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Get mindless for awhile with this 1997 disaster flick, starring the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles as a funky place for lava to spew, plus Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche as the brave souls who know how to shut off the spout. Director Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) wastes no time getting to the good stuff--it's happening even before opening credits are over--and neither should anyone in the mood for technical efficiency without the burden of art. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Better than that other volcano movie with James Bond ;)
I've watched this movie dozens of times, the first being at an ampitheater in Indiana on a cold fall day. I hadn't heard of it before but the tickets were free, so I checked it out. Wow! What a movie! I couldn't believe it, the entire time I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I left with no fingernails at all. All the actors were just terriffic, especially Tommy Lee Jones, who just adds flair to any film he's in. I'm not sure where people get off saying that this movie is too fantastical, either. As they say in the film, one day in Mexico a man saw a smoking fissure in his field; the next day there was a volcano growing there. That story is completely true, and it's happened repeatedly throughout the world. Why couldn't it happen in LA, the most geologically unstable major city? That's like saying that an earthquake can never hit New York City because it just can't happen. And as the current quote on the page said, you can't fight nature? The techniques used in Volcano are used constantly in Iceland and Greenland, which are all highly geologically unstable places with many volcanos. Anywho :) off my soapbox, if you've got a second, check this out on a large TV with a huge sound system! And skip that Dante's whatever, Volcano is the bomb... literally.

Haha, what were you people expecting? Pyroclastic flows?
I think, overall, this is a good disaster movie. I mean, are you ever REALLY looking for a realistic scenerio in an action flick? I think the plot progressed smoothly (not one of those movies where the screen comes on and starts with people running around getting fried), and the music was great.

Obviously this is a small volcano, considering that if it was a Mount St. Helens thing with pyroclastic flows and lava all over, then yeah, LA wouldn't stand much of a chance, but its fun to think how a major city like LA would face a little volcano deciding to pop up in the middle of the city.

I think I lost some IQ...
This has to be one of the dumbest movies...ever...Yes ever...Seeing this movie I think my IQ dropped 20 points from it's stupid storyline and totally impossible happenings as a volcano magically forming in LA

Really dumb....the only thing good about this movie is laughing at it the entire way for its sheer stupidity

A stale and lame piece of junk
Is it fun to watch? Yes. Why? Because this is so bad you can't help but enjoy. They completely and utterly disregard any realism and totally defy the laws of physics. Let's put it this way, in this movie the coast is toast and the plot is rot. Tommy Lee Jones gets a major pay check to lead the rescue effort when geological mumbo-jumbo causes the La Brea tar pits and the new L.A. subway system to spit steam, ash, fire and a rolling, molten sea. Actually the coast is not even toast. Let me quote from everyone's favorite smart alleck Mike Nelson: "I hate to start this by nitpicking, but the movie really should be called lava and not volcano. The "film" starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche, really was long on lava and, as far as I could tell, had only one small-quite small, really-volcano. And, despite all the hype, the coast was not, at any time during the film, toast. The coastal city of Los Angeles, CA, was indeed in no small danger of being incinerated by flowing magma, but the situation was completely handled by disaster workers, and only the most pessimistic naysayer would describe the situation by saying 'the coast is toast.'" Beyond all that, seeing as how close our characters were to the lava, one would have to wonder why they weren't burnt up. At the temperature of the magma the characters could've in no way been as close as they were. Oh well it's simply a terrible movie. Bad acting, boring plot, crumby music, and doesn't even remotely live up to the hype! Unless you're in the mood for a cheeze-fest I suggest you see something else. Heck watching grass grow would be more stimulating than this.

valcano rocks on!
I love the movie valcano. I recemend it only to people who like horror and death movies becuse valcano is one of them. I hope kids don't really belive that this has happend becuse there has not ever been a valcano so powerful to blow up so much ash and magma to destruct a whole state and more than that so dont belive this happend. I will like this movie so much I am willing to pay for 2 copys of it if I had that kind of money but I dont so dont think I will. ... Read more

Description

When a high class attorney picks up a topless dancer, it leads to passion, it leads to sex, it leads to murder. But how long will it take him to learn that he?s not the hunter in this relationship - he?s the prey? ... Read more

Reviews (6)

VHS is cut version of film shown on tv
For what it's worth, the great sex scene here with Heidi SCHANZ (not Kluge like some dimwit mentioned) was apparently chopped a little between being telecast on HBO and released on video. I can't find any evidence that there is an uncut version available for purchase, so this is it. Shame too, because those few seconds made this practically as hot as the uncut Spader/Amick scene in "Dream Lover". Buy this only for the rare gem Heidi SCHANZ!!

