Action at a high pace; in fact, almost overwhelmingly high

Rating: 6/10 (16 October 2006)

Ah, the "die hard" scenario. Since the movie of the same title came out in '88, many directors have tried to recreate the tension and energy of the classic action film. The great idea of an location packed with innocent people that's been taken over by a villain(or a group of them), and a single good guy in the same place... the only chance of bringing the explosive situation to a reasonably good end. This film was an attempt at re-capturing that, and at making Keanu Reeves an action-star in the process. I'd say they succeeded more at the second... The Matrix Trilogy speaks in favor of that, I'd say. The plot is fair. The basic idea is actually pretty good. The pacing is intense... the movie hardly ever lets you take a breather. In fact, it almost reaches extreme amounts... becoming overwhelming, leaving the viewer exhausted rather than entertained. The acting is decent enough. The characters aren't terribly developed or fleshed out. The action is pretty cool, and well-filmed and edited. The clichés are sadly present; the cackling(!) villain, the damsel in distress who screeches more than the bus tires and the heroic (male) lead. The dialog has its moments, but much of it sounds too much like trying to be macho and cool. The one-liners vary, but it's hard to deny that the whole "pop quiz" bit is cool. All in all, a pretty cool(if overwhelming) action film that just doesn't really break any new ground. I recommend this to any fan of action, the actors involved and anyone interested in the basic idea. Just know that you may find yourself more exhausted than entertained by the end of it. 6/10