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Movies => Bad Movies => Topic started by: Fearless Freep on November 09, 2002, 09:55:38 PM



Title: "Crisis" - The name says...something...
Post by: Fearless Freep on November 09, 2002, 09:55:38 PM
OK, the name is about as generic as you can get, it's alternative title is the much more meaningful "Dead End"

IMDB's little summary is here (http://us.imdb.com/Title?0136774).  The movie was very low budget and most of those involved have done *nothing* else, before or since.  The few with a history beyond this film seem to have been involved in a lot of the same movies (notably "TC 2000" and a few installments of "Tiger Claws")

This is a very, very low budget action movie. That's not really a criticism, it stays well within the framework afforded by that budget and doesn't look silly trying to throw in special effects or other production issues it can't afford properly (for the most part).  

One thing I really liked about it is that although there are several hand fights, they kept them fairly short, not getting lost in showcasing martial arts or anything self indulgent; just quick and unassuming

The story, frankly, is silly.  The main protagonist is Alex, a "cleaner" for the mob who takes a break to visit his brother, Tony, an environmentalist activist (who thinks Alex sells shoes).   Tony's planning on breaking into the house of a rich scientist (stop laughing), Dr. Ross, in order to film them forcing a confession out of him that he faked the test results of a special 'filter' for nuclear waste.  Alex decides to tag along for the fun, and Tony hires some extra muscle for the project, a mercenary named Simon and his crew (basically a few German mercenaries that didn't make the cut for "Die Hard").  Simon seems a little...intense...for the simple task of breaking into a house and subdueing the occupants, but he comes 'highly recommended' and promises no real bullets and no-one will get hurt (don't you believe it)

..and the fun begins.  

It's fairly supsicious, and fairly obvious that Simon has something else in mind.  His team assults the house like a military post, including killing several guards.  "Intense" was an understatement; this seems hopelessly overblown and if you start suspecting he has other motives, you're right.

Unfortunately, Dr. Ross has left for the evening.  For a late meeting.  So when Simon, Tony, Alex, and all show up, the wife, maid, daughter, and wife's sister are the only ones home.  Which annoys Tony and really ticks of Simon.  And here the story gets silly.

It seems like Dr. Ross, the rich scientist with a security detail and a maid for his house and a chaffeur washing his many cars (ok, that part was already silly) not only has supposedly designed a leak proof filter for nuclear waste, he also knows the locations for some rather dangerous missles and is selling this information to the highest bidder.  That's what his 'late night meeting' was all about.  Well, Simon manages to track down Ross' location and sends a few goons after him to bring him home.  As it turns out, Simon was one of the losing bids, so his whole motion at working with Tony to capture Ross for 'GreenWorld" to save the panet was really just an excuse to capture Ross and 'renegotiate' the missles.

This, by the way, sets up the funniest line in the whole movie

Simon: Apparently, Doctor Ross is giving his missles to someone else
Mrs. Ross: I could've told you that
Sheepish look from the maid

So, the family is taken hostage, Alex and Tony are captured as well.   and Dr. Ross is forced at gunpoint to turn over the missle information....

Until Alex breaks lose, kills all the terrorists one by one, and saves teh day (before sliding out unobtrusively to avoid the cops)

If it seems like I summarized a lot of 'setup' for the real action, the movie istelf is like that.  A *lot* of setup to get to the real action.  This tended to drag at places because you keep thinking "OK, this is a movie..I see all the pieces coming together, when are the all going to be in place so we can get things moving?" and it suddenly dawns on you that the setup really is the movie and the action is just the climax.

A lot of the story is just plain silly:

1. Do environmental groups really break into people's house to force confessions out of them for video tape distribution?

2.  Would they really bring along an outsider?

3. Why did Simon need Tony as an excuse to break into the house?  Why couldn't he just grab Dr. Ross off the street any old time, or break into his house for his own reasons.  Why all the 'suggestions' that he's not what he seems when he really never needed to pretend in the first place.

4. Dr. Ross - scientist, millionaire, owns a huge house, with gated security with guards.  Has a mercedes and a jag (and who knows what else) and a chaffuer, who's really an ex-Navy Seal as sorta back up security (no good, dies quickly and uselessly).  Also has a maid, a pool, etc..etc...    Right!!

5. Dr Ross (II) - he apparently is working on research for nuclear waste disposal, and also knows the locations of missle silos (or something)  again....Right!!!

So a lot of what brings the whole movie together makes no sense at all.  I kept thinking "But why are they?...why is he?...he know that?" They also seemed to get confused about whether the seperated prisoners are 'upstairs' or 'in the basement', a situation not helped by the directions of various stairways.

So based around a totally silly premise, the acting was actually decent (except for the seriously hammed Simon)  and the action was well done if understated

One minor quibble about the production., it's totally obvious that all the computer interfaces are really just MS-Word documents.  The camera was wide enough to see the menu bars etc...

And this was actually much more competently written and sensical then my other recent viewing, "Night Seige: Project Shadowchaser II"