Slipstream

Plot synopsis:
A barren Earth, with rocky dry hills and a slow narrow stream of water. A female narrator voice-over says that pollution has destroyed the surface of the planet, and that the huge wind stream now rule it: the most dangerous situation is called Slipstream- it's like a river of wind. In that scenery, an airplane with a square tail is flying after Byron (Bob Peck). Soon, William "Will" Tasker (Mark Hamill) and Belitski (Kitty Aldridge) capture him. He says the renown sentences: "It's over. End of the hunt.", and makes a comment saying that Byron thought that the winds would help him. Byron says that he's heard god's voice. The two police officers take him to the small Western-like town which they are the police force of. People at the local diner wonder why Byron is so important, why there is such a big reward on his head, and even whether the charges are true at all - Byron is supposed to have killed a man. Some other people say that he's a prophet. The local canteen is a rough place. Everybody is dressed like rough cowboys, except for Byron, who dresses like a British gentleman. Petros (Alkis Kritikos) is the dirty cook there, and Abigail (Susan Leong) is the local waitress, and also the girlfriend of one of the town's rebels. Belitsky tells Matt Owens (Bill Paxton), a bounty hunter posing as a merchant, that he is scum. Belitsky and Tasker behave like they own the place, and a woman who is doing labour for life (Diana Defries) talks like a hard woman.Matt appears out of nowhere wanting to get the reward. At first Belitski and Tasker don't take him seriously, and they talk to him demissively trying to distract him. Tasker shoots a dart and he hits Matt, and tells him that it's got poison, but Matt doesn't seem to believe him. There is another diversion - a small plane crashing on them - allows Owens to take Byron away with him. On the plane, Byron doesn't talk at all while Matt feels all right and worries about Byron creating trouble, as he prefers to produce him alive.Byron says that he knows he must be punished, although he doesn't clearly state that he had killed anyone. Owens talks about Byron's ideas. Byron says that humanity has lost the battle against nature, but that there is time to re-conquer the planet. Owens is a very capable pilot, and he flies through sharp mountain ranges á la Star Wars until he reaches a town whose houses have been carved on the hill rock. Byron is able to uncuff himself. He gives the handcuffs to Owens. Byron tells him that Matt will realise pretty soon that he can trust him. The name of the town is Hell's Kitchen.Several people are having a bath on a jacuzzi. They laugh, including Rosie (Gay Baynes) and Montclaire (Robbie Coltrane) because Owens gives himself airs, but Byron has disappeared while Matt was talking to them. Byron has healed a boy's eyes, so his father (Eris Akman) will always be grateful to him. The fact that he is a healer causes a bit of a commotion on the town. Byron seems to be humouring Owens, staying with him because he's decided to do so. Matt gives his boots to one of the youngsters of the town (Bruce Boa), as he intends to leave somewhere else from that moment on, and never return to that place.The two police officer reach the woods surrounding Hell's Kitchen, and they found some men moonlightning, including Montclaire, and they kill them without difficulty. They bury the contrabandists under the rocks. Matt Owens goes on his way on his airplane with Byron, but they have to land to spend the night on a cave. Matt talks about his dreams concerning having thousands of balloons with his name on them, but he says that he always wakes up. Matt thinks that Byron is trying to plant the idea on his head of letting him go, but hat won't happen. Matt is also worried that Byron will try to do something fishy to him while they are sleeping as Byron sleeps with his eyes open-wide. Byron says that Matt wouldn't be able to kill him even if he tried to escape.Byron tries to check Matt's pulse, as he may have symptoms of curare poisoning, but Matt thinks he's tried to strungle him in his sleep. Matt admits that he's lost. Byron heals a man. Maya (Rita Wolf) says that her people didn't want to defend themselves, as violence only brings out more violence. Ariel (Eleanor David) stays by Byron's side while he heals the man. Byron heals the bleeding wound. The wounded man's name is Travis (Paul Reynolds) doesn't believe in Byron, saying that he is a false prophet, and that he wasn't born from a father. Maya tries to convince Trevor.Tasker and Belitski appear, and they make a deal with Matt: the poison's antidote in exchange of Byron. During the night, strong winds make navigation really difficult. Tasker and Belitski