10 random movies from the 1990s
Air Force One (1997)
Eraser (1996)
The Firm (1993)
The Hurricane (1999)
Internal Affairs (1990)
Leon / The Professional (1994)
Medicine Man (1992)
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Two Days in the Valley (1996)
2009 Thoughts: Because, for the most part, these are middling middlebrow mid-90s action mysteries, I think the reviews are pretty good and my opinion is largely unchanged. If anything, two stars is being too generous with some of them. Of the 3 movies here I recommended, it's questionable if I would still appreciate the earnest biopic "The Hurricane." Maybe once was enough. My friend Lisa likes to say "The biopic is dead to me." When I think of important movies of 1999, it's not one of them. As for "Internal Affairs," I hope it's as sleazy as I remember.
From July 2005
Air Force One (1997, 124 min, R) ** - Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close. Lots of pseudo-politics and the fact that the hero is also the US president don’t conceal that “Air Force One” is a “Die Hard” knock-off; perhaps all these extra accoutrements, and generous heapings of patriotism, are there to hide the absence of interesting characters or good stunt sequences. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the premise of “criminals take over [insert closed-off space], take hostages, and only one man can stop them.” In this case the crooks are Russian terrorists (led by a surprisingly sympathetic Oldman), the closed space is the president’s plane, and the “one man” is the prez (Ford). The joke of “ass-kicking president” only goes so far, especially when it seems in danger of no longer being a joke.
Eraser (1996, 115 min, R) ** - Directed by Charles Russell, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, and Vanessa L. Williams. Another loud, glossy flick about a man and a woman on the run from the law, the crooks, and the crooked law; sometimes movies like this are “The Thirty-Nine Steps,” but mostly they’re just “Eraser.” He’s a federal marshal (Schwarzenegger), she’s a Woman Who Knows Too Much (Williams). Stunts and shoot-outs galore, but nothing special. The full two hours won’t really hold your attention.
The Firm (1993, 153 min, R) ** - Directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. As with so many John Grishman movies, a brief examination of an interesting facet or loophole in the law is used as an excuse for boring characters being chased by dull conspiracies. An up-and-coming lawyer and his wife (Cruise and Tripplehorn) are lured into a rich and suspicious law firm. Gee, d’ya think the other lawyers are up to no good? Decent supporting performances by Hackman, Ed Harris, Gary Busey, and Wilford Brimley.
The Hurricane (1999, 145 min, R) *** - Directed by Norman Jewison, starring Denzel Washington and Vicellous Reon Shannon. Formulaic but reliable biopic about real-life boxer “Hurricane” Carter and the struggle to free him from prison for a murder he did not commit. We see his life and ambitions in segregated America, details of the murder trial, and the efforts of those out to free him. Washington’s fireworks performance-Oscar nominated and Golden Globe Winner-elevates the picture.
Internal Affairs (1990, 115 min, R) *** - Directed by Mike Figgis, starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia. Juicy and lurid melodrama about a dirty, dirty cop (a wonderfully sleazy Gere) with connections everywhere, pressing all the buttons on the internal affairs detective (a cool Garcia) trying to bring him down. The movie works because Gere has all the allure of Satan incarnate and seems capable of destroying Garcia’s entire marriage with just a hint and a dropped word. He is the mirror that will show us all the awful things about ourselves if we tangle with him.
Leon (aka The Professional) (1994, 136 min, R) *** - Directed & written by Luc Besson, starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman. A young girl (Portman) enlists a sad-eyed assassin (Reno) to help her kill the rogue DEA agent (Oldman) who murdered her parents. A lot of time is devoted to the key relationship between the girl and the assassin, but it never quite adds up. Still, the movie is envigorated by director Besson’s superslick, hard-hitting European approach, Oldman’s scenery-chewing mania, and Reno’s utter weariness.
