Bovie Movie

Mel Gibson plays a neurotic New York cabbie who’s consumed by wild conspiracy theories and their implications in this uneven romantic comedy thriller from director Richard Donner. It’s the newsletter Gibson produces that suddenly intensifies interest in him from ominous parties such as creepy Patrick Stewart, who may work for the CIA. But that’s only the half of it, because when he turns to Justice Department attorney Julia Roberts for help, the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE-like plot takes off. Donner glosses over the improbabilities with his usual considerable style and bravura, and Gibson and Roberts make an engaging team, but the uneasy combination of light laughs and unsavoury darkness eventually conspires against them. Conspiracy theorists will love it, though. 

In this action romp par excellence, each overblown set piece becomes ever more ludicrous — implausibility is, after all, a large part of the entertainment here. The basic buddy-buddy situation is a familiar one, but Mel Gibson, as the loose-cannon detective whose disregard for danger reaches new heights when he investigates a drugs ring, and Danny Glover, as his by-the-book, ever-fretful partner, bring a great deal of spirit and fun to the mindless mayhem. The chalk-and-cheese chemistry of the two leads was so popular that three further sequels were made over the next ten years. 

This film should carry a message warning you not to look too deeply for rhyme or reason or you’ll end up with a nasty headache. Just ignore the holes in the plot and concentrate instead on the rivalry that develops between hitmen Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas, especially when Stallone becomes enamoured of their target, hacker supreme Julianne Moore. Director Richard Donner lets Banderas get away with a lazy performance, but Stallone has rarely been so interesting. 

The Lethal Weapon series just gets progressively dumber. It’s meant in the nicest possible way, however, as mindless mayhem doesn’t come much slicker than in these action extravaganzas. Even though the law of diminishing returns is starting to have an effect, the sheer scale of the set pieces in this second sequel will keep fans of the first two movies more than satisfied. This time around, Mel Gibson gets a girl after his own heart (cop Rene Russo with an equally impressive collection of battle scars), soon-to-retire partner Danny Glover looks more worried than ever, and Joe Pesci finds himself the butt of the duo’s jokes. Stuart Wilson, meanwhile, takes over from Joss Ackland as the obligatory imported British villain and enjoys himself immensely as the former cop-turned-monstrous crime lord. Disengage the brain and enjoy. 

A burnt-out NYPD detective finally finds his moral courage in this redemptive urban action thriller from director Richard Donner. Sharply scripted and solidly performed, it centres on the mismatched relationship between Bruce Willis’s laconic, alcoholic cop and the motormouth criminal (Mos Def) that he’s assigned to transport from the lock-up to the courthouse. But a routine 16-block ride turns into a fight for survival, when corrupt fellow officers (headed by a terrifically callous David Morse) try to execute the prisoner to prevent him from testifying against them. The brutal cat-and-mouse struggle that unfolds is like a more believable reworking of Clint Eastwood’s The Gauntlet and it’s given an exhilarating intensity by Donner’s lean direction and gritty visuals. Though the story is simplistic and predictable, its emphasis on fully fleshed-out characters and not just set pieces is emotionally rewarding. Peculiar accent aside, Def’s turn is poignant and sweet, while Willis has a weary vulnerability that’s equally endearing. 

Despite the distinguished alliance of director Richard Donner and writer Michael Crichton, this time-travelling fantasy is almost too daft to laugh at. Lesser talents might have treated it more lightly and successfully, but Crichton (Jurassic Park) and Donner (Lethal Weapon) press too heavily on the significance of events, leaving the absurdities to take over. It’s saved from complete disaster, thanks to Billy Connolly, who plays a professor leading an archaeological dig in the Dordogne valley. When the professor gets thrust back in time by the shady corporation sponsoring the dig, his son (Paul Walker) and fellow students follow to try and rescue him and find themselves in a 14th-century war in which the villainous English are browbeating the saintly French. Despite the clunky dialogue and outrageous situations, the momentum maintains our interest, while the plot keeps us amused if not bemused. Even so, there comes an exasperating moment when you are grateful for Aldous Huxley’s famous assertion that time must have a stop. 

Despite the attention of master scriptwriter William Goldman, this gentle tribute to the hit comedy western TV series missed a golden opportunity for a razor-sharp spoof. There’s no doubt the stars had a ball, though, with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster sparking nicely as the eponymous gambler and the con artist who is more than his match. But it’s left to James Garner (who played the original Bret Maverick), saddled with a role that is little more than a clumsy in-joke, to demonstrate what comic acting is really all about. Fans of westerns, both small screen and big screen, should keep an eye out for a multitude of familiar faces around the riverboat poker tables. The eagle-eyed can spot — among others — Doug McClure, who played Trampas in The Virginian, William Smith, who spent two years in Laredo, and Henry Darrow, who played Manolito in The High Chaparral . 

This action thriller sequel is the weakest of the cop sagas, let down by its tiresomely inconsistent script about South African drug runners and their crooked accountant. Director Richard Donner accents humour rather than explosive action and the result is an oddly toned, cartoon-like adventure with the comedy elements making the nasty violence seem even more gratuitous. That said, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s accomplished rapport continues to delight, and Joe Pesci is very entertaining as the accountant.