tell Matt that Byron is an android, a robot which wants to behave as human - that's why it was said that he wasn't born from a man. Byron is in a kind of square kite and Matt goes up to release it. Byron says that Tasker - who is ascending by way of a parachute - may join them, but Matt is more realistic and knows that they won't. Belitski says she knew that Matt Owens' word could not be trusted. The thing falls down to the floor.Ariel wants to go with them. Matt goes on wanting his reward, and Tasker mocks the machine who wants to behave as a human. Although Ariel has fought the police officers, she walks on and closes the door after her. Byron says she'll come back and Matt asks him why he is always right: Byron says he's perceptive.They are inside a dereclict church / cathedral, but it leads the way to a bar. Two men (Rico Ross & George Camiller) are drinking champagne, and the first one complains that if they keep on helping everybody, somebody will try to destroy the place in the end. Ariel wants a life which is more than mere survival from day to day. Everybody dances, and Byron does it very well.Ariel defends the idea that Byron may solve the air conditioning problem. Avatar (Ben Kingsley) oposes the idea of using an android: he deems the wind problem an unsolvable problem. He and the mother (Jennifer Hilary) are outraged that an android has shagged his daughter (Maiser Asghar), and even Ariel saying that only Byron is the android - he slept with Ariel - doesn not help Byron's cause. Byron says that he's been able to sleep and that he dreamt. Matt's decided to let Byron go. Byron seems shocked at the news. Byron is happy to have the change of either staying or going.But Bielitski and Tasker reach the hidden town. Byron is terrified: he doesn't want to be free to go if Ariel doesn't want to leave without him. Avatar says that the community is responsible of judging Byron. Ariel believes that Byron didn't kill anybody. Tasker threatens to kill everybody. The people in the community take Byron to Tasker. Bielitski shoots Matt with another dart. He punches her and ties her to a bed.Tasker leaves with Byron. The strong winds force Byron to take the reigns of the plane. However, the plane crashes and Tasker dies. Byron is distraught that Tasker thought that he could have saved him.Matt is with his new girlfriends, and he finally has his fancy-designed balloons flying off onto the sky - a bright but a bit cloudy day with a soft breeze at the most.

Tags: satire, murder

Review:
Murray Abraham and the great Ben Kingsley make appearances in this unlikely post-apocalyptic action film.
Like the original Star Wars Trilogy (before George tinkered with it again, and again, and again), this film is best enjoyed with all it's flaws.
Ben Kingsley, Mark Hamill, Bill Paxton I think his name is were all great.
I remember the release of this movie way back in 1989, mainly as it saw the return of Mark Hamill to the big screen after an absence of 6 years (Jedi being his last movie).
Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this movie and it's far from being one of the worst films ever, as some of the previous comments have made out.The main players in the film put in some good performances, especially the late great Bob Peck for whose character I did manage to feel sympathy for and care about thanks to his acting skills.
A bearded, peroxide blonde Mark Hamill gives a terrifically sinister bad guy performance as the unrelenting cop, albeit a little OTT.
Also look out for Robbie 'Cracker' Coltrane.Story wise (essentially a chase movie) it is highly unoriginal, borrowing heavily from Blade Runner and Midnight Run, all done in a futuristic Mad Max style.
The movie doesn't hide the fact that it is trying to convey some sort of message about humanity and the future with religious undertones.Special effects and action scenes left a lot to be desired; the shoot out in the forest was very shoddily done (one of the worst I've seen).
If you are in the least bit interested in Sci-Fi try and watch this film if you come across this in the video store, or if comes on T.V, if only to see Hamill ham it up and play a bad guy.
Ok, if you're looking for a seriously good, quality sci-fi film, I wouldn't expect you to enjoy this movie.
It's just a matter of watching it with the right perspective...Allow me to explain: the movie CAN be seen to have these qualities, but only if you look at it in the right way...1) Thought-provoking - Of course it is!
I couldn't agree more (previous post re: underrated) this movie was a truly entertaining surprise and I have been trying to find it ever since my husband and i rented it one night after pretty much working our way thru the other rentals at our local video store.