Medicine Man (1992, 106 min, PG13) *1/2 - Directed by John McTiernan, starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. Heavy-handed white liberalism at its most annoying: one white character tells another white character how great other cultures are while members of that other culture stand around in the background as decoration with nothing to do. This meandering movie follows a professor (Connery) who “immerses” himself in rain forest culture while searching for the cure for cancer and has an uninteresting relationship with a new colleague (Bracco). Protecting endangered environments is cool, but “Medicine Man’s” preachy style is not. A more daring and interesting movie would have presented the peoples of the rain forest on their own terms, without giving us a Western guide.
The Pelican Brief (1993, 141 min, PG13) ** - Directed & written for the screen by Alan J. Pakula, starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Another movie about someone who knows too much, on the run from both crooks and the law. This time around it’s a blah law student (Roberts) and a blah newspaperman (Washington) who don’t know who to trust. The movie is flavored by assassinations in high places and author John Grisham’s pedantic legal mumbo-jumbo.
Rising Sun (1993, 125 min, R) ** - Directed & co-written by Philip Kaufman, starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Uninspired outsider’s view of the Japanese world of business, as seen through the eyes of two murder investigators, one a wary newcomer (Snipes) and the other a grating, cryptic, and condescending know-it-all (Connery). The mystery is not especially interesting and the filmmakers seem much more concerned with making “exotic Orientals” than actually letting us into their world. At least “Rising Sun” makes the black guy the dynamic, interesting character and the white guy the aged know-it-all, reversing the “Magic Negro” stereotype of an aged black supporting character helping the young white hero.
Two Days in the Valley (1996, 104, R) ** - Directed & written by John Herzfeld, starring Danny Aiello, James Spader, Teri Hatcher, and Charlize Theron. “Pulp Fiction” knock-off that is all surface. We admire the filmmakers for making such a large web of pulp caricatures-hitmen, cops, brothels, treacherous wives, etc.-and linking them together so well. But the result is just an exercise and we don’t care about anyone. “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” may have been this shallow, but it had more wit, verve, and style.
Eraser (1996)
The Firm (1993)
The Hurricane (1999)
Internal Affairs (1990)
Leon / The Professional (1994)
Medicine Man (1992)
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Rising Sun (1993)
Two Days in the Valley (1996)
2009 Thoughts: Because, for the most part, these are middling middlebrow mid-90s action mysteries, I think the reviews are pretty good and my opinion is largely unchanged. If anything, two stars is being too generous with some of them. Of the 3 movies here I recommended, it's questionable if I would still appreciate the earnest biopic "The Hurricane." Maybe once was enough. My friend Lisa likes to say "The biopic is dead to me." When I think of important movies of 1999, it's not one of them. As for "Internal Affairs," I hope it's as sleazy as I remember.
From July 2005
Air Force One (1997, 124 min, R) ** - Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, and Glenn Close. Lots of pseudo-politics and the fact that the hero is also the US president don’t conceal that “Air Force One” is a “Die Hard” knock-off; perhaps all these extra accoutrements, and generous heapings of patriotism, are there to hide the absence of interesting characters or good stunt sequences. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the premise of “criminals take over [insert closed-off space], take hostages, and only one man can stop them.” In this case the crooks are Russian terrorists (led by a surprisingly sympathetic Oldman), the closed space is the president’s plane, and the “one man” is the prez (Ford). The joke of “ass-kicking president” only goes so far, especially when it seems in danger of no longer being a joke.
Eraser (1996, 115 min, R) ** - Directed by Charles Russell, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, and Vanessa L. Williams. Another loud, glossy flick about a man and a woman on the run from the law, the crooks, and the crooked law; sometimes movies like this are “The Thirty-Nine Steps,” but mostly they’re just “Eraser.” He’s a federal marshal (Schwarzenegger), she’s a Woman Who Knows Too Much (Williams). Stunts and shoot-outs galore, but nothing special. The full two hours won’t really hold your attention.
