Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: Corrupt cop at a fight finds himself heading an investigation into the killing of a high-profile guest.
Biased, pithy comments: In the hands of worse actors (like real action stars a la Stallone) or a less-skilled director, this would have been painful recycled pap. As it is, it's merely recycled pap, and how much you like this film depends on how much you tolerate that. I have a high tolerance for cheese as long as it has a swift, nearly-logical plot, and aside from the flashy outfits worn by the female characters, it does. Cage is solid, Sinise could play this part in his sleep, and the rest of the cast (of what seems like thousands, and during the fight scenes is in fact thousands) is chock full of quality actors. The ending seems a little strained (and it turns out it did go through a, uh, ``wave'' of rewrite removing the hurricane-lashed storm surge), but I had so much fun watching it and holding my breath during the tense parts that I couldn't help but rate it worth watching. Perhaps the best conceit in this film is that no character is above the lure of money. The weakest part of the movie is that the biggest, most exciting scene is at the beginning of the movie and everything else angles downhill from there. It's a flawed movie, but a thrilling flawed movie. Your mileage may vary.
Other Notes: Gary Sinise's character Naval Commander Kevin Dunne has the same name as the character actor Kevin Dunn, who played a naval commander as well in ``Hot Shots.'' Kevin Dunn appears as a Pay Per View announcer in this film. I was somewhat confused.
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Gary Sinise, John Heard, Carla Gugino, Kevin Dunn.
Directed by: Brian DePalma