I can't believe this got such a low rating, of course, look at how many people voted on it, probably just the IMDb staff who tend to side with critics that lose site of the fact the movies are for entertainment.Compared to a lot of other mindless sci-fi genre this is a classic, let's vote on this one and get it back up to where it belongs in th 8's and 7;s!It's for sci-fi fans that don't need a bunch of special FX in order to enjoy a good movie.
Yes, there was a lot of Mad Max in there and okay some of the visual effects were a little ropey, but it did at least boast two of my fave actors - the late, great Bob Peck and a pre-Titanic Bill Paxton.
The movie is pretty good for the first 45 minutes or so, then hits a wall and gets really stupid, until finally it ends well.
What he doesn't know is that the bounty hunter (Mark Hamill, in his best post-Star Wars role) is now coming after him.
The late Bob Peck plays the fugitive, who doesn't seem the least bit dangerous, despite the fact that he supposedly killed a man (There is a twist pertaining to this character, but I won't reveal it, even though nobody will care).
My favorite scene was when Paxton first captures Peck and both are flying through the Slipstream for the first time.
Underrated Sci Fi. Slipstream is one of those underrated sci fi movies that deserves more attention.it has a very good cast;mark hammil(star wars)bill Paxton(titanic)bob peck(Jurassic park)f Murray Abraham(amadaus)and a brief appearance by the great Ben Kingsley.i seen slipstream recently and enjoyed it.i wont give away the plot but like one reviewer said it must be watched a second time to be really appreciated.its pure sci fi.
and mark hammil is outstanding as the tough bounty hunter a stretch from playing Luke sky walker in the first 3 star wars films.bill Paxton plays a wise cracking cocky would be bounty hunter.slipstream is always on those cheaply priced sci fi DVD collection dvds.i found it for 5 dollars from st Clair vision called tales from the future,it also features metropolis,things to come,lost world,journey to the center of time,unknown world,day time ended,frozen alive,and in the year2889.
I've liked this movie for years, and it is actually quite muddled and strange, it is difficult to understand, the performances are sometimes strained and overdone; and still it is charming.
Further this film breaks Mark Hamil out of the naive Hero status Star Wars could have locked him into.
It is worth watching the film for the flying scenes and the key exterior locations alone -- Cappadoccia, Turkey, and Malham Rocks UK.
Director Steven Lisberger (Tron), Music Elmer Bernstein, Cast includes Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Kitty Aldridge, Bill Paxton, Robbie Coltrane, Ben Kingsley, F.
The three male leads (Peck, Paxton and Hamill) are entertaining and turn in good performances.
I noticed that it was science-fiction, I noticed that it starred Mark Hamill and Bill Paxton and I noticed that Steven Lisberger, director of "Tron" and Gary Kurtz, producer of "Star Wars," were the team behind it.
So, I rented it, and was very disappointed.Set in a post-apocalyptic Earth, "Slipstream" follows the story of Byron (Bob Peck), a mysterious android who has the power of healing.
He is also wanted for a murder that he didn't commit and is running from the so-called "law." The film opens with a chase scene of the ruthless lawmen, Tasker (Mark Hamill) and Belitski (Kitty Aldridge), capturing Byron and en route to taking him in.
There's more to tell, but I'll stop here.The film has that "post-war" feel to it, as seen in many movies like the Mad Max films.
Mark Hamill is most of the reason why you should watch the film, he delivers one of his best performances ever here.
The man is the complete opposite of Luke Skywalker, looks like he could've blended in with "The Matrix" crew; Bill Paxton is always cool, always funny, yet not used in this film properly, maybe miscast; Bob Peck (you might remember him as the Game Warden in "Jurassic Park") is perfect as the android Byron; and Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and F.
Director Lisberger does all he can do with the dying script, definitely not a worthy follow-up to his admirable "Tron." Mark Hamill did a live Q&A on the internet a few years back and someone asked him about this film.
The R2 from In Video Entertainment has much better video and audio, but still no features and still pan and scan.I would really like to know what the hell happened with this film.
This is a strange movie, with a few twists, and the effects are not too good, but the aircraft Mr. Hamill flies is cool..
I saw this film at the cinema years ago- a sobering experience I walked out in a daze feeling shell-shocked...I mean, I couldn't believe I had paid decent money to see such a dismal attempt at movie-making.
