Review of Broken Arrow (1996) by David A — 18 Apr 2010

(from The Watermark 02/17/96).

Travolta and Slater are air force pilots transporting some nuclear warheads. Bad guy Travolta betrays good guy Slater and steals the missiles. Slater hooks up with a female forest ranger (Mathis), and the two of them set out to thwart Travolta's plans. The three turn in good performances, but this is the type of film where the explosions are the real stars. Though it owes a large nod to its predecessors Speed, True Lies, Die Hard, and Under Siege, Broken Arrow is every bit as good as its other formulaic cousins. Even though you've seen a lot of films like it before, is one more dose of a good thing so bad? Queer Quotient: Travolta's #1 henchman is former football pro Howie Long. Turn up the hunk factor ten notches! And for the ladies, Mathis' character is no ditsy slouch. She looks good in her uniform (wink, wink), and wears very little make-up. It's a shame she's straight.