Ransom (Special Edition)

Starring:Mel Gibson, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte, Gary Sinise, Delroy Lindo, Lili Taylor, Liev Schreiber, Donnie Wahlberg, Evan Handler, Nancy Ticotin, Michael Gaston, Kevin Neil McCready, Paul Guilfoyle (II), Allen Bernstein, JosÃ© ZÃºÃ±iga, Dan Hedaya, Iraida Polanco, John Ortiz, Mike Hodge, Paul Geier
Director: Ron Howard
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

When someone in Proof of Life says "Don't leave me hanging," you can bet they're going to be left hanging. That's what happens when Alice Bowman (Meg Ryan) learns that her husband Peter (David Morse) has been kidnapped by rebels in the (fictional) Latin American country of Tecala. He's building a corporate-funded dam there, and that makes him a fine target for kidnap by the rebels, who barter with the lives of well-insured executives. Enter Terry Thorne (Russell Crowe), former soldier-turned-"K&R" (kidnap and ransom) negotiator for a global firm that collects a commission for rescued hostages. With no guarantee of payment, Thorne takes the job out of moral obligation (and a yearning for would-be widow Alice).

There's little room for delicacy in Tony Gilroy's screenplay, adapted from an article by William Prochnau and the book Long Road to Freedom by kidnapping survivor Thomas Hargrove. A hint of romance between Crowe and Ryan (who enjoyed plenty of it off-screen) adds tension as the story shifts back and forth to Morse's captivity, but it also threatens to cast Alice in an unsympathetic light. Avoiding that pitfall, director Taylor Hackford crafts the plot as a latter-day Casablanca that unfolds on a grander canvas (at stunning locations in Ecuador) while favoring an exciting rescue-mission climax over the tragedy of an ill-timed affair. It might have worked better as a straightforward macho action flick (with David Caruso doing lively work as Crowe's gung-ho K&R cohort), but Proof of Life effectively conveys the two-sided torment of a hostage crisis, while Morse holds it all together as the character to root for. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Their lives are on the line. Their hearts are out on a limb. The wife of a kidnap victim and the hostage negotiator working with her navigate a brutal world of terrorism that values money over life - and find their tasks complicated by the growing awareness that they're attracted to each other.

Customer Reviews:

Proof that editors add value.......2007-06-04

If there was ever an argument for a good editor, this movie is it. The key elements of a great story are there. The characters are there. The lush visuals and outstanding photography are there. In fact, I find myself using the Chapter Select option more on this movie than any other in a collection of 400+ to jump to the action sequences, which are outstanding, or just to watch the sweeping photography of the cityscape and slums of latin america, fading into the jungles and mountains over which the final credits play.

What the movie needed more than anything was a hard-handed edit to chop out the extraneous garbage about Peter and Alice's backstory. We really didn't need to know (or care) about their marital conflict or any of the backstory about Africa or their lost child. These are not integral to the core plot: guerillas kidnap Peter, and Alice needs to learn a lot about the kidnap and ransom business and raise a substantial sum of money in a very short period of time. She also needs to learn who she can trust and how to get things done in the local culture. Meanwhile, Peter is learning how to avoid his captors' ire, and trying to cope with his fear and isolation as he is led farther and farther away from the civilization he has always known into the depths of the mountains and jungles. These are interesting issues and could have easily carried the film by themselves without all of the domestic filler, which proves to be a huge distraction.

If such a director's cut could be created, it would make this movie a five-star movie and I'd shell out the cash on the release date without a second thought. Unfortunately, due to the stigma associated with the release and lack of commercial success, that seems highly unlikely. The movie also cries out for a sequal with Caruso and Crowe's characters carrying out further K&R negotiations and rescues, but, again, that possibility seems remote.

Action, Ideas, and Doing the Right Thing.......2007-03-18

Terry Thorne (Russel Crowe), a kidnap and ransom negotiator for an insurance company, is sent to the country of Tecala in South America to negotiate the release of engineer Peter Bowman (David Morse). The insurance is canceled, as well as the negotiation, but Peter's wife Alice (Meg Ryan) asks Terry to help and they both have to cope with their growing attraction as they work together.