Could a major role in Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz's post apocalyptic sci-fi Slipstream be just the thing to revive his flagging career?Does a wookie like losing?
Is George Lucas any good at writing dialogue?Despite Hamill's best efforts, the actor putting in a respectable performance as a ruthless bounty-hunter out to apprehend an android suspected of murder, Slipstream is a monumental stinker of a movie, one that attempts to be both popcorn entertainment and cerebral sci-fi, but which fails in both departments.
Horribly flawed, charmless, and disjointed, this misjudged mess boasts soporific direction, dreadful characterisation, a rousing score that is completely incongruous to all that it accompanies, and (Hamill apart) terrible acting, with Bill Paxton giving one of the most irritating performances I have ever seen (God only knows how his career continued to thrive after this fiasco)..
I realize this isn't going to get remixed for 5.1, but yikes, it didn't even sound like it was in Dolby Stereo which had been around for almost a decade when they cut this film.Slipstream was far too similar to both Mad Max and Blade Runner for comfort.
Elmer Bernstien did the scoring, but it sounds like someone else had a hand in sticking in 'other' stuff elsewhere as it doesn't match the overall good orchestral score (with some synthesizer music.)There were great actors cast, Bob Peck, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, Bill Paxton.
I'm not sure a heroic stooge is a good choice for the main character who carries the film.) Again, a major flaw with the script.Thank goodness I watched this from a mail order DVD service, and not the theater.
The third lead, the late Bob Peck, plays the kidnapped murderer that Hamill pursues; as a multi-talented android straight out of an episode of "Star Trek," Peck shows his acting chops by holding a straight face while uttering his weighty corn-ball lines.The cinematography is mediocre, which is unfortunate because the Turkish Cappodoccian shooting locations have a dramatic other-worldly appeal.
If there is nothing else to see on a dreary rain-soaked afternoon, look again before watching "Slipstream." Paxton's charm is unfortunately all that the film offers, and he displayed that in other more worthy vehicles..
I loved it, Mark Hamill was better in this than he ever was in the STAR WARS films, Bob Peck was Bob Peck, Kitty Aldredge was nice to look at, and Bill Paxton was cool (that word was popular back then) unfortunately the film has not aged to well and by todays standards is very, very boring.
To a lot of people, that may sound like a joke but he really did turn around and make the film watchable.
Bill Paxton plays the obligatory Han Solo character, and from that standpoint, the movie is a lot like - well, just about every 80's action/sci fi flick.
On the other hand, I assume that Mark Hamil tapped this for his very credible anger and bitterness, and he really does make a pretty good villain.Their travels, however, are more in the more cerebral style of the late 60's early 70's and their fascination with how humans might behave after the fall of civilization, and that makes the film quirky and interesting enough to watch, if only to scratch your head at how they managed to get F.
Murray Abraham and Ben Kingsley in this movie.So in summary, definitely worth watching, but don't go out of your way..
Mark Hamill gives a good performance and so does Bill Paxton.
The story set in a Mad Max style future is nothing new but in this case the characters use gliders to make there way around the wasteland using the canyons of the apocalyptic world and the slipstreams which flow through them.
The only redeeming feature of the film is Mark Hamill's performance as one of the enforcers.
Substitute the planes with horses, make the android a priest and this movie would be indistinguishable from any one of a dozen Italian Spanish semi-arty "shoot-'em-ups with pretensions" of the Seventies.The film isn't as BAD as I had been lead to believe by some of the reviews I had read here but it certainly wasn't good..
I didn't even know about this movie until I was searching for the name of another Mark Hamill classic (Time Runner).
The second was a film I was unfamiliar with, SLIPSTREAM, but it featured an all-star cast including Bill Paxton, Mark Hamill, Ben Kingsley, F.
And for the record, the slipstream itself is unimpressive and plays little part in the movie other than to explain why all the main characters get around via little planes.
Murray Abraham amount to nothing more than cameos and, after having watched this movie twice, I still haven't spotted Ben Kingsley in there.
I remember being all jazzed about this film coming out because it had Luke Skywalker in it as a bad guy, then have a vague memory of watching it but having no recollection if it was any good or not.
It's not a bad film as such, butthere's not too much going on.The premise is good though.
