Swordfish

Rating:
Summary: Movies don't have to be brilliant!
Review: Swordfish is a prime example of a movie that never really seems to know what it wants to be, but still tries as hard as it can to be entertaining. In my opinion, it succeeds in being an enjoyable piece of fluff, which is by no means a negative review on my part. I have to say that Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry give better performances than the film deserves, and they really out shine John Travolta's star power. Travolta, I'm sorry to say, could have done much better, and it's definitely not the scripts fault (it's his). He is, now, a caricature of himself. The haircut doesn't help. Even though this movie will go down as the one with Halle Berry topless, it's a little more deserving of credit than that. The action is quirky, the characters are likable, and the dialogue is hilarious. What more could you want out of a trashy fun little movie?

Rating:
Summary: not really my kind of movie, but. . .
Review: Normally, I would not pay money to see a movie of this type. But then, I said that about "X-Men" last year, went to see it, and became a Hugh Jackman fan. So, I went to see "Swordfish" and I have to say that I'm STILL not a fan of this kind of movie! Which is not to say that this movie was a waste of time--if you like noisy car chases, explosions, et. al., then this movie is definitely for you. As for the acting, I suppose it's adequate for a move of this ilk. There were a few scenes which piqued my interest (specifically, the one where Halle Berry's character first tries to entice Hugh Jackman's character into going back into hacking), but this is a movie for people who are not into a lot of plot or character development! By the way, I wonder if any other viewers saw Diane Sawyer's interview with Hugh Jackman last week. Nice to know that other women in my age group would like to get their hands on him!

Rating:
Summary: Exciting and Fun - a good summer movie
Review: Swordfish is a very exciting chase through the underground world of terrorists. The story has it's share of twists and turns and in the end leaves you content. Although it isn't a great movie, this is a very exciting summer movie. You won't have to think very deeply about most parts of it, as it's more of a sit back and watch type movie. You never become engrossed in it, but do find yourself intrigued by some of the characters. I gave it 3 stars because I've seen much worse, but it's better than the average movie. I'd recommend this movie to anyone would like to see a fun movie.

Rating:
Summary: Sweet film
Review: Saw this film for free not expecting that much though I'm a Travolta fan and so I went to see it and wow it was great I mean no one's gonna win an oscar but in terms of entertainment value I would rate it nine on a ten point scale it was a fun plot with lots of great action scenes and very subtle performance by Travolta good stuff for a two hour escape from the mundane reality that is life.

Rating:
Summary: TRAVOLTA AT HIS BEST
Review: Alright, lets all forget about Lucky Numbers and Battlefield Earth because SWORDFISH is Travolta at his best. Of course, he is a bad guy but man it is reminiscent of Face Off. Come on now everyone, Face off was a great movie. So with great action, an interesting plot. Man was Halle Berry hotter then ever. Go see this movie. It is worth every penny.

Rating:
Summary: Log on!...Hack in!...Go anywhere!...Steal everything!!!
Review: "Swordfish" has non-stop action all the way!! I have seen this movie twice at the theater and I want to go back for more! More of Hugh Jackman! More of John Travolta! More of Halle Berry! More of...everything! In the film, Travolta stars as a slick ex-CIA agent who coerces Jackman, who plays a computer hacker recently released from prison, to steal billions from a DEA slush fund. This is definitely worth seeing at the theater if anyone is visiting this website. "Swordfish" is a DVD must-own when it comes out! Travolta's best since "Face/Off"! Jackman's best since "X-Men"!

Rating:
Summary: "Swordfish" chums up action and confusion in great heaps
Review: "Swordfish" opens with John Travolta facing toward the camera, looking contemplative and addressing his off-screen audience. The problem with Hollywood, his character Gabriel dryly suggests, is that it doesn't push the envelope enough. With all that cinematic potential, say like with "Dog Day Afternoon, why have a pointless,(mostly) harmless bank robbery when you could examine how far the cops would go in being uncooperative if Pacino started killing hostages? The problem, Gabriel is told, is that audiences like happy endings and that such tales are morality plays - the bad guy has to lose.

It's an amusing moment, and it sets up "Swordfish" as a counterpoint to that line of reasoning. The movie plays as a postmodern (and by post-modern I mean post-Tarantino) action film, cutting the audience just enough slack for them to decide whether or not they want to root for the bad guy, who is most certainly Gabriel. The film's message, beyond the drive of the plot, is that the audiences root for the bad guy. Whether or not they want/would allow him to win is tested on-screen by Hugh Jackman, playing the "everyman" with certain talents that pull him into Gabriel's high-stakes world.

Unfortunately, "Swordfish" suffers from its own cleverness, much in the same way people disliked Mission: Impossible or LA Confidential. There are twists and turns galore, and every other character is not who they appear to be. "Swordfish", though, doesn't quite pull it off. At one point, Gabriel talks about the greatness of Harry Houdini and the art of misdirection, which serves as a blueprint for this movie. The audience sees what Hugh Jackman's Stanley sees - the misdirection, and there's so much of it that it becomes an exercise in dizziness trying to juggle all the details. In this respect, the magician's trick works. However, as a film, it leaves the viewer more confused than amused, more depressed than impressed, and not caring enough about what happens to the characters since they don't really know who the characters REALLY are at any given moment.