The pits
I'm a huge Tom Berenger fan but I simply can't say anything good about this film. The plot is horrible, the acting unconvincing (even Berenger), the dialouge laughable and the ending, well, sour to say the least. The pits.

Heidi Kluge is HOT..HOT..HOT
This film is worth seeing for Heidi Kluge (the co-star). Also, it's not a bad movie in the Black Widow veign...In any case..Enjoy Ms. Kluge

Depressing! Not very good.
This was a competently made film, I suppose. The actors all did fine in their roles, and I like all the lead stars--Tom Berenger, Nancy Travis and Robert Patrick ("Terminator II" and "X-Files"). But still, this film was depressing. It was a bad knock-off of "Body Heat". The story was interesting enough if you aren't familiar with "Body Heat", but "Body Heat" is much better.

If you are a fan of any of the lead actors, you might want to catch this film just to see them, but be prepared. It's a depressing and somewhat tawdry B-movie. The main character (Berenger) is a lawyer with questionable morals who behaves like a complete gullible idiot and lets himself get sucked into something horrible. Patrick plays a wife-beating jerk--if you are a fan of his, you'll be disappointed because he doesn't get a lot of screen time. Travis plays the only character who is really likeable, and she's not in the movie nearly enough either.

I don't recommend this film. I wanted to see it in part because I so liked Berenger in "The Last of the Dogmen", made the same year as this film. Boy, what a contrast. I recommend "Dogmen" instead of this film (even though they are different genres). "Dogmen" will leave you feeling good, this film will leave you feeling depressed.

B Rate HBO Blah!
I ordered this book thinking it was an informative book on learning body language. Instead, it turned out to be some movie made for HBO. I went ahead and watched it, but honestly if this show had shown up on TV one night, I would have changed the channel. It was really boring, acting was terrible, and predictable. ... ... Read more

Description

The powerful and unexpectedly moving true story of the rise and fall of the infamous crime boss Paul Castellano. Castellano's visionary plans to evolve the Cosa Nostra into a legitimate business ultimately lead to his assassination by members of the family, who lived and died by the mob's unwavering dedication to tradition. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

why bother
The title for my review says it all this movie is shocking. chaz wots his name doesnt look a tad like castellano. The movie makes out as tho neil dellacroce and castellano are best friends where in fact they didnt like each other. How can people watch this movie. I saw it on sky and I didnt like it one little bit.

Apart from castellano not looking 1 bit like chaz wots his name, gotti didnt have a big part in this movie I mean after all the guy killed castellano he shud have co stared in the movie. Also gambino looks a lot fatter than the real don carlo.

There are so many points i cud pick at but why shud i bother abusing this movie when it wasnt even worh having the idea for this movie. one good idea go back to storyboards u lowlife movie writers and think to ourselves were u either stoned or drunk or simply off your rocker.

JUST DON'T BOTHER

Dunno ... Chazz looks a little short to be Paul
Grant it 'Gotti' was a little wrong with the size of Paul Castellano but still - Chazz Palminteri offers the nice view of Paul Castellano as the loveable Mafia boss who's not a real fighter but a 'lover' - by doing this like in every book written about a famous person ... the key person is always made into a hero.

Same with the HBO movie 'Gotti' which was based on Jerry Caprici's co-author book "GOTTI: Rise and Fall" and then there is "Witness to the Mob" which is the HBO version of Salvatore Gravano's "Underboss."

