across convincingly here.

The highlight isn't the none-too-convoluted plot, but rather the interaction between the two leads. You need to suspend disbelief for some of the story line elements, but the reward is a fun film that was made with obvious care. And it is quite refreshing to see Hauer with some decent material to work with. He may play a good villain, but is at his finest when exploring the layers of a troubled good guy.

This confused attempt to replicate the success of Turkish Delight does have some oddball moments that make it slightly entertaining and of mild interest to Rutger Hauer fans. Mainly I'm referring to the bizarro band scene where Rutger hops on stage to fake-play a guitar. Crazy dancing ensues. The whole thing is reminiscent of some of those wild partying moments in Reefer Madness.

The ending comes about in a perfunctory manner and leaves you giggling rather than feeling introspective. "Yeah, right," was the first thought that came to mind. I wouldn't put this on a must-watch list for anybody, even big Rutger fans. Instead, pick up the Verhoeven box set which contains Turkish Delight, Katie Tippel and Soldier of Orange. You'll feel much better about yourself in the morning.

Finally, after much hard work and searching, I found a Rutger Hauer movie that is worse than Beyond Justice (which co-starred Omar Sharif and Elliot Gould!). Had to dig deep, but this confused film takes the cake. It's dated, not just by the fluffy hairstyles and constant cigarette puffing, but also by the unfortunate synthesizer soundtrack.

The plot, what there is of it, is hard to follow and none of the characters are particularly likable. The dubbing is distracting. The film comes across as muddy on many levels, though some of that may be due to the iffy DVD transfer.

So why 3 stars? Because it has Rutger Hauer and I'll watch anything he's in. But that doesn't mean I'll watch it twice...