Taylor Hackford's film is doubly courageous and unique:

First, it addresses the idea of private rescue, both business and personal, in an age when most people look to the state for protection from criminals. Proof of Life not only illustrates the business aspect of private rescue (through an insurance company), but the idea that personal action of rescue can come from the the heart. Some reviewers try to include the state as a player by mentioning that the kidnapers are antigovernment and that Thorne once worked for a government.

Second, the movie illustrates doing the right thing (though perhaps after stepping over the line depending on how the viewer interprets one scene).

This is rated R and the foul language and profanity are very bad. The language issue makes it hard to share the movie with others. I considered dropping a star, but because of the above two points did not.

Action and ideas in a very good movie.

Proof of my best movies.......2005-12-26

Indeed this movie may seem like a common action-drama-love story but not really watch it attentively and you'll get what i mean. It gives you the message of professional and moral responsibility over a situation that is confusing whether to abandon your job or fulfill it. In this matter russell is divided with his affection towards his client's wife and the duty to save him. Great sequencing of events every part is juicy. the rescue in the end is classic special forces operations. the saddest moment was when meg drives away with her rescued husband and russell cant take off his eyes from the vehicle. Great movie indeed!

No Proof Required, This Movie's Got Life!.......2005-10-24

I like Russell Crowe and David Morse so when they are together in a movie of course I have to buy it. I probably would have given this five stars if I had reviewed it last year but I've watched it like twelve times so the absolute wonderfulness has worn off a bit. Definitely a fun movie to watch.

A very under-rated film!.......2005-08-16

I hate when a film fails in the box office due to off screen antics versus actually sucking. It still baffles me that 'Dukes of Hazzard' can overtake 'Cinderella Man' in the box office, all because Russell Crowe has a temper. WHO CARES!!! Cinderella Man was and is a far better movie. Now this brings me to 'Proof of Life' which failed in the box office mostly due to the offscreen affair between Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe. Now rumers circulated that it was Russell Crowe who ended the marriage of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, although Ryan claims that their marriage was already on shakey grounds. Again, WHO CARES!!! This movie is still a great movie, a great plot and some equally impressive acting. WHile not Crowes best performance he still puts his heart and soul into Terry, a H&R negotiator (Kidnap and Ransom)...anyways...the story is like this. Alice (Ryan) and Peter have a rocky marriage. They are at ends with each other because Peter is to involved in his work that he neglects his wife. he's never around and when he is he's always preoccupied with getting his dam built. That is all until he is kidnapped and held ransom by a group of terrorists in South America. That is where Terry comes into play. He is sent to help negotiate Peters safe return. There are a few plot twists and it ends up that Terry is doing this mission seperate from his company (kinda probono). The movie realy revolves around the emotions of the charactors. You know, I feel it's unfair to feel that Meg Ryans charactor is unsympatetic because of the assumed affair between Alice and Terry. As the beginning of the film helped us see, her husband didn't pay any attention to her, and that is one of the main reasons that women leave their husbands in the first place, not because they don't love their husbands but because they don't feel their husbands love them and find that love in the eyes of a strager who gives them attention. Like Terry did, just by asking the name of her dead daughter, like she says "no ones ever asked me that before". I thought that this movie was very well done, and is worth a watch even if you aren't pleased with the off screen lives of the actors, it doesn't change the fact that they deliver above par on screen. The only, and I mean only, reason that I did not give this movie 5 stars is the fact that it is all to common to rate a movie R for no apparent reason. This movie has very little violence and NO sex (although a sex scene between Crowe and Ryan would have been welcome) and the only reason for an R rating is the unnessisary F-Word use...if only these words were ommited then my children could watch this great film!

Average customer rating:

Intersting
The other Viking Movie.
An epic Odin himself would approve!
If I weren't dull and timid, I'd be a Viking
A good-looking epic in which you can almost feel the harsh climate...

