Where it all began...

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2003)

If you look at the elements in this movie, you'll see that all the prerequisites for the modern 'summer action movie' are all here. This is the great-great-grandfather to Con Air, The Rock, and Tomb Raider.
1. You have your politically-correct (IE: multi-racial) group of criminals (in Hollywood terms, they are the 'tough guys' that sell the most tickets') that are somehow more 'human' than the authoritarian figures that have enslaved them for a purpose.
2. You have your paper-thin enemy with two options open to them: shoot or die. Guess which one is performed the most?
3. There is the obligatory bond of kinship that arises during times of war as the men learn that they are all rapists, murderers, thieves, vandals, and basket cases--sorry, too much of Breakfast Club influence on the ol' critic here.
4. After nearly two hours of babbling (typical Bruckheimer tough talk), the plot works its way towards the final fireworks. I will praise the DoP for his work in making a prototype for hundreds to follow, but the sound and editing otherwise are terrible. Low standards for a movie like this.
Overall, interesting for history buffs attempting to trace the roots of the genre, but modern filmgoers will be turned off by its *lack* of action. 3 out of 5 stars.