Samantha Mathis | pinartarhan.com

Broken Arrow starring John Travolta, Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis. Directed by John Woo, 1996. Remember, John Woo movies are about the fun, not the logic!

Captain Riley Hale (Christian Slater) and Major Deakins (John Travolta) are boxing buddies and co-pilots in the US military.Deakin’s true colors are revealed as the two are on flying two nuclear weapons to their destination. Deakin attacks Riley, sends him off in his parachute and releases the weapons.

His team is waiting for him, with a trucks, a helicopter and the financer (Bob Gunton) of the operations nearby. He has already recruited some officers from the army, so eliminating fellow soldiers won’t be that big of a problem.

However when Riley lands on a desert-like park and runs into the park ranger Terry (Samantha Mathis), an unplanned partnership is born. Together, they survive the men Deakins sends after them and begin to follow the trucks. From then on, it turns into a boxing match of intelligence between Riley and Deakin. Deakin always seems to be one step ahead, but he just might be underestimating both Riley and Terry. Can these two stop Deakin and safely get the nuclear weapons back? Because if the government refuses to pay the $250,000,000 Riley will be asking, he is just crazy enough to activiate the weapons and casualties be damned…

Broken Arrow is one of my favorite action movie ever. It is fast, entertaining and really fun- just like you expect John Woo (Face/Off, Mission Impossible 2) movies to be. It actually breaks my heart that it is only 5.8 on IMDB. Maybe my expectations are low but I just love to watch what crazy stunts John Woo will make his actors pull and frankly, I also love to have a crazy villain in the form of John Travolta. I also like the fact that the chemistry between Christian Slater’s and Samantha Mathis’ characters at just that- chemistry, so that we don’t get an unrealistic romance forced on the audience.

I also like the side characters and note that there is also Delroy Lindo in the cast, as well as Kurtwood Smith (Red Forman – the strict dad from That ‘70s show) and Raymond Cruz (Det. Sanchez from The Closer) in a very small role.

Written by Graham Yost and directed by John Woo.

Favorite Quote:

(Secretary Baird explains that Broken Arrow is the military term given to the situation when a nu?clear weapon is lost).

Giles Prentice: I don’t know what’s scarier, losing nuclear weapons, or that it happens so often there’s actually a term for it.

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The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner. Image from: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/gallery

Really? I mean really? So much effort went into the effort of creating suspense and some really thrilling moments. Nothing scary but it is enough to be disturbing and engaging. All the time the options run through your head. Is it really supernatural or are we going to have a psychotic villain? If it is supernatural, what the hell are we dealing with? Until the professor (Noah Taylor) comes up with the explanation, the movie was promising. Then it went downhill so fast I couldn’t believe Kevin Costner took the role.

Sorry, I am getting carried away. Let me give you the plot first and then keep on ranting:

John James (Kevin Costner) is a newly divorced father/writer who moves his kids- teenage daughter Louisa (Ivana Baquero) and little boy Sam (Gattlin Griffith)- to a rural area. It’s supposed to be a fresh start in a new house. However, from the moment they move in, something is always off. Since the daughter is a teenager abondoned by her mother, you need to keep guessing how much of the events is because of hormones/depression/rebellion and how much is horror/thriller material. Then there is a mould in the yard…The film gets an additional character as the children’s new teacher, Cassandra (Samantha Mathis). With a little crush on the dad/the author, she tries to help out the family. But of course, just like any thrill/horror, no amount of emotional support or guidance won’t just cut it.

Suspense-building is good. Tension-creating is good. The acting is OK. The daughter’s lines do get won’t go to waste. But it does. What starts as a promising movie that makes you think why it got a 5.4. on IMDB (and not a 6 or a 7), ends up being a movie that ends up being extremely overrated.

It does remind you a little of Signs and not in a good way. I realized I wasn’t the only one thinking it when I saw a user also made a comparison. The difference is, I think this movie was just as disappointing as Signs.

If you absolutely must watch this movie, just make sure you expect normally until the last 25-30 minutes or so. After that, keep your expectations very,very low and leave your sense of aesthetics completely. And a little spoiler: The very,very final scene may not be what you expect. I am not sure if it is good news or bad news.

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