The Vikings
Starring: Kirk Douglas , Tony Curtis , Ernest Borgnine , Janet Leigh , and James Donald
Director: Richard Fleischer
Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000062XF2
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Amazon.com

Kirk Douglas produced the trendsetting barbarian epic The Vikings and took the showiest, most aggressive role: lusty Viking prince Einar, the "only son in wedlock" of King Ragnar (a cackling, wild-eyed Ernest Borgnine). With jagged scars down his face and a milky-white blind eye that almost glows in his skull, Douglas has a rowdy time battling defiant slave Tony Curtis (the long-lost heir to the British throne) for the hand of the beautiful princess Janet Leigh. It's pure Hollywood hokum, sure, but spectacular hokum: the great cinematographer Jack Cardiff turns his Norway locations into a lush Valhalla on earth. Faced with an absurd story, journeyman director Richard Fleischer goes for the gusto in brawling Viking parties, furious sieges, and clanging broadsword battles. An enormous hit, the film spawned a huge wave of Viking movies, some perhaps smarter but none as much fun. --Sean Axmaker

Description

Hollywood legends Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine and Janet Leigh dazzle in this epic chronicle of brutal rivalry and bloodthirsty ambition. Roaring through the 9th century with powerful performances and "brilliant visual drama" (Cue), The Vikings is a riveting "spectacle of have-at-'em action" (Los Angeles Examiner)! Bitter hatred divides two brothers. Prince Einar (Douglas) is the son and heir of a savage Viking chieftain. Prince Eric (Curtis) is his unknowing half-brother, the bastard offspring of Einar's father and an English queen. When the Vikings kidnap a princess (Leigh), her beauty inflames the desires of both men, forcing a bloody duel thatdecides their fate and the future of the English throne.

Customer Reviews:

Intersting.......2007-06-03

This is a good movie, a different kind. Both Tony Curtis and Kirk Douglas made very good looking vikings! It is quite watchable. I only wish there had been more sword fighting.

The other Viking Movie........2007-04-30

I just finished watching the Long Ships a few hours ago and decided to watch the other Viking movie I have...I wish I had the documentry from NOVA so I could add some historical facts to my review...alas, I am poor. Nonetheless, it is a fine movie leaning toward great as I not only provides us with a little adventure, and more action, but also points out the Vikings as a people living a poor, hard, life. (Look at the houses they lived in and the conditions they lived under.). So why not give it five stars? Well, I gave it four and a half because I felt the Vikings need a little more splash like what you find in The Long Ships for it to have been great. They did a find job.

PROS:

1. Kirk Douglas stars in it. That's a star.
2. Tony Curtis stars in it. That's a star.
3. The cutie Janet Leigh stars in it. Though I don't give stars for a cutie being a cutie, she can act and did. Then take into account Ernest Borgnine played their king...that's another star.
4. The music is just right. That's a star.
5. The idea is fine...not great, but fine and carried out fine. That's half a star in this case.
six. After you get this movie in the opening dialogue they say the Vikings didn't know of the compass, that they could only steer by the sun and the stars. Beats me, but I remember seening one of their compasses from a thousand years ago and it looked pretty close to what our military uses today. Where did I hear that...I was in the military and they told me that is where the design came from. Maybe the officers teaching that class were wrong? Like I said, it beats me, but I do--from the bottom of my heart--feel many inventions were around and forgotten hundreds or thousands of years before being reinvented. Look at the six gun, the car--steam driven, the fax machine has been around for hundreds of years and the list goes on. Well, anyway I should have gotten that movie from NOVA then maybe I'd know.
7. Full size viking ships here. Right off hand I don't remember seening any models.
8. I notice the absence of horned helmets--the more I study this movie the more I think it might be a little more accurate than I thought.
9. Looks a lot more deeper into the way of the viking I think. It wasn't all fun and games and orgies ya know.
10. Contains one of the best funeral scenes I've watched. The only other one anywhere near its equal (believe it or not) was the funeral scene in When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth.
11. On the container it says "A spectacular, brawling epic." I agree.

CONS:

Could have used a little more splash or flash.

So there it is, my only other viking movie. I like it, I bought it, I recommend it to all of us who like these classical movies from that bunch in hollywood who actually knew how to make a great movie. Too bad they all got out of the business. This is a movie you have to buy, not rent.
It requires popcorn and soda to watch. Bye.

An epic Odin himself would approve!.......2007-02-22

There are not many historical films made about the vikings (a silly adventure called "The Norseman" (1979) with Lee Majors comes to mind replete with an oil tanker clearly visible in an opening establishing shot!), but this is perhaps one of the best--as it should be. Directed by Richard Fleischer and produced by Kirk Douglas, this is an epic story of rivalry, power, ambition, and love.

