The Package

Rating:
Summary: POLITICAL THRILLER WITH OVERTONES OF THE JFK ASSASSINATION..
Review: ..only in this case, its a Russian premier they are after. The ending, i.e., the very last scene is a macabre twist, which leaves the audience intrigued about who was running it all. Overall a predictably Hollywood production with some inspiration from Oswald findings. Occasionally a well-done action sequence or two injects some life into the picture, but it never really grabs fully, instead leads us to a quick, anticlimactic ending which doesn't reward us for our patience. The pace is commendable, the characters sacrificed for the plot (as in a typical thriller) and the twists and turns are engaging. Worthy rental, nothing more nothing less.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Political Suspense Thriller
Review: Andrew Davis directs this 1989 political thriller starring Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. A great spy thriller that keeps its audience in mystery and suspense until almost the end. Along with 'Hunt for Red October' and 'Patriot Games', this is one of the better spy/political thrillers to come out of the late 80s and early 90s.

In this film, Gene Hackman is an officer stationed in Germany who's assigned to pick up a miscreant soldier (Tommy Lee Jones) coming from Berlin. Hackman loses his precious cargo when in the US and finds some very strange inconsistencies as he searches for him. Uncovering a major political plot, Hackman races against time to clear himself and expose the culprits.

An excellent political thriller with very good acting on the part of Hackman and Jones. A good movie to either rent or own.

Rating:
Summary: Good thriller, lousy DVD.
Review: Bravo MGM; you've managed yet again to screw up a great movie with a terrible DVD. -It's actually an ORION picture, and I'd hoped that they would've cared more about its appearance, but no such luck. Of my 100+ DVDs, this is one of the worst looking with dull colors and a fuzzy image. (Let's hope they're more careful with their upcoming Woody Allen ORION collection.) This is a rather oldfashioned straight-ahead action suspenser like they just don't make them anymore in Hollywood, but it's difficult to be thrilled about that when you know you can enjoy a much sharper version on TV. Hackman, Heard, Cassidy and Jones lead a good cast, but in order to see them clearly we desperately need a remastering of this otherwise wonderful movie. Until then, avoid like the plague.

Rating:
Summary: Pre-packaged thriller cliches
Review: Gene Hackman plays a career army man who is duped into transporting a prisoner to the US as part of a complicated assassination scheme in this tired, contrived relic of Cold War paranoia. High ranking military officials on both sides are in cahoots to derail disarmament talks and Hackman, along with ex-wife Joanna Cassidy, are the only ones who can stop them. Stock secondary characters are on hand to provide a piece of needed information or pull our heroesEfat out of the fire and then die on schedule as required by the screenplay so that the viewer can feel the Sense of Danger and Urgency. The twists and turns of the plot are uninvolving and the climax is thoroughly conventional. The talented cast does what it can to elevate the proceedings.

Rating:
Summary: it's "Fugitive" Lite!
Review: just saw an amazingly clean print of this on one of the national cable channels, first viewing since theatrical release. What struck me immediately were the similarities to The Fugitive, director Andrew Davis' later film, most notably the Chicago shooting locations, actors, and plot elements. There's the Hilton Towers' ballroom (locale of the medical-conference confrontation between Drs. Kimble and Sykes)! There's the bagpipe parade! There's Ron Dean (Fugitive's Detective Kelly "Now you all know in what high regard I hold this scumbag") as a cop! Regardless, The Package never really gels as a thriller--and the Cold War denouement plot is obviously dated--although Davis' directorial style (lots of medium and long shots, few closeups, harsh and gloomy light/color) always gets points for relying on the music score rather than hyperkinetic editing to build tension. But it is fun to watch Hackman and Jones together (even if they're not exactly chewing up scenes with their usual aplomb) and more fun to check out the late-80s hair (Joanna Cassidy's is piled high; Dennis Franz actually has some).

Rating:
Summary: Yearning for Kojak
Review: My husband and 19-year-old daughter abandoned me in the TV room about halfway through. They didn't miss much. Tommy Lee had some funny lines. Gene Hackman was good, but it was painful to watch, knowing how much more he can do. I have to watch "The Conversation" about 5 more times so I can wash away the bad memory of this clunker. The motivations of the characters were beyond contrived, the music was on the level of Baretta, and the minor players were utterly forgettable. The best scene was in the first quarter of the movie, when Hackman and Jones meet, and some sparks fly. Once that's over, you can watch something else.

Rating:
Summary: A great political espionage film
Review: The Package is one of the best films about the end of the Cold War. The plot was interesting and easy to follow. The characters were impressive. I don't think that this was a weak or depressing film at all.

Rating:
Summary: A great political espionage film
Review: The Package is one of the best films about the end of the Cold War. The plot was interesting and easy to follow. The characters were impressive. I don't think that this was a weak or depressing film at all.

Rating:
Summary: Lame politcal thriller with a decnt cast!
Review: This move is a lame political thriiler with a decent cast! Watch this movie only you are fans of Tommy Lee Jones,Gene Hackman , John Heard ot Dennis Franz! Or if love the director's work! i personal like his movies, but I prefer "Under Siege" to this movie any day!

Rating:
Summary: The Package Rocks
Review: Very good cold war suspence film with typically good performances by Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones. You won't be disappointed. I was really surprised. I thought it would be good, but it was better than that.