It might be unoriginal, but it works

Rating: 6/10 (11 July 2016)

It's probably best that you ignore the hackneyed plot of this movie, plus all of the déjà vu you'll be getting from watching it. Sure, we've seen this type of movie before, many times, but slickness of direction, good cinematography and two standout performances from Snipes and De Niro as the leads make this a worthwhile venture, no matter what the critics might say.
Basically, De Niro revisits his role in TAXI DRIVER as a normal, everyday kind of man who is thrown out of sync with everyday life and is forced to take drastic action to be noticed. De Niro's acting is flawless and he really convinces us that he's completely mad in his tour-de-force performance of innocent knife salesman turned psycho. Wesley Snipes is also surprisingly powerful as the good-natured star forced to deal with an obsessed fan, emoting pretty well in some heavy scenes. Ellen Barkin is realistic but irritating as a commentator, while the familiar face of John Leguizamo has little to do as Snipes' agent. Benicio del Toro briefly appears as a rival baseball player who comes off the worse for wear after his encounter with De Niro.
The movie is at its most subtle and best at the beginning, with a character study of De Niro's initial descent into his insanity. There are many clichés along the way, and over the top bits, culminating in a ending which is a bit predictable, but still fun thanks to the actors. While not a gory film (aside from one unforgettable scene), this is still pretty violent stuff, both physically and mentally, thanks to effects work from Kevin Yagher. It's also quite disturbing and frightening, and has an edge of hard realism which makes it a gripping movie. Although not the most original film of all time, this is a fine showcase for the talents of the two leading men and passes the time well enough.