Meticulously researched by Felischer and inspired by a vacation the director took to the fjords of Norway and in production for over one year, this film, as a model of production design, earns high marks from the accurate portrayals of the viking villages right down to the swords and scabbards used by Curtis and Douglas.

Often as with such historical epics produced in the 50's and the early 60's, the story takes a backseat to the impressive sets and a cast of thousands, but that is not the case here where bitter hatred divides two brothers Prince Einar (Douglas) and Prince Eric (Curtis), the latter the[...]son of King Ragnar (Borgnine) and an English queen. Both brothers vie for the love of a kidnapped princess Morgana (Leigh, then Curtis' real life wife), determining the brothers' fate as well as the English throne.

The acting, despite the typical Hollywood treatement films like this typically receive, is quite good and manages to hold the viewers interest throughout. For Borgnine, this was a role he was meant to play; Douglas and Leigh are the consummate professionals, and for Curtis (who had just completed one of my favorite films of all time, "Mister Cory" in the same year), this role certainly expanded his range with his Bronx accent decidedly muted! It obviously worked, for two years later he would act and fight Douglas to the death yet again with Douglas in Kubrick's masterpiece, "Spartacus".

Digitally remasterd and in brilliant technicolor, the film is presented in 16:9 widescreen format with an almost spotless transfer. Likewise, a 30 minute featurette live interview with director Richard Fleischer is most informative including candid stills from pre-production and post-production making for a very insightful look into fimmmaking both the casual fan and novice filmmaker would enjoy.

If I weren't dull and timid, I'd be a Viking.......2007-02-07

I'm sure that's why I've loved this filmstrip comic book ever since I saw it as a young teen. Those Vikings are everything I would like to be. Fearless. Active. Blood-thirsty. (Oops. Didn't mean to let that slip out.)

In the midst of all the ruckus, there are strong characterizations. In my favorite performance of his, Kirk Douglas lustily embodies the anti-hero lead and surrenders to Tony Curtis the romantic, sympathetic role. Which makes diplomatic sense since Janet Leigh, the lovely damsel they fight over, was Tony's real-life wife at the time. And, how romantic they were. This was a rare real-life pairing whose chemistry worked on-screen, too.

Like Kirk, Ernest Borgnine found the perfect role for his burly personality. But poor Britisher, James Donald, struggles manfully (as the civilized English traitor) to compete with his charismatic co-stars in their more colorful roles. He fits in nicely enuf, but Frank Thring outshines him as the most oily monarch ever.

And what would the Vikings be without the scenic fjords and their sleek ships? Like the ones that director Richard Fleischer and cinematographer Jack Cardiff use for a grand entrance, aided and abetted by Mario Nascimbene's soaring music. But this film is more than that entrance. It's incredibly fast moving. Except during the drunken hall scenes. But even then, there was one very tense axe-throwing scene. I bet I could throw an axe like that. And I'll prove it. Once I roll off this couch.

A good-looking epic in which you can almost feel the harsh climate..........2007-01-17

The Dark Ages in the cinema have to live up to accepted connotations of pillage, murder and rape--within the limits of the family picture, of course...

Richard Fleischer's film is photographed with all the visual grandeur of Technirama, with some mystically beautiful shots of the Viking ships in the fjords of Norway... The film presents fearsome warriors who glide silently out of the mists in their great dragon-shaped long ships to pillage towns and villages before disappearing once more out to sea... These are the Vikings and their fighting prowess, feared along the England coasts...

Led by fiercest warriors, they live for adventure and combat... The Vikings believe that a warrior dying a glorious death will gain immortality as his exploits will be forever remembered by those left behind... To this end, the Vikings (calling upon their god to help them) continually seek combat and fear little as they look for a way to enter Valhalla...

The Vikings, worshipers of Odin, the god of war and death, try to conquer England, which at that time was a series of small, divided kingdoms... The film plays against the background of lust and blood, love and hate, as Eric (Tony Curtis), symbolizing the traditional rebel slave emerges from obscurity and performs the deeds of a proud warrior, predestined to win with the steel of his sword...

The opening scene presents a vivid introduction to Norse savagery as Viking leader Rainar (Ernest Borgnine), invades the English coast and pillages everything in his path... He kills the king and rapes the queen, who later has to admit to her confessor Father Godwin (Alexander Knox) that she is pregnant...

