IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0295701/
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| Spot the hero | Q, thou shouldst be living at this hour | Pretty pointless toys |
So, it's a Bond ripoff. But these days Bond is a Bond ripoff, so the important question is: is it a good one?
The roots of this film are very very clear. In theory, it's Bond with the manners turned to brutality "for a darker world", but in practice the brutality becomes bad-boy posturing; after the setup in which our "hero" is blackmailed into becoming a James Bond-a-like, everything here could have sprung from the forehead of Cubby Broccoli.
So, we have the action sequences - which are pretty good, not infested with constant cutting the way some other films tend to be - and between them a fairly thin shim of plot. The characterisation is nearly non-existent, with an occasional sneer or worried look doing the job that in other films might have required a script-writer.
It works, just barely, but it doesn't do the actors any favours. If you actually try to evaluate the characters, you get an adrenalin-junkie thug turned reluctant hero and a whore who doesn't get to do much more than wave her body under the hero's nose (and, eventually, drive a bit). So it goes - but that's OK, here comes another action sequence.
As for the plot itself, well, it becomes clear just why all those Bond villains failed to take over the world. Situation: you have an incredibly powerful neurotoxin with which you're planning to depopulate cities. So, do you put this (a) in the post; (b) on a missile; (c) on a hydrofoil that does about 50mph down-river...
It's a bit rock video/advertisement/trailer, but overall it just about manages to work. Worth a look if you can borrow it from someone.