moriarty@fluke.UUCP (Jeff Meyer) (01/18/86)
It's been a long time since I've seen a film that I can't come to a decision
about. Sure, plenty of them have confusing *stories*, confusing *plots* --
but a film that inspires a confused reaction? I saw it for free at a sneak
preview, so again, I'm not sure how I'd react to it if I'd paid; probably
favorably at economy prices.
This is a film of contradictions. It has two good-but-variable actors, Eric
Roberts and Rebecca DeMorney, and one great actor, John Voight. On the
other hand, it'sput out by the Canon Film group, a company almost completely
taken up by producing Chuck Norris films and Dead Teenager movies. On the
other hand, it has a script by Akira Kurisowa. On the other hand, there is
a tendancy on everyone's part to overact in this film, as if they were
trying to imitate the broader Japanese style of film acting. On the other
hand, it has great cinematography that grips you and keeps you riveted to
the screen. On the other hand, they music sounds as if it was the leftovers
from GODZILLA MEETS THE TERMINATOR. There are powerful scenes in this film
(mostly by Voight). There are also some things which go right over the edge.
I think you get the point. The film is the story of two escaped convicts
(Voight and Roberts) who hide in a train engine. As the train is starting,
the engineer suffers a fatal heart attack, and before they realize it, they
find themselves on a runaway train. The story contines from then on,
switching between the two men and the group of people trying to keep the
train from colliding with anything. The tension that is created is
excellent, due greatly to the cinematography and the stunts performed on the
train. Voight and Roberts struck me as what men who had lived in prison
would be like; Voight is a very complex character, capable of seeing
sympathetic and being extremely cruel at the same time. Eric Roberts plays
a rather simple character, the kind of guy who never seems to change much
since school. Voight manages to keep your attention on him easily, and his
finial decisions seem logical.
But...
It has some problems. One, you have to wait until the men board the train
before you really get interested. Secondly, Eric Roberts in in full-blown
overacting mode here; I almost broke up during the last five minutes when I
pictured a TV commercial that announces (in a quiet, restrained voice) "Eric
Roberts for Coca Cola", followed by Eric Roberts pounding a table and
screaming "Buy this D*mn stuff, willya! Just GO OUT and BUY IT, D*MN IT!
***JUST GO OUT AND *BUY* THE *GOD-D*MNED STUFF, WILL YOU!!!" And the last
scene is so weird that I found myself giggling in spite of myself.
As I said, I'm not sure WHO'D like it. Sorry, but I'm taking the day off on
voting for this one.
"There... I've run rings 'round you logically"
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
ARPA: fluke!moriarty@uw-beaver.ARPA
UUCP: {uw-beaver, sun, allegra, sb6, lbl-csam}!fluke!moriarty
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