Twenty years later, Aella (Frank Thring), the successor, announces that in order to strength their defenses against the Vikings, he will unite the kingdoms of Northumbria and Wales by marrying the Welsh princess Morgana (Janet Leigh), a price the young lady was not willing to pay...

The mean king also turns upon his upright cousin Lord Egbert (James Donald) and accuses him of being an English conspirator, and has him thrown into jail... Egbert is rescued from a cruel death by Ragnar...

Back in Norway, Ragnar is greeted by his son Einar (Kirk Douglas) who is instantly hostile to the Englishman...

While showing Egbert some 'barbarian' customs, Einar comes across a pair of slaves, one of whom is Eric...

Apparently captured as a child, Eric has grown up among the Vikings, but he and Einar become enemies when Eric turns his hunting hawk on him...

Eric stands trial and is punished by being cast into a slop-pool to be eaten alive by giant crabs...

Egbert notices a royal pummel-stone Eric wears around his neck... Aware that the Queen mother had placed such an ornament on her illegitimate offspring, he suspects the identity of Eric and asks Ragnar innocently: 'If Eric survives, what then?'

When the king's intended bride is kidnapped by Einar, and brought to Norway, Morgana finds herself drawn to Eric to the consternation of Einar, who would like to have the lovely princess as his Viking queen...

With the help of Eric, Morgana is able to escape back to England, but this only intensifies the hate between Einar and Eric--whom we know are half brothers...

The jovial humor of the script (by Calder Willingham, later co-author of the script for 'The Graduate') is nicely captured in a scene between British princess Morgana and her older and less well endowed companion, who are in the power of the Vikings, held prisoner in a boat moored in the fjord by their stronghold... Both are expecting that violation is on the way, a possibility which is worrying Morgana very much more than her companion...

'The Vikings' serves as an illustration of the lifestyle of the ferocious Norsemen whose idea of fun and games was pretty much as lethal as their warfare...

Average customer rating:

The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer
Starring: Cary Grant , Myrna Loy , Shirley Temple , Rudy Vallee , and Ray Collins
Director: Irving Reis , and Tex Avery
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0001WTWRY
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Description

Through no fault of his own, artist and lady's man Richard Nugent finds a love-besotted teenage girl curled on his sofa. Through no fault of his own, the teen's sister is a judge who "sentences" thunderstruck Richard to date the girl until her schoolgirl crush wanes. Circumstances aren't kind to Richard. But they certainly are hilarious when Cary Grant plays Richard, Myrna Loy is the judge and Shirley Temple is the teen.

Average customer rating:

The Crocodile Hunter - Collision Course
Starring: Steve Irwin (II) , Terri Irwin , Magda Szubanski , David Wenham , and Lachy Hulme
Director: John Stainton
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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He Changed Our World - Steve Irwin Memorial Tribute
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Crocodile Hunter's Croc Files (Volume 1)

ASIN: B00006SFKN
Release Date: 2002-12-17

Amazon.com

This first movie from the Discovery Channel favorite opens with a plot of international intrigue over a downed satellite, but within four minutes Steve Irwin is belly flopping after a baby croc on the outback floor. Steve and his nerves-of-steel sidekick wife, Terri, are asked to relocate a cattle-chomping crocodile before it's shot by a local rancher. This same reptile happened to swallow the intelligence-gathering device that fell to earth, and so begins the goofball premise of this lark of a movie. The feds believe the Irwins are appropriating their classified info, and the Irwins think they're running from poachers. Quibblers may object to Irwin's frequent interruptions to introduce a bird-eating spider or paw through croc dung, but Crocodile Hunter fans wouldn't have it any other way. This 89-minute film is rated PG for action violence/peril and mild language. But unless you consider "crikey" an obscenity, it's a safe bet for family viewing. (Ages 4 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Product Description

The Crocodile Hunter mistakes some CIA agents for poachers and sets out to stop them from capturing a wily croc which, unbeknownst to him, has swallowed a tracking drone.