In fact 'Boss of Bosses' was based on the book written by the two FBI agents who helped 'bug' Castellano's Todht Hill mansion. And in the book these two agents come to enjoy his pressence (this happened right when the FBI in the movie arrested him and their conversation in the car) right before he got murdered afront of Sparks Steak House in Manhatten.

In the movie this scene was shot in the agents' car but according to the book - the scene actually took place in the back of Castellano's favorite deli - where they were eating some deli and whatnot.

The other problem was how they broke into Castellano's house - they didn't show how they got the information of where to put what - and in reality they had an agent ask to use their phone (which they gladly gave the okay too) and then his simple instructions other than too make an call was to remember everything in the house.

They also didn't jump over a wall - this would've meant that the alarms which I believe in the book said would go off in 2 minutes - I think he had motion sensors, so in reality they had to basically go over the roof and then into one of the windows -so they didn't just go through the front door. That would've game them away right?

Also when Carlo Gambino died - he didn't die in this big mansion - he died watching a Yankees game in his very modest house on Long Island. So that was wrong ... in fact from the picture I got from Gravano's book that - Neil Dellacroce was the one that died in the big mansion.

And when they showed the hit of Castellano - Gotti was in the car with Gravano not some overweight man! Last time I checked Gravano wasn't that overweight!

So these 3 stars are just for Palminteri's performance as the loveable Big Paulie ... keep up the good work.

A New Perspective
I'm a great fan of Chazz Palminteri, which is why I orignally purchased this DVD. And, I have to say, that his acting was, as always, terrific. As a movie, this was enjoyable. The writing was not great and the plot really didn't move you, but, for some reason, the movie was digestable.

This plot follows the rise and fall of one-time Gambino family boss Paul Castellano. Obviously, this movie was made to offset the negative press that the late-Castellano has received over the years through the volumes of books, movies, and articles written about John Gotti. In fact, movies like 'Gotti' paint an entirely different picture than this one. So much so that if you watch both movies side-by-side (as I did), you feel as though you are watching two entirely different stories. In reality, the movies cover different time periods. But, those areas that do overlap are told from two entirely different perspectives. Example: The movie 'Gotti' paints Paul Castellano as an overweight, unintelligent, mean-spirited man who had not paid his dues and, consequently, did not deserve his position at all. 'Boss Of Bosses' paints Castellano as a well-spoken, well-groomed, intelligent business man who had risen legitimately through the ranks with his close friend Carlo Gambino.

Which version is accurate? I can't say that I know. What I do know is that the 'Gotti' version of Paul Castellano is the one that I had come to believe before I watched this DVD. Now, I'm not sure.

Watch this DVD and judge for yourself. If nothing else, you'll be entertained for 90 minutes or so by a fantastic leading actor. ... Read more

Description

A hard-hitting drama based on the life of one of America's greatest Heavyweight Boxing Champions, Mike Tyson.This is the powerfully told rise and fall of a knockout star, from his life of crime as a young man, through his discovery and training by Cus D'Amato to the championship and beyond. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Two boxers go head to head but it's the movie that's K.O.'d!
Wesley Snipes stars as the boxing champ of Sweetwater Prison whose title and manhood are put at jeopardy when the true heavyweight champion (played by Ving Rhames) lands in the cellblock for the rape of a showgirl (Rose Rollins).

I enjoyed UNDISPUTED for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. I was looking for deeper character development than I ever got. We get to know Ving Rhames character the most (mainly because he's a replica of Mike Tyson) and he's the antagonist. We get introduced to several supporting characters (Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda) here and there for whatever reason. However, they're all a prison cliché.

The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. We can only assume that Snipes is the hero because of his sensitive hobby of making houses out of toothpicks. Other than that, Snipes has only about twenty lines. It's weird. Rhames even though billed second has far more screen time than Snipes.

I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow this movie feels like half a movie. Like important parts have been chopped away. I just can't imagine writers Walter Hill and David Giler (ALIEN), or any writers for that matter, writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character.

While action film veteran Walter Hill (48 HOURS; LAST MAN STANDING) has learned some stylish new tricks to filmmaking, they're not enough to save his latest effort. All in all, two incarcerated boxers go head to head, but it's the movie that gets K.O.'d.

