Rating: Summary: Confused movie! Review: This movie is a cheesy wannabe-Clancy mess for the first two thirds, and a cheesy wannabe-Die Hard 3. Nicole Kidman is just doing unbelievable stuff for a nuclear researcher (commanding combat helicopters?) and George Clooney is a cocky, jerky, undisciplined and unprofessional colonel. His job function is never really clear, but they pitch him as a generic "James Bond" type maverick-superman-agent. He knows everyone in the world and is making phone calls to president, prime ministers, and generals every three minutes... and he is also apparently the highest ranking military official in the universe, as he spends most of the movie bossing around generals, police chiefs, nuclear engineers, Russian spies, and commando teams.The pace of the movie is overly busy and rushed, with far too many scenes taking place in bustling intelligence offices, with people shouting things like "FAA is on line 9!" "Pentagon thinks it may be terrorist related!" "The FDA needs respons STAT!" "Call Clark at Wilkins--he'll need to know!" "Get those reports ASAP!!" "Mark, Norad is on the phone!" ... and so on. Imagine hearing this dialogue for about 120 minutes and you've got the idea. Pass on this... go for Die Hard or a real Clancy movie.
Rating: Summary: A harvest of swans Review: An odd one this; a decent action thriller, entirely forgettable but for the same quirk of history that enveloped its contemporary 'The Siege'. Whilst the latter film was considerably closer to the bone, this film nonetheless seemed more relevant after September 2001, and presumably did good business for Blockbuster. On its own merits its competent and very ordinary; Eastern European baddies are vastly overused, presumably because they don't offend any segment of the US moviegoing public (even today featuring Middle Eastern terrorists prompts boycotts), and the acting and writing are perfunctory. It's not silly or exaggerated enough to be enjoyable on the level of 'Air Force One' or a Bond movie, and not plausible or gripping enough to be 'Fail Safe', say. There is however a decent car chase, although not to the same level as 'Ronin', which has a similarly 70s-style cold war spy thriller tone. Obviously Clooney and Kidman have their fans, as exhibited here, but I felt that Kidman's was bland - neither her character nor herself seem to have a personality - and Clooney resorted too much to his typical mannerism of talking - in - a - patronising, - staccato - voice - whilst - nodding - his - head - from - side - to - side, like an annoying university professor who likes the sound of his own voice. It's essentially the kind of film you rent with several other films, unless you're a big fan of Clooney, or you collect films with nuclear explosions in them (it's mildly implausible that way that said explosion - which kills hundreds and would be a major news event - seems to be shrugged off in seconds). This is also a film in which seemingly-rational people do deals with lethal terrorists and are shot dead in order to tie up loose ends, the absolute idiots. As for the DVD, the picture and sound have nothing wrong with them, it's in widescreen, and the extras might pique your interest if you're planning to start up a culty website about the film, but which you will watch precisely once otherwise. Obviously, if there actually is a nuclear attack on New York, this film will adopt a new and sinister relevance.
Rating: Summary: Not bad, develops some good suspense. Weak ending. Review: Well, I thought George Clooney played his part well. Kidman is beautiful but unnecessary to the story. At least we're spared the required American Love Scene. At one point a sniper doesn't pull the trigger on the terrorist he knows is carrying a nuclear explosive because he's concerned he'd hit a small girl. Please, how touchy-feely can you get. A sniper with a heart of gold. I liked this movie okay but wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again. Hope this helps.
Rating: Summary: The story could be so true. Review: A wonderful movie. Don't miss it!
Rating: Summary: Very good but ultimately forgettable actioner Review: I can't figure this flick out - it's well paced, expertly made and it's got Nicole Kidman (Who was great in "Malice") and George Clooney ("Oh Brother"). Yet with its intricate plot and great leads, it never amounts to more than a really good treatment of a TV show, or a better version of one of those cheesy technothrillers about a hunky hero and a depraved and nuclear-armed villain. Clooney plays an Army officer with a sharp tongue, while Kidman plays a nuclear physicist who needs Clooney's help in tracking down stolen Russian nuclear warheads. The warheads are stolen when the Russians, in complying with arms treaties, ship them out by train....and something happens involving another train and a quad of guys with dark masks and laser-sighting machine guns. Though the nuclear thieves cover their tracks (to forestall any question of unaccounted for nukes, they set off one of them), Clooney's character is much too smart not to see through the plan. Constrained by order, both Clooney and Kidman go undercover, only to learn that the thieves are just middlemen - they supply the product, but somebody else has more immediate plans for their use. The real villain is just an angry guy with no demands he thinks we can fulfill and not much left to go on for. There are car chases, fights and enough special effects, but it never comes together because the characters never come together. Not even Clooney's sharp repartee makes these guys funny or human enough. After the action and the effects, when it's just about over, Kidman and Clooney wordlessly lock eyes, and you realize how little it would have taken to make this a more memorable movie.