This film was made in the eighties so there's a post-apocalyptic setting, but this is also the late eighties so we've got an environmental post-apocalyptic vibe going on where mankind's treating of the world has come back to bite them, with huge environmental changes resulting in a huge valley running for thousands of miles across the land, which has this constant wind blowing through it like Earth is letting out one continuous never ending fart that people live in.One of those folks living in the fart is Bill Paxton, some kind of salvage tradesman who gets caught up with Mark Hamill, a policeman escorting murderer Bob Peck.
So Paxton steals him and they off into the possibly eggy fart of the Slipstream.It's like one of those buddy movies only with a lot of wind involved.
On the plus side, we do have a great performance from Bob Peck (the best thing about Jurassic Park too) as the android whose not quite sure what to make of having freedom.
I remember the video box emphasized the Star Wars connection – its producer Gary Kurtz also produced Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, while it was the film that marked the return of Mark Hamill to the big screen.
This leads to him being pursued by the bad guys.Really, the film is basically a chase movie with some diversions.
As a fan of under-appreciated movies, this one caught my eye immediately, and I knew I had something worth having, if only for the possibility of being the only person who may own a copy.Mark Hamill's part in it, while important, makes him seem more of a secondary character to the parts of Paxton and Peck.
Paxton's character reminds one of his part in 'Aliens', though he develops more depth near the end, and you see he's not such a selfish person after all.Bob Peck has the toughest job of portraying surprise at new-found emotions.
The Byron character's story is intriguing, if also slow in being revealed.The ending was in fact a surprise to myself and those with me, as we're used to seeing Mark Hamill come out on top of things in his parts.
The obsession portrayed is convincing, particularly through the lengths taken to try to apprehend Byron.Though not first rate(or even second or third) this film has it's merits in that it demonstrates the difficulty in producing a movie's plots, acting, scripting, and photography.
As much as I loved Mark Hamil, his character Tasker was a d**k head, a well played d**k head though!
It's been a guilty pleasure of mine ever since.It's not the best, but it's a good romp through a very different Earth of the future, with a group of unlikely heroes and a very memorable adversary in Mark Hamill, and he's not using the Force folks, he packs a very big gun in this one!
Hamill's by-the-book cop, and Bill Paxton's, fly by the seat of your pants pilot, looking to make the "Big Score", make great rivals.
Would've been nice to see a bit more of the world, and maybe some more background material, but what you get does a good enough job of getting the "feel" of the movie across.
This is one of those really oddball, strange films that is so weird but so entertaining at the same time that I tend to enjoy it type of movies.Mark Hamill is Tasker and is looking really good in this film - he's sorta a good-bad guy character, good "cop" but has a really wide bad streak in him - he doesn't see how good Byron really is, all he knows is to bring him in for murder.Bob Peck is Byron.
Hamill is a better bad guy than Paxton is a good guy.
Has 2 small scenes in this movie, where he's friends with Owens and helps him escapeMark Hamill - after Star Wars, he didn't want to get typecast, so he started acting in small budget roles, which nobody saw, and everyone still only thinks of him as Luke.
A strange man in a suit (Bob Peck) is captured by law enforcement agents (Mark Hamill and Kitty Aldridge).
They are pursued through villages traveling by air.As time goes on we learn more about this strange man and why he is so important.This film has quite the cast, which includes small roles by Ben Kinsley, Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and F.
We don't like Matt (well, because he's played by Bill Paxton, among other things).
And he likes Bill Paxton.We don't hate Tasker enough (partly because he's played by good-guy Mark Hamill), since while gruff and ruthless, doesn't do anything out of the ordinary for his character -- a post-apocalyptic peace officer.
I won't watch it again, so if anyone with the temerity to do so can get back to me with the number of clichéd lines in the movie, I'm sure it will set a record.Some otherwise fine and talented actors got mixed up with this clunker; Mark Hamill portrays a futuristic bounty hunter and Bill Paxton is his quarry.
Paxton's character has hijacked Hamill's prisoner, an android taking his name from the poet Byron (Bob Peck).
Yes the film is uneven, yes Mark Hamill is not very good as the over the top cop but there are several aspects that I think this worthwhile movie to watch.
Bob Peck is great as what turns out to be an android (Byron) accused of murder.