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joefunsmith
Reviews
Hijack (1998)
Clichés abound
I found a lot to dislike about this movie. The characters are one-dimensional and unbelievable.
Jeff Fahey plays an ATF agent who immediately gets into trouble with his commanding officer for being a head strong officer who refuses to play by the rules leading to his being relieved of his position. You know right from this beginning he will be the hero.
The bad guys are a bunch of "right wing militia." The leader at one point explains, "Well, I don't care for the Federal government coming into our states and into our homes and taking away our freedoms bit by bit and taking away our right to bear arms. It's not the America God gave us. It's not the America I want to live in." This may very well be something a right wing militia member, intent on starting a revolution would say, but it is also something a libertarian, intent on following a principle of non-aggression -- one who believes in guns for defensive purposes only -- might say.
The Senator's adviser played by Larry Manetti who is pegged early on as a weasel, pulls a classic weasel move, using a teenage girl as a human shield to protect him from the threat of gunfire.
Most of the movie takes place on a train. Shockingly (not) there is a scene where Fahey walks on the top of the moving train.
The nuclear bomb fits in a small briefcase. The smallest nukes known, with all peripherals needed are the size of a small refrigerator.
All of this could have been excused a little if the movie had some sort of plot twist, excellent acting or memorable dialog.
Grand Canyon (1991)
Should be in everyone's DVD library
It has been about 15 years since I watched this movie. I remember loving it and wondering why it didn't receive more attention. I agree with many others who say it is one of the most underrated, overlooked movies from the 90's. When I ask people if they have seen it, they either have not or they have and they loved it. I can't for the life of me figure out how it is coming in currently as a 6.5 out of 10. There are many other movies of lesser quality getting 7 or more stars.
Now to be honest, my memory of the specifics of this movie are a little vague and I don't criticize movies for being "too sappy" or for things like rehashing themes that others have done. I figure if the movie can make me laugh and cry all in the same movie, it is a great movie. I think this one did.
I find movies like this superior to say a Tarentino movie or a movie full of special effects. I want a movie to SAY something. I want it to touch me deeply, and not just get a cheap rise out of me. This is just such a movie.
Although I agree with one other review that compared it favorably to Crash, for me it isn't about the end being positive per se. I just didn't think Crash quite spoke the kind of truth this movie did. One of my favorite rock albums of all time is Pink Floyd's "The Wall" which is very dark in its message. I only listen to it once in a while because I don't like to dwell on the negative -- Crash could have been on a par - unfortunately, I can't put my finger on the reason, but it didn't achieve that level of truth for me.
Long story short... If you haven't seen Grand Canyon yet, make it point to watch it.