The way an action movie works

Rating: 8/10 (25 April 2002)

This is great fun escapist entertainment. What really makes it work, and what most professional critics don't seem to get, is the way the movie shows the events and situations without the characters sounding like they're self-consciously trying to deliver textbook dramatic theory. The credit should really go to the various performers for managing to make their characters **chat**!!!
Particularly notable is the performances of Steve Buscemi as "So what, are we getting hazard pay for this?" Rockhound and Peter Stomare as the whacked-out cosmonaut. They are examples of giving a story personality, and not just playing by the book. Of course Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton as the leads also give their characters real punch and panache too. This is especially evident with the negotiation scene. "None of them want to pay taxes again ... ever." Sure, it's escapist fantasy, but the dialog and personality makes it come alive.
Even Ben Affleck's gun-ho young heart-throb character is delivered with personality - including the widely-criticised animal cracker scene. It's important to remember that Affleck's character AJ is NOT meant to be a professional impersonator. He's just a deep-sea oil rigger who's casually goofing around with his girl. I think Affleck hits the characterization perfectly. (It certainly plays a lot better, with more personality and humor, than the equivalent heavy-handed sobbing melodrama of the bus-leaving scene in DEEP IMPACT!)
Other scenes that shows why this film worked with the general public, and outstripped its competition are the casino and examination scenes. They give insights into the idiosyncrasies and traits of the individual characters, without them sounding as though they're reading their own character descriptions.
Sure, this isn't going to qualify any viewer for rocket science, or help make the world a better place to live; but as professional escapist fictional mass entertainment, this really kicks some butt.