Wolff rating: NOT BAD
Plot summary: Killers and spies cut loose after the Cold War are involved in a plot to steal an enigmatic case.
Biased, pithy comments: Director Frankenheimer, responsible for mind-screws like ``The Manchurian Candidate'' and 70s thrillers like ``The French Connection II'' has returned to familiar territory after the disaster of ``The Island of Dr. Moreau.'' He doesn't quite hit, though; the movie is too distant, too black (doesn't anyone wear a blue shirt now and then?), too unevenly paced, and too murky to be great. The first two car chases are a thrill right out of the original ``French Connection,'' with professional drivers screaming through tight European streets with engines howling. However, by the time the fourth one swings around (and the professional drivers replaced by the main characters), my suspension of disbelief was as ruined as the suspensions must have been on their cars. Great work by Reno, McElhone, and Bean; I couldn't be bothered to care about De Niro's character. Like ``The Peacemaker,'' it's a spy movie trying to be serious and still over-the-top, and fails at some fundamental level. Not worth your time unless you're desperate for action.
Other Notes: Apparently 75 automobiles were destroyed during filming. It looks it. David Mamet had much to do with the writing of this film. Watch for Katarina Witt as the skater.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Robert De Niro, Jean Reno, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard, Sean Bean, Skipp Sudduth.
Directed by: John Frankenheimer