System Requirements:
Starring: Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, Magda Szubanski, and David Wenham.
Directed By: John Stainton.
Running Time: 90 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2003 MGM Studios.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Average customer rating:

Gentleman's Agreement
Starring: Gregory Peck , Dorothy McGuire , John Garfield , Celeste Holm , and Anne Revere
Director: Elia Kazan
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B00006RCO2
Release Date: 2003-01-14

Amazon.com essential video

Elia Kazan directed this sometimes powerful study of anti-Semitism in nicer circles, based on Laura Z. Hobson's post-World War II novel. Gregory Peck is a hotshot magazine writer who has been blind to the problem; to ferret it out, he passes himself off as Jewish and watches the WASPs squirm. Seen a half-century later, the attitudes seem quaint and dated: Could it really have been like this? Yet the truth of the story comes through, in the wounded dignity of John Garfield, the upright indignation of Peck, and the hidden ways bigotry and hatred can poison relationships. That's particularly true in the Oscar-winning performance of Celeste Holm, who finds more layers than you'd expect in what seems like a stock character. --Marshall Fine

Description

A journalist assigned to write a series of article on anti-semitism. Searching for an angle, he finally decides to pose as a Jew-and soon discovers what is to be a victim of religious intolerance.

Average customer rating:

Suicide Kings
Starring: Mark Watson (II) , Christopher Walken , Denis Leary , Nina Siemaszko , and Jay Della
Director: Peter O'Fallon
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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The Boondock Saints
Very Bad Things
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead
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Poolhall Junkies

ASIN: B00005QAOZ
Release Date: 2001-08-14

Amazon.com

Here's another gritty independent film that tries to invade Tarantino territory by casting Christopher Walken--that most reliable of indie-film actors--as a Mobster who gets chummy with a group of preppie-like young men and becomes the victim of a kidnapping scheme. One of the kidnappers (Henry Thomas) has a sister who's been abducted by another group of kidnappers, and they've bagged Walken for his Mob connections and negotiating power. What follows is a game of psychological strategy in which the desperate group of guys slowly lose their advantage to the smarter, more experienced gangster--even though they've got Walken tied to a chair. The situation turns volatile when the young men start to doubt the wisdom of their strategy and suspect betrayal within the group, and Suicide Kings turns into a talky, repetitious thriller only partially redeemed by Denis Leary's cagey role as Walken's Mob lieutenant. The movie's a showcase for its cast of rising talent (including Jay Mohr, Jeremy Sisto, Johnny Galecki, and Sean Patrick Flanery), but not even Walken can hold it all together. What's best about the film is Leary's sinister presence in a peripheral role and Walken's trademark villainy, here toned down to a steady, simmering menace. --Jeff Shannon

Average customer rating:

Follow The Stars Home
Starring: Kimberly Williams , Campbell Scott , Eric Close , Alexa Vega , and Amanda Fein
Director: Dick Lowry
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005YNRH
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Description

Dianne Parker (Kimberly Williams) meets and marries the handsome and charismatic Mark McCune (Eric Close), never noticing the quiet attention of his brother, David (Campbell Scott), a soft-spoken pediatrician. Their marriage seems perfect until the birth of their daughter, Julia, a baby with genetic abnormalities. Mark, who can't face the idea of a less-than-perfect child, walks out, leaving Dianne to confront the challenges of being a single mom. As the years pass, Dianne and her mother, Hannah (Blair Brown), remain selflessly devoted to Julia. David introduces Dianne to a young girl (Alexa Vega) from a troubled home as a "mother's helper," and things begin to change. Julia gains a best friend and Dianne finds renewed strength and hope, but David must wait patiently for a chance to reveal his true feelings. In the process, Dianne learns that love is more than what you feel for someone - it's what you're willing to give of yourself.

Average customer rating:

The Way of the Gun
Starring: Ryan Phillippe , Benicio Del Toro , Juliette Lewis , Taye Diggs , and Nicky Katt
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (Widescreen Edition)
Snatch (Special Edition)
The Boondock Saints
True Romance - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