D+ (the plus is for Ving Rhames)

Highly entertaining.
Looking over several of the poor reviews is rather surprising, unless you hate the violence promoted by boxing. This is a really good boxing movie. You have a Mike Tyson-like character who winds up in prison duking it out with a modest hard lifer in a real prison with hundreds of real convicts for extras. It's interesting to watch from 2 perspectives, boxing itself and prison. However, it's definitely a movie for the guys.

Fast paced action drama, no it's best presentation
This has got to be the most obvious movie you will ever watch as the fights and outcomes, court hearing, prison moves from Rhames and Snipes, not their best movie though, they've did some great ones like Ving in 'Pulp Fiction' and Snipes in 'The Fan'.
Although the realistic fight at the end between reigning prision champ, Snipes and Challenger and former Heavyweight Champion of the world accused of rape, was worth the 1 1/2 hour watch. Some of the storylines in this movie is a bit zany and unauthorised charecters that make apearences in this movie enter then suddenly vanish from the script. If this movie took long enough to make with the fluential budget ammount and great cast of charecters, it would've made a name.

Great B movie
First off, why in the hell wasn't this movie a hit? This is your classic slambang action movie and a helluva lot of fun. Wesley Snipes pulls a complete 180 by playing an appeallingly low key, almost spiritual underdog prison boxing champ and the great Ving Rhames rocks the house with his Tyson inspired heavyweight champ sent to jail for allegedly commmitting rape. Peter Falk , who plays an old jewish mobster has one hilarious monologue where he drops the F-bomb more times than even Joe Pesci ever has. Don't get me wrong, this material isn't exactly original and it is formulaic and predictable but an old pro like director Walter (48 Hrs.) Hill can pull this off and make it feel fresh and suspenseful. A lot of typical screenplay conventions are missing, such as a love story and a protaganist. The Rhames character is so arrogant you don't care if he really is innocent, he should serve time just for his megalomania. The Snipes character is a murderer serving life and even with his underdog persona he is still not exactly a hero and that is one of the refreshing aspects of this well acted and directed movie.
This is a B movie to be sure, but a damn good one.

Prison, Boxing, and Men's Pride; Peter Falk Is Standout
"Undisputed" is a Walter Hill film, which means it's about well-drawn characters, simple premise, and machismo. Or especially the last thing. Here you see Wesley Snipes as 'Champ of the prison boxing' (for 10 years) Monroe Hutchen, and Ving Rhames as 'the real Champ' or George 'Iceman' Chambers, who is convicted for rape charge. But some say they don't need two champs, so they decide it by fighting.

So they fight, but not so soon. A veteran prisoner named Ripstein (excellent Peter Falk, spitting out so many F-words) steps in, who truly loves the art of boxing, and he wants them to fight there, in the prison in the middle of the desert. Surrounding the three main characters are Michael Rooker, Wes Studi, Jon Seda, Fisher Stevens, and Master P as special guest.

The story is so simple, but the point is not that part. If you are looking for "48 Hours" it's not here. Hill and co-writer David Glier opted for creating realistic characters instead of actions, so what you see first is not the names of the actors, but those of the characters. They do not talk much about themselves, unlike many films of the genre, but you get to know them through the dialogues, uttered by well-chosen actors who can really act.

"Undisputed" belongs to the genre (prison film); however, it never shows unnecessary digression in the short course of story, and Hill wants that way (see how Michael Rooker's character slyly refers to the genre itself). It is not about a hero and a villain, it's about men's pride and dignity, and on that score it succeeds. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The idea was good, but it could have been better.
I initially rented this movie because Kiefer Sutherland is in it, and I am a big Kiefer Sutherland fan. I was pleasantly surprised by the appearances of Michael Madsen and Dennis Hopper.

While, the acting, I thought, was good, it was the screenplay/storyline that wasn't. I can feel this build up, but the movie never climaxed for me. It just built me up and then didn't really go anywhere with it.

I don't blame the actors for this, as I think everyone really was good, it was just wasn't done as well as it could have been.