The Firm (1993, 153 min, R) ** - Directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, and Jeanne Tripplehorn. As with so many John Grishman movies, a brief examination of an interesting facet or loophole in the law is used as an excuse for boring characters being chased by dull conspiracies. An up-and-coming lawyer and his wife (Cruise and Tripplehorn) are lured into a rich and suspicious law firm. Gee, d’ya think the other lawyers are up to no good? Decent supporting performances by Hackman, Ed Harris, Gary Busey, and Wilford Brimley.
The Hurricane (1999, 145 min, R) *** - Directed by Norman Jewison, starring Denzel Washington and Vicellous Reon Shannon. Formulaic but reliable biopic about real-life boxer “Hurricane” Carter and the struggle to free him from prison for a murder he did not commit. We see his life and ambitions in segregated America, details of the murder trial, and the efforts of those out to free him. Washington’s fireworks performance-Oscar nominated and Golden Globe Winner-elevates the picture.
Internal Affairs (1990, 115 min, R) *** - Directed by Mike Figgis, starring Richard Gere and Andy Garcia. Juicy and lurid melodrama about a dirty, dirty cop (a wonderfully sleazy Gere) with connections everywhere, pressing all the buttons on the internal affairs detective (a cool Garcia) trying to bring him down. The movie works because Gere has all the allure of Satan incarnate and seems capable of destroying Garcia’s entire marriage with just a hint and a dropped word. He is the mirror that will show us all the awful things about ourselves if we tangle with him.
Leon (aka The Professional) (1994, 136 min, R) *** - Directed & written by Luc Besson, starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman, and Natalie Portman. A young girl (Portman) enlists a sad-eyed assassin (Reno) to help her kill the rogue DEA agent (Oldman) who murdered her parents. A lot of time is devoted to the key relationship between the girl and the assassin, but it never quite adds up. Still, the movie is envigorated by director Besson’s superslick, hard-hitting European approach, Oldman’s scenery-chewing mania, and Reno’s utter weariness.
Medicine Man (1992, 106 min, PG13) *1/2 - Directed by John McTiernan, starring Sean Connery and Lorraine Bracco. Heavy-handed white liberalism at its most annoying: one white character tells another white character how great other cultures are while members of that other culture stand around in the background as decoration with nothing to do. This meandering movie follows a professor (Connery) who “immerses” himself in rain forest culture while searching for the cure for cancer and has an uninteresting relationship with a new colleague (Bracco). Protecting endangered environments is cool, but “Medicine Man’s” preachy style is not. A more daring and interesting movie would have presented the peoples of the rain forest on their own terms, without giving us a Western guide.
The Pelican Brief (1993, 141 min, PG13) ** - Directed & written for the screen by Alan J. Pakula, starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. Another movie about someone who knows too much, on the run from both crooks and the law. This time around it’s a blah law student (Roberts) and a blah newspaperman (Washington) who don’t know who to trust. The movie is flavored by assassinations in high places and author John Grisham’s pedantic legal mumbo-jumbo.
Rising Sun (1993, 125 min, R) ** - Directed & co-written by Philip Kaufman, starring Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes. Uninspired outsider’s view of the Japanese world of business, as seen through the eyes of two murder investigators, one a wary newcomer (Snipes) and the other a grating, cryptic, and condescending know-it-all (Connery). The mystery is not especially interesting and the filmmakers seem much more concerned with making “exotic Orientals” than actually letting us into their world. At least “Rising Sun” makes the black guy the dynamic, interesting character and the white guy the aged know-it-all, reversing the “Magic Negro” stereotype of an aged black supporting character helping the young white hero.
Two Days in the Valley (1996, 104, R) ** - Directed & written by John Herzfeld, starring Danny Aiello, James Spader, Teri Hatcher, and Charlize Theron. “Pulp Fiction” knock-off that is all surface. We admire the filmmakers for making such a large web of pulp caricatures-hitmen, cops, brothels, treacherous wives, etc.-and linking them together so well. But the result is just an exercise and we don’t care about anyone. “Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels” may have been this shallow, but it had more wit, verve, and style.