ASIN: B00005QJHP
Release Date: 2001-10-23

Amazon.com

The big selling point for The Way of the Gun is the fact that it was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the guy who wrote The Usual Suspects. Benicio Del Toro and Ryan Phillippe star as two low-rent criminals who fall into a plan to kidnap a surrogate mother (Juliette Lewis) who is carrying a baby for a very wealthy couple. The duo are immediately in over their heads, and their kidnapping plot brings to light the dark and hidden tendrils of the old man's family structure. It also brings on lots of gunfights and lots of blood. McQuarrie creates some good action sequences (particularly the slow-moving car "chase" through the alleys), but that only serves to emphasize the one major weakness of the film: the script. Though it's chock full of macho declarations, shootouts, and "surprise" revelations, the core story is ultra-predictable. That wouldn't be so bad if there were any characters to care about, but only a supporting performance from James Caan elicits any kind of sympathy. This is merely a movie based on violent movies, with no additional commentary. Then again, McQuarrie does do a nice job with much of the action. Though nowhere near as good as The Usual Suspects, particularly in its story, The Way of the Gun is a promising debut for McQuarrie as a director. --Andy Spletzer

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A Life Less Ordinary
Starring: Ewan McGregor , Cameron Diaz , Holly Hunter , Delroy Lindo , and Dan Hedaya
Director: Danny Boyle
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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Shallow Grave
Brassed Off!
Nightwatch
Young Adam
Little Voice

ASIN: 6305499144
Release Date: 1999-08-03

Amazon.com

A Life Less Ordinary is a surprising disappointment, considering it is the third film from director Danny Boyle, writer John Hodge, and actor Ewan McGregor. This disjointed and strained romantic comedy is not even near the same league as Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. Cameron Diaz is a spoiled heiress and McGregor an aimless janitor brought together by two angels (Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo) hoping to hang onto their wings. McGregor kidnaps Diaz, the boss's daughter, after being fired from his crummy job. She is not all that averse to being snatched. Most of the laughs are lost to a scattershot story that feels preposterous instead of magical. --Rochelle O'Gorman

Description

Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor are star-crossed lovebirds on the lam in this twisted romantic comedy from the creators of "Trainspotting." Celine (Diaz) is a spoiled, rich young woman whose worst nightmare is having her credit card rejected. Robert (McGregor) is a hapless janitor whose greatest dream is to write the Great American Trash Novel. They have nothing in common - except the burning desire to live "a life less ordinary." When Celine is kidnapped by the inept Robert, a pair of celestial cops are dispatched to earth to make sure they live that "life less ordinary" together. Co-starring Oscar® -winner Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo.

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Courage Under Fire
Starring: Denzel Washington , Meg Ryan , Lou Diamond Phillips , Michael Moriarty , and Matt Damon
Director: Edward Zwick
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Men of Honor
Broken Arrow
Casino Royale [Blu-ray]
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Speed (Blu-ray)

ASIN: B00005221J
Release Date: 2000-12-26

Amazon.com essential video

A year after a devastating friendly fire incident during the Gulf War, Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is in a Washington, D.C., desk job assigned the rudimentary task of overseeing a Medal of Honor candidate who died in the war. However, the case and soldier in question are a political hot potato--Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) is America's first female soldier to be killed in combat.

Serling soon finds discrepancies in the case of a downed Medevac helicopter in the rocky Kuwait territory. What unfolds in flashback are several versions of Walden's tactics (à la Kurosawa's Rashomon) to rescue the soldiers and survive the downing. As with Glory, Director Edward Zwick's cast of unknown and famous faces always comes off as the real article. Walden's crew is especially convincing. Matt Damon as the medic comes off as the giddy scaredy-cat when telling his story to Washington. In battle he's a flawed, humorous soldier. The most surprising work in the movie is done by Lou Diamond Phillips (as the group's gunman), whose career had been headed to straight-to-video oblivion.

Then there's Ryan. She has done well with dramatic work in the past (When a Man Loves a Woman, Flesh and Bone) but has never been able to escape the romantic-comedy image. With dyed hair, a light accent, and the dramatics of the situation, Ryan finally has an enduring dramatic film. Even though she has half of Washington's screen time, her brave and ultimately haunting performance makes Courage something special, right down to its curious but rewarding final scene. --Doug Thomas

Description

When Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is asked to review the posthumous candidacy of the first woman (Meg Ryan) to receive a medal of honor, he finds himself plunged into an apparent cover-up surrounding the actions that led to her death. As he struggles to uncover the truth, he also finds himself forced to confront his own tormenting demons. Matt Damon co-stars in this powerful and provocative drama.

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