GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Nobody-27 Sometimes there are films that are so bad, you don't even know where to start. This one is just bad - you know where to start. Hence, I give it two stars, although, maybe I am just in a good mood...By now, most people know this is about crime, buddies and a girl. The story could have and should have worked. That part was not terrible, although it probably needed a bit of massage.But everything else was your typical film school example of "how not to make a film". Let's see: - On the nose dialogue - check. - Changing the tone from action to drama to comedy to tragedy - check. - Actors have no motivation for their emotions - check. - Characters that get out of character all the time - check. (e.g. Joanne or Jovana starts of as super-self-confident only to end up insecure and then over emotional and as a result entirely unbelievable) - Boring editing and direction - check (even the love making scene was too forced in terms of visuals) - Forced story and forced dialogues - check. - Too contrived - check. - Plenty of bad acting (due to bad script) - check. - Predictable - check. (my friend even guessed the key point of the film some 30 min into it! I only guessed the general setup, but within first five minutes) - No chemistry whatsoever between ANY of the characters - check. - I could not really care less if any one of them lived or died - check. And so on. This is one of those films that deserves to be seen as an excellent example of how not to write, direct and generally make a film. I don't care how famous or big Robert Towne is, he managed to make a piece of junk that is barely watchable. Some of the dialogues I thought were written by a teenager and not a very smart one. The score was entirely forgettable. Photography too, even thought it was shot in S. California where there is plenty of opportunity for good images (seems it was shot in Long Beach judging by some of the oil rigs in the film). I could go on and on about all that is wrong with the film but I will not. I will leave it up to you, a true film lover, to analyze this film and learn from it. Yes, we all benefit when a director/ writer screws up a decent idea. So, bad film, but educational.

LeonLouisRicci A Trio of Attractive Movie Stars and an Award Winning Writer, Robert Towne, who also Directed, serve up this Lifeless, Confusing, and Boring attempt at a Neo-Noir that is Pretty Looking, but also Pretty Unremarkable.It's Flat and Frustratingly Flaccid as it shows itself to be a Hollow Hollywood Picture making Love to Itself and Failing to Reach a Climax for its Audience. The Money Shot is there but Fallow.Mel Gibson comes off as Second Best, after Kurt Russell in the Character/Acting Department. Michelle Pfeiffer is Surprisingly Robotic in Appearance on Screen despite having some Clever Dialog but Fails to Enhance the Film to any Degree.Overall, a Disappointing Movie despite the Personnel Involved. J.T. Walsh Plays a Convincing Enough Slimeball Law Enforcement Type, but Raul Julia Shouts His Rants as if Everyone is Hard of Hearing. He's so Over the Top it's Cringe Inducing. Average at Best.

Robert J. Maxwell Raoul Julia, from Puerto Rico, is Carlos (a name to conjure with in Latin villainy). He's a big drug dealer from Mexico and has been operating for years with his friend, Mel Gibson, whose life he once saved in a Mexican jail. He's now not only a big cocaine importer but some kind of Mexican anti-drug official.He's great, with his big expressive eyes and explosive temper. And he's given the best lines. "FRIENDSHIP is the only thing that MATTERS! You can't blame a guy for going where his d*** tells him to. It's -- it's like a COMPASS pointing north!" The restaurateur, Michelle Pfeiffer, is Gibson's girl friend. She knows that Gibson and Julia are smuggling dope and she promises to marry Gibson so she won't be able to testify to the cop, Kurt Russell, who is also a lifelong friend of Gibson's. When he hears of this, Julia erupts in disbelief. "Man, she would say ANYTHING to keep from getting killed. She'd f*** a SNAKE!" Julia is a murderer and a major criminal but he means what he says about friendship, even as he prepares to kill Gibson.The writer/director Robert Towne was one of the authors of the superb "Chinatown" and it shows. He knows his Los Angeles locations, having grown up there, and the dialog and characters are unimpeachable.Briefly, Gibson is trying to retire from smuggling but nobody really believes him. Julia more or less seduces him into one last big haul. Kurt Russell, local narcotics, keeps trying to protect Gibson from himself and from the zealous federal DEA agent, J. T. Walsh, who is determined to put Gibson away and, if that's not possible, to kill him outright.Michelle Pfeiffer is the sleek and gorgeous owner of a high-end Italian restaurant. She's innocent enough. Just an acquaintance of Gibson's. But she's swept up in events until she becomes so involved in them that she's a danger to the whole enterprise. She can make my quattro fromaggi anytime. She winds up boffing Gibson at pool's edge while Julia secretly peeps. He slaps Gibson on the back and congratulates him. "Man, she was GREAT! Can she COOK too?" I don't know exactly what Towne had in mind though. "Chinatown" is sometimes hard for me to get my head around, and so was this. There are inserts of fingers fiddling with machinery. I don't know what end J. T. Walsh came to because it's left dangling, but either Russell is guilty of assaulting a federal officer or -- well, I don't know what the alternative is.In a scene towards the end, Pfeiffer tells Gibson she loves him. "Don't say that again." Of course, she says it again and he wallops her across the face. And a third time, and another wallop. I knew why Jack Nicholson was slapping Fay Dunawaye around in "Chinatown" but I don't know why Gibson is so physical in this scene.The whole film is thoughtful and beautifully done. There isn't a car chase in a cartload. No boat chases either, nor snowmobiles or hang gliders or roller blades. But it doesn't all hang together too well. It's a series of exquisitely done episodes with fascinating characters. Well worth catching.

leplatypus Well, this movie was released before Pacino's movie and Pam's show but it hasn't their fame: in one word, it's about an ex-drug dealer who tries to lead a honest life but his past world wants to drag him back. If "CW" is a serious drama, this one is rather lighter as it happens in sunny Malibu (even if reading the title, i had always thought it was rather Miami). It allows a beautiful scene with figures against the sun and above all, it has an amazing quartet of cast: Mel, Michelle, Raul Julia and Russell, tangled with an interesting love triangle.However, if i don't give "7" but "4", it's because the story was a bit boring and very usual: cop vs dealer! For me, when we have watched one movie in this genre, we have watched them all. When we think about how old and how much money this fight has cost whereas the market is still dynamic, you can come to the conclusion that all this is simply irrelevant and wasteful: as written in Schiff's book "Real Crash", the government should think maybe to legalize drugs and become the one and only dealer. With that, maybe, there would be fewer victims, fewer crimes and fewer empty cop movies...