Action/Adventure: Two convicts flee during a prison break and then try to retrieve a computer disk that both the feds and the Cuban mafia want.
PLOT:
Piper (LAURENCE FISHBURNE) and Dodge (STEPHEN BALDWIN) are two convicts who end up shackled together just before a work crew riot. They take off and soon the Attorney General's office has a U.S. Marshall on the case. Informed of the escape, local cop Gibson (WILL PATTON) starts getting suspicious of the feds interest in Dodge (who Gibson had earlier arrested). He finds out that Dodge has a hidden computer disk that contains information that could be very damaging to a Cuban mafioso, Frank Mantajano (MICHAEL NADER). So from then on Piper, who turns out to be a cop on the case, and Dodge must flee from Mantajano's hit man, Santiago (VICTOR RIVERS) and from the corrupt federal agents who want to retrieve the computer disk.
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Maybe. It's a violent action filled movie and Fishburne and Baldwin may have some drawing power, but not enough to make lots of kids want to see this one.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For strong violence and language, and for some nudity.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
Other than WILL PATTON, the rest of the major cast members portray bad people who break into computer systems (
STEPHEN BALDWIN), are bad cops (LAURENCE FISHBURNE) or are just plain criminals or hitmen. They're not a good crop of role models.
This is a very bad movie. We're usually more lenient with summer action films and cut them some slack in the "Oh, come on" category. But beyond the fact that we've seen all of this before (fugitives on the run, white and black guys who become partners and can't stand each other, and frequent comparative references to far better films -- "The Fugitive," "The Godfather," "Deliverance") there are so many implausibilities and just plain, stupid behavior in this film that it nearly drives you crazy. For instance, the major female character (SALMA HAYEK) is car jacked by two men handcuffed together in prison garb and all she can worry about is that her place is a mess when they make her take them there. Once there, she's nonchalant about them, unlocks their handcuffs (with a handcuff key conveniently left there by her ex-husband cop) gives them a change of her ex-husbands clothes (also convenient) and then gets romantic with Piper. In another scene, Piper easily shoots and breaks a thin rope that's holding Dodge from a good distance, and yet in another scene when confronted by the bad guy a few feet away, can't hit him with several shots. This film should be shown at film schools detailing how not to make a film. We could go on and on about this, but we realize you've probably heard enough. We give this stinker a minimal 2 out of 10.
OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
The movie is very violent with many deaths. There's a scene in a strip joint with topless dancers who bump and grind, and there's an extreme dose of profanity. It's an ugly action film and we advise you to keep your kids, pets, neighbors and anyone else you can think of away from this one (not necessarily because of objectionable material, but because it's a bad film).
A federal Marshall shoots and kill one of the escaped convicts even though the man had given up and stood with his hands in the air. He later turns sides and agrees to take cash from Mantajano.
A local hunter who encounters Piper and Dodge handcuffed together wonders what a white boy is doing cuffed to a black man. The hunter is obviously a racist.
Obviously all of the bad guys have bad attitudes, particularly Mantajano and his hitman, Santiago.
34 "f" words (3 with the prefix "mother"), 37 "s" words, 1 slang term each for female genitals and breasts (the "p" and "t" words), 23 hells, 16 "ass" words, 7 damns, 4 S.O.B.'s, and 5 uses of "God damn," and 1 of "Jesus" as exclamations.
A federal witness, and federal agents are killed by an explosive that's delivered in a container of Chinese food.
Dodge hits another prisoner (who's making homosexual comments to him) with a shovel in the face, legs, and gut.
Piper and Dodge, handcuffed together, get into a fight where punches are thrown to the body and face and Dodge tries to strangle Piper with a chain.
A prisoner pulls a guard's gun and shoots several other guards dead and then shoots at Dodge and Piper as they flee the area. The prison bus leaks gasoline and then explodes when hit by a shotgun blast.
Gibson chases an escaped convict, fights with him, and when the convict gives up, a federal Marshall shoots him dead.
Piper and Dodge fight once again while handcuffed. More punches are thrown.
Piper and Dodge encounter a redneck hunter who holds a gun on them. Piper knocks the gun away, it discharges, and he then hits the man who ends up having a heart attack and dies.
Gibson pulls out his gun and shoots it at his boss, but it's filled with blanks (he's showing him evidence that he found).
A house is ransacked as the bad guys search for a missing computer disk.
Dodge's girlfriend is shot in the eye as she looks out through her peephole. Dodge then fights with the bad guys and one of them gets shot. Santiago then knocks out Dodge.
Dodge is then seen hanging by his tied hands from the ceiling. A bad guy punches him in the gut, and then Santiago threatens to burn Dodge with his cigar. The bad guy then punches Dodge several more times.
Santiago then cuts Dodge with a small scalpel. Piper bursts in and there's a big gun battle where many bad guys are killed.
Piper and Dodge then flee from the police who open fire on them, shattering the back window of their car.
Police chase Piper and Dodge in their cars and there is some car related damage, including two police cars that explode as they run into each other.
There's another big, bloody gun battle in a massage parlor where several more people are killed.
There's another bloody gun battle where even more people are killed in the halls of the Georgia Dome.
Piper shoots at and causes Santiago's car to crash and flip over many times. All inside are killed.
There's the obligatory fight scene at the end in a stalled cable car where punches and kicks are thrown and in the end, Piper throws the bad Marshall to his death.
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