DVD The Point Men
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Review(s): DVD The Point Men | |
| B-Action Starring Lambert and Kerry Fox ("Shallow Grave") |
Just another B-action flick starring Christopher Lambert. I didn't expect much, but some names on the cover interested me; they were co-starring Kerry Fox ("Shallow Grave" and "Intimacy"), and the director John Glen, who is behind the camera of James Bond films made in the 1980s (from "For Your Eyes Only" to "Licence to Kill"). Not that I mean his works are great -- Roger Moore played Bond at that time, and good as he was, the actions were not particulary great. But Kerry Fox is another matter.The result is just what I expected, and I don't blame anybody for spending 90 minutes on my life for this ... one. Lambert is a kind of member of secret team who seem to deal with assassination of terrorists. But the team, though apparently successful in killing the target, made a botched job afterwards, losing some of the members, and then they are forced to disband themselves. However, Christopher Lambert's character is not convinced that their target is dead, and the ex-members of his team, now hiding with another identity, get bumped off one after another. The story is so-so, and the acting is not bad. Kerry Fox is called even fabulous among them, raising the below-average action flick to a little higher place. But the cheap action scenes and tedious development of story kill every good thing in the film. The relation between Lambert and Fox -- they were once lovers, and Fox is pregnant even though she is hired by the secret agency -- is very interesting, but the film throws away any potential thrills coming from the characters so easily that I wondered how the original book deals with those elements. Perhaps, the original book (which I haven't seen) is better than this film. Christopher Lambert made a satisfactory films in the past, like "Knight Moves" and others, but around the time of "Highlander 2" or "The Hunted", I began to lose interest in his films, and I'm sorry to say this, but things don't change after watching this awful flick. This film is far better than "Fortress 2", but like Pam Grier in that dreadful film, Kerry Fox is wasted.
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| Lambert really can act... |
If you are a Lambert fan (like me), then you'll be surprised by his performance in this movie. It ranks up with Mortal Kombat in films he actually pulls off well.However, if you're looking for a good story, stick with Highlander.
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| "I might be stupid, but I'm not crazy" |  |
Fans of Christopher Lambert will be willing to see any movie he is in, regardless of the apparent quality of the feature. If you are not a fanatic of his films, more likely than not you might remember him from the Highlander moviess, his most mainstream work. The rest of us know him from such B grade action thrillers as Resurrection, Gunmen, Knight Moves, and Beowulf. Fear not, as The Point Men has a much higher quality level than most of his features, and this can be likely attributed to having a seasoned director such as John Glen at the helm. The story itself is nothing new; in fact it has been done so many times one has to wonder if there are any new paths one could take with it anymore. Think of how many films you have seen about an elite team working for a government doing things that no one would ever want to know about. Yet these films continue to be made because the formula, though worn, can still produce an entertaining feature given the right direction and stars. Also, the script makes an effort, albeit a small one, to not lay everything out in the open right away, and instead let it come out in layers. There are some elements of the story that keep this one down, and they do so because they simply make no sense. With B grade films, even higher quality ones such as this, you do need to let things go, but in this case, several of them are difficult. Such as the fact that it is never really explained who the person was in the beginning who they all thought was the real Amar. Then there is the ease in which Amar travels to one country one day and back the next before sundown. If you can manage to let that and a few other tiny flubs go, it is easy sailing, and if you then consider other Lambert films, it gets even easier. The problems are simple sloppiness, perhaps laziness in not wanting to explain something and just pushing the story along instead. Christopher Lambert here is, well, Christopher Lambert, and just about the same as he is in any movie on a more toned down level. He is a lot more restrained here, which suits his character very well. It is Vincent Regan who plays the evil Amar that is given the over the top role to play this time, and he does so with much glee. While in the beginning he came off a little on the goofy side, when his true motivations are put out into the open, he does manage to become much more menacing. Also, Regan is great in Amar's many attempts to change his personality to get closer to people in order to eventually kill them. This is one of the best aspects to the movie: a villain who seems capable of doing the things he does. All to often in these kinds of movies (such as the ultimate villain in Ronin being a disappointment) the villain is weak or turns out to be a disappointment. Kerry Fox (from Shallow Grave), who plays Lambert's love interest and fellow agent, Maddy, is also very good in her role as a seasoned veteran of her craft. Essentially, as it has already been stated, if you are a fan of the "Christopher Lambert Genre" then you must rent this one as soon as possible. If you are just getting into his movies, this is a good one to start off with to ease yourself into it gently.
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