Rating: Summary: highly entertaining eye-candy Review: awesome action!....awesome storyline!....and AWESOME actors!...."i'm not scared of the guy who steals 10 nuclear weapons....i'm TERRIFIED of the guy who only steals ONE"...this movie has got to bed on your MUST HAVE list, and as a serious dvd movie collector...it made mine by a mile...i would've given it 5 stars if it had a couple more intense action scenes, and for whoever has seen this, knows what i'm talkin bout, and for those who haven't...a great action flick! and a definite recommendation.
Rating: Summary: Smart thriller -- the way you hope U.S. operatives work Review: In the post-Sept. 11 world, a movie about U.S. operatives tracking down stolen Russian nuclear warheads might not be exactly what you want to watch "to get away from it all." The whole premise is disturbing enough, especially when you know that the old 1980s style of moviemaking (i.e., "Rambo," "Commando," etc.) really doesn't reflect reality. Yet, there is something comforting about watching this underrated 1997 thriller today. In "The Peacemaker," a Russian missile with 10 nuclear warheads is stolen; one of the warheads is detonated at the site of the theft to cover the thieves' tracks. George Clooney, as a U.S. colonel, and Nicole Kidman, as a nuclear physicist, are assigned to find and recover the warheads. Their mission takes them to Germany, Turkey, Russia, and culminates in New York City(!). What I especially appreciated about the movie is that despite having such attractive leads, the movie treats them as professionals. Clooney and Kidman clash in their views of how to do their job, but they respect each other, and they do not spend the movie flirting or making eyes at each other. Which, if you think about it, is the way you hope our operatives work. You hope that they wait until the job is done before making the moves on each other. Clooney is good in the movie as Col. DeVoe, but he's really not playing any different of a character than his usual roles -- a smart, roguish, charming tough guy (see also "Ocean's 11," "Out of Sight," etc.). Kidman is surprisingly good as Dr. Kelly. I have to confess that I find her somewhat annoying on the late night talk shows -- she comes across a little like a bimbo -- but here she is quite believable as a physicist. The villain is given more characterization than usual, and while one can't really condone his plan, it's chillingly realistic, nothing like, say, setting off a nuke in a fault to sink California, thereby increasing the value of desert real estate (see "Superman").
Rating: Summary: Much better than "Air Force One" Review: Good, solid movie that misses on details. The reason I give it a 4 rahther 5 is because sometimes it slips into old Hollywood tricks. That's not how you pass a roadblock in Southern Russia and that's not how the roadblock looks like. You give the sergeant your passport with 50 $20 bills in it. Come on! Everybody knows that! The movie keeps you on edge 'till the very end. Especcially those who live around UN.
Rating: Summary: What's Wrong With Reviewers? Review: This was a terrific action flick. I'd march into WWIII with Clooney's character: strong, confident, capable, humorous, but serious when necessary. In a phrase, tough and manly, but oh, so charming (think: Bond). The approachable, earnest "I may be new at this, but I'm determined to do a good job" nature of Kidman's character can't help but foster admiration and respect. Her beauty and sexuality are actually played down to the point you find yourself thinking, "Hey, she'd be kind of good-looking if..." She's underrated, and like someone who leaves a party when you're still wanting to see more of them, it creates interest. The interplay between the two was endearing; you sense Clooney's finally met his match, and SHE doesn't know it. Ironically, the part that sticks with me most, is Dusan playing Chopin's heartbreakingly lovely Nocturne in C# against the backdrop of a war-torn land. Such beauty juxtaposed against the reality of all man's ugliness haunts the soul... Here's what probably killed Peacemaker w/ critics: no sex or overt sensuality. Though the action is realistic, nearly unstoppable, edge-of-your-seat intensity, Hollywood predictably disses ANYTHING that doesn't portray the PC sex/drugs/foul-language/body fluids image. Same thing happened to Pearl Harbor. When Affleck says he's going to "wait" for Beckinsale, you can almost hear coffee mugs collectively hit the reviewers' studio floors. Are you a little tired of being talked down to by Hollywood, but you still want the serious action of Air Force One? Can you think for yourself? Buy Peacemaker.
Rating: Summary: A Terrorist Attack on New York??? Never Happen... Review: Definitely worth a second look. At the time of its release, this first Dreamworks venture got so-so reviews and nasty comments about George Clooney going back to the ER. Seen now, with Nicole Kidman's smart, focused performance and the complex plot - you wonder what those reviewers were thinking. Clooney and Kidman are terrific, the villain unforgettable, the pace relentless and the movie criminally underrated. See it now.
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