Still, through it all is Gabriel, who may or may not be any number of things. It doesn't affect how he acts, though, and much of the fun in "Swordfish" is watching Travolta revisit familiar and confident territory as the wisecracking heavy. In fact, the strength of "Swordfish" is truly found in the performances. Even as the plot unfolds with its slight of hand, there's enough eye candy and wry humor there to make for an enjoyable film. Don Cheadle and Hugh Jackman are great, playing it all with a straight face (necessary to make an action film work), and Vinnie Jones stops by to look menacing though he is not given nearly enough to do.

"Swordfish" is a tough catch to reel in. It is an ambitious action film that doesn't quite become what it wants to be and, in failing, leaves much of the audience in its thrashing wake. For recommendations sake, if you disliked "The Usual Suspects" or "Mission: Impossible" because of their labyrinthine, snaking plots, you will probably not enjoy "Swordfish". If you liked "Ronin" or "Broken Arrow" because of their pacing and performances, you will probably get a kick out of "Swordfish". The movie never quite gives the audience enough to judge whether Gabriel or his dissenters are right, but it sure has a lot of fun trying to deliver the goods. A true summer film, and a worthy popcorn film for those in need of one.

Rating:
Summary: Sophisticated
Review: This was not a movie about hackers; It was about what is justice? Does saving a whole nation justifies killing several hundred people? But, no, the movie did not just stop there, it had an extrodinary story to go with it, an entertaining one too. I loved the film, Travolta, Jackman, Sena all did an excellent job. The first impression the film gave viewers was its 360 degree digital effect of a bombing. The photographers did a Matrix job. But I was disappointed that then the movie went into the past, but the feeling only lasted for a minute as the fast moving story line dragged my attention away. The film rolled on very well, though the rather typical senator and kid part gave you the feeling that they were been forced into the story, degrading some aspects of the movie. I shouldn't spoil too much of the plot, yet do expect a "happy" ending. I think this movie challenged well the Hollywood norm, worthy of the name Creative, and most definitely better than Pearl Harbor. Swordfist didn't have too much promotion, and was rated R; Yet with these obstacles, it still garnered the #1 spot on the weekend movie chart. :=)

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good, Barely 4 Stars
Review: Complexity is a good thing for a film. Swordfish wasn't overly complicated for me, but I'm a political scientist with a background in intelligence studies. When reviews say something gets overly-complicated AND stupid without justifying it, then the problem was probably with them, not the film. The relationship with the daughter was odd and didn't seem developed at times. The Halle Berry character having a wire on was never quite explained, and don't tell me she just so happened to think he was coming in at that moment. The set-up and execution of the climatic scene with the shoulder-launched missile was a tad contrived. Also, no amount of training can really allow anyone to make it through those sorts of car chases and gun fights. In that sort of intensity, at best you've got a 50/50 chance of NOT being greased. But that's just the Hollywood myth of "secret agents" for you -- James Bond, Mission Impossible, etc. The hacker stuff was agonizingly goofy as usual, but just like real intelligence work, if they showed it realistically the audience would fall asleep. I really enjoyed the scene where the hacker has a gun aimed at his head, while receiving oral sex from a hot "70 IQ" chick, and he's on a time limit to break through a DOD firewall. Talk about intense! John Travolta's character is very authentic in representing an egotistical, arrogant, self-assured senior operative. Of course, no one's smart enough to actually pull this sort of thing off, but it's an interesting way of exploring these ethical dilemmas and the zeal of national security. I was also impressed with the final scene when the little girl says everything is going to be O.k. and the father says he knows. This is actually the hacker/protagonist voicing his complacency with the outcome -- how he really does feel safe with people like Gabriel out there, even if he can't condone their methods and must fight against them when he gets the chance. I actually take the ambiguity in what would normally have been "the bad guys" to be a good thing -- these are complex people with realistic motives. I know the truth sucks, but some of our "patriots" are also "bad guys", "psychopaths", and "terrorists" sometimes. Heck, half the major terrorist leaders out there were formerly on the CIA's payroll fighting communism during the Cold War. At least this film has some intriguing issues it fools with, rather than the forgettable subject matter of most films. All of these sorts of films are far-fetched, so it's hard to criticize based on that alone. And besides, the special effects are great and the chicks with the IQ's of 70 are gorgeous. If only the same girls had turned around before going into the pool. Oh well, at least we got to see Halle. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: leave your brain outside the theatre
Review: You can use brain in the first 10 minutes of the movie but afterwards do not try to find anything more than growing body count. Overall its a fun ride. Great explosions. The biggest one has been filmed in slow motion, which is fun to watch. There are some great snappy dialogues too. The movie starts with a nice commentary on cheesiness of today's cinema. Halle barry shows her breast(250 thousands dollar each) but I couldn't get any sense of excitement about it. She as well be a statue. Overall nice high tech ride about a super spy and the best hacker in the world.