Review of Broken Arrow (1996) by Vicky R — 08 Jul 2009

06.15.08 - Initial Review: I can?t say whether it was a good or bad thing that I accessed the DVD extras to view the theatrical trailer before viewing this film. On the one hand, my high expectations for the movie were brought down several notches, so watching it wasn't quite as painful. On the other hand, previewing the trailer nearly made me pop the DVD out and opt for another film. Towards the end of the trailer, Travolta's response of, "I know. Ain't it cool?" to an accusation that he's insane just makes you cringe. That being said, the dialogue in this film was definitely its lowest point. It seemed like someone just wanted to make a military/nuclear bomb/combat film and remembered only at the last second to add dialogue. But, honestly, I shouldn't have expected much better from Graham Yost, having had the misfortune of viewing his earlier movie, Speed.

The plot is next on the list. Little or no time was devoted to character development. (Example: The point of the entire film was the intense rivalry/conflict between the two main characters, Deak and Hale, who had previously been good friends and mentor, pupil, respectively. The only "buddy-buddiness" we see between these two before they become arch-enemies is a brief fight in an on-base boxing ring between them, followed by a short stint of locker-room banter. Then, the next thing you know, they're on a plane trying to kill one another.) Besides that, the whole notion of an Air Force guy stealing two nuclear missiles and threatening to blow them up in the heart of the western states unless the government coughs up $250M is incredibly far-fetched.

Acting was okay, but still wince-worthy at times. Travolta just barely pulled off the insane, power-hungry ex-military officer. You could tell he had the potential for a much stronger performance, but poor directing and the awful dialogue dragged him down. Slater did fairly well as the under-confident student fighting against incredible odds to outsmart and outfight his ex-mentor (who seems to have a countermove prepared for every step Slater takes against him). Samantha Mathis character, a spunky, red-headed park ranger, however, was not very believable and got annoying pretty fast. Other performances worth noting (though still not living up to their full potential because of the bad directing) were those of Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, Kurtwood Smith and, of course, 100% commando Howie Long.

The highlight of the film were the action/fight scenes (naturally, we're talking about John Woo here!). Though the special effects seemed a little so-so, the combat, hand-to-hand especially, was very well choreographed. Travolta and Slater's long rough-and-tumble boxcar mayhem match at the end of the film was excellent. Every time you thought one or the other had finally bought it, they were back on their feet, asking for more.

Overall, this movie gets 6 out of 10 stars, because it wasn't really good enough for 7, but I can't stand to knock a military/action film down to 5.