Senteur
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Aneesa Wardle
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
Woodyanders
Amy Madigan is one of my all-time favorite unsung actresses: She's pretty in a modest, corn-fed sort of way, has one of those dry, throaty, worn-out alto voices which I personally find to be very sultry, and her often short, faded blonde hair ain't nothing to sneeze about, either. Furthermore, Amy also possesses a forceful, dynamic, wholly arresting screen presence, a goodly amount of fortitude, and has flair to spare. In short, Amy's my kind of girl, a gutsy, brassy and even sexy little spitfire who rarely (if ever) is given the full credit and attention she deserves.Fortunately, this bang-up action thriller features the terrific Ms. Madigan in peak plucky'n'punchy form as Barbara Cutter, the tough, but tender wife of marine helicopter pilot Rob (winningly played by Daniel Hugh Kelly). Rob discovers that faulty helicopter parts have caused two fatal chopper "accidents." Rob gets rubbed out by a pair of deadly thugs (one is nicely essayed by great, prolific, underrated fat guy character actor Maury Chaykin) who are in the employ of a ruthless, penny-pinching, cornering-cutting evil general (a perfectly detestable John Colicos; Balter on "Battlestar Galactica") who in turn is in cahoots with a bunch of illegal black market whirlybird thieves. Barbara and her son Johnny (a surprisingly strong and tolerable turn by child actor Robin MacEachern), the latter of whom has some incriminating evidence of the below-par helicopters hidden in his toy robot (!), survive the hit and hightail it into the woods, seeking refuge and protection from Rob's reclusive, tight-lipped Vietnam veteran survivalist buddy Ben (the always outstanding Michael Ironside).This surprisingly involving and exciting action thriller pip benefits substantially from Mario Azzopardi's proficient and energetic direction, a constant snappy pace, exceptionally stirring and well-staged action sequences (Barbara's climactic showdown with Colicos is especially rousing), top-notch acting from a sound cast, and a zesty, hard-driving score by the tireless Brad ("Just Before Dawn," "Fright Night") Fiedel. However, the glorious Amy Madigan clearly dominates -- scratch that, completely owns -- this film: Her gritty, explosive and thoroughly sympathetic portrayal of a courageous, take-charge, no-nonsense action heroine really hits the socko spot and makes this movie worth seeing for her superlative performance alone.
dn-14
Somebody wrote in a comment on this film, that it offers real suspense ("a real heart-thumper"). I didn't experience anything like that. The plot is so full of wrong clichés it almost hurts. The film really managed to lose it's believability right from the start. A married couple doing war games in an official marine training where everybody acts like in kindergarten and finally being "shot" while kissing each other - come on. The acting of the main characters is also awkward. though one must admit for their defense that they couldn't have done much better with such a script. Please don't let your kids watch this film, like recommended elsewhere. It's full of unnecessary scenes of brutal violence. I watched this film on TV (luckily i didn't pay for it) and it did a good job in bringing me to sleep. The only thrill I had was the hope the flick would get better to the end (where do the 5/10 stars come from?). Well, it didn't...
catalyzt
In this exciting action thriller, an artistic widow fights to stay alive after her husband, a Marine who had discovered that the military was well aware that it was placing defective parts in its helicopters, is mysteriously murdered. Believing that the widow, a metal sculptress, has the damning evidence, the killers take off after her and her little son. None of them realizes that she too was a Marine and is more than capable of defending herself. The film is also known as Fatal Chase. -- Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
negevoli-44
I not only have seen this movie, I have seen it numerous times and I always think I'm going to have a heart attack or something even though I know what's going to happen. I think the other reviewer -- "anonymous from california" -- is jealous. The fact that a woman is the focus of this movie only enhances the thrills. Anyone who thinks stuff like this doesn't happen in the U.S. Defense Dept. is a moron. I have been collecting newspaper clippings about military helicopter crashes ever since I saw this movie and I file them with the video and I have 11 separate clippings now and I probably missed a few along the way. Military helicopters crash all the time killing their crews -- that's what makes this movie so damned compelling. I watch it and it seems like it's over almost before it began -- it's so fast-moving. And the cast is outstanding -- including the natural performance by the unaffected kid, which is a rarity in itself. Amy Madigan should have had an Oscar for this but it wasn't one of the Hollywood megabucks formula flicks, so of course she was overlooked. This is a perfect movie -- it will cause the hair on your arms to stand on end. It makes you want to jump up on the TV screen and do something. It moves so fast your heart will race. I recommend this to anyone who likes a completely realistic, well-made, outstandingly acted and directed action movie unlike any you have ever seen before or likely will see again. This movie deserves all the praise it received and more and should be on everyone's "must see" list. It is pure escapism of the highest order. Ten-plus-plus.Oh, and guess what? You can watch it with your kids or anybody else because this movie doesn't depend on artificial "shock" factors to grab your attention. All of the the thrills are authentic and there are few, if any, f-words, no nudity, and no gratuitous sex. Run, don't walk, to the video store. And for God's sake, watch it if it comes on Cable -- that's where I saw it first and taped it. If I hadn't, I'd be sick about it because I love watching it. It's as satisfying as a movie could be.(In Hollywood, if you can't write or lack imagination, throw in a few f-words for the juveniles and your fortune is made.)
