great cast and good setup played for all it's worth

Rating: Null/10 (25 April 2002)

Entertaining, well-crafted crime caper (based on Elmore Leonard's novel Rum Punch) centers around a handful of characters and their connection to half a million dollars. Grier is a struggling flight attendant trafficking money for slick gunrunner Jackson and trying to play both sides to her advantage, Forster a lonely bail bondsman who falls for her and tries to help her out of the jam, Keaton an ambitious federal agent trying to make the big bust, Fonda a stoned-out beach bunny trying to get her undeserved peace of the pie, meanwhile De Niro (in a purposefully muted performance) is an ex-con with no common sense. Plods at times, but the cast is stellar (especially Grier) and you're pulled into Tarantino's bizarre world of hip dialogue and unique character interactions as each of them try to come out on top. ***