The soundtrack was nice.
The only thing I like about this movies was the soundtrack. I expected more from this move with the actors that was in it.

Amazing waste of talent!
Extraordinary! I would never have thought that it was (is) possible to take a bunch of A-list actors (ie. Hopper, Madsen, Hannah, Sutherland) and pair them with a director who usually has a knack for making cult faves (Hot Dog... the movie for instance) and come up with a bag of leftovers like this!

I got the feeling that the director was high on speed and didn't sleep at all during production, just kept on stubbornly trying to imitate the stylings of Quentin Tarantino except without the novelty nor the talent.

Do not waste your money on this. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Learn to Laugh at Yourself!
This movie made me smile, or rather I should say I broke out in laughter many times! If you see the humor of the situations of "Sex in the City" or laugh at "Malcomb in the Middle" this movie is for you! The short scene in the strip club was probably the only scene to earn the R rating. Otherwise adult humor, some language.

Relationship strengths and weakness
I really enjoyed this movie! it was amusing as well as thought provoking. I could recognize the characters played out in this film as folks I meet everyday!For those who are involved in long term relationships this film although quite comical can deliver some AHA! insights into male and female interaction and relationship priorities!!

Make your own opinion! ;)
Now that I'm in charge of ordering videos for a public library, I can say, it's not everything I thought it would be. It's work! So here I am getting a complaint from a patron that the video was too offensive to circulate in our video collection.
According to a patron there was a scene at the beginning of the movie in a strip bar.

OK, so here I am not only in charge of ordering videos, my boss now asks me to take the video home and to review it. OK this movie was not bad at all. I just dread in the future taking home sleepers (if you know what I mean)

The movie:
The initial scene sets the stage of the movie which is basically a husband that got depressed when his wife ran off after an argument. Basically we now have an upset husband who's friend asks him to go out and forget about the argument to a strip bar. It just happens his wife follows him there. Thus, we have a very simple story, jealous wife, and conversations that reside over this argument. If you're looking for action, adventure, mystery or anything else, you might want to look somewhere else. This might have turned me off at the inset of the movie when I found out where it was leading. So my main concern, for my life at the job, was to review the offensive content. A few minutes into the movie was about as far as it went. The strip club which included a lap dance with each husband was the content of the complaint. For those of you who do not know what a lap dance is, it is a dance where the clothes of the dancer usually comes off. For those of you who know the Lambada, it's one step more or should I say it's 1 piece of article less. I don't want to get too explicit here but there is nothing to get explicit about. That was the extent of it. Talking from a guy who has seen other movies with 10 times more vulgarity or more explicit sexual content, I'd have to say that it was nothing more than a quick view. I believe that patron played off the anger of the wife who was kind of unbelievable in my eyes. My personal opinion is that she was a little too concerned about a girl pressed against her husband. This is what though, make your own opinion on a scene that end there.

The rest of the movie and my attitude toward the two wives did get better as the movie persued. Not that I'd be on the womens side.... HECK NO :) But they weren't so unbelievable in their actions after a typical bad fight.

Let me conclude that I could believe that this movie is more geared towards a women's side of the argument than a guys side. So if you are looking for a lot of fun, intelligent humor, or driving force to keep the movie running, I'd say look away. If you have been in that situation a number of times and can get amused by such a scenario, take out the popcorn, pop in the video and keep on smiling at each little comment from both parties. I rated this with 3 stars down the middle of my scale because it is really geared for a certain audience and an average audience I believe should neither hate it or love it.

Mike

P.S. Spelling... not my forte... Grammar.. sorry nope... Information and smiles is all I'd hope to give you with this review....I'd hope :) ... Read more

Reviews (5)

swell!
I truly think that Joe Pantoliano is one of the best support-actors in our days. Nowadays there are too many boring an stupid comedian actors and supposed "new talents".
Joe gives off a special male sexuality like few could do in a film. It's very complicated the sort of roles he has to develop, because there is no a "hero" compensation in none of them.

The Last Word
Mesmerizing, Haunting, & Touching are words to describe this movie. The characters, well acted and their stories get under one's skin. A must see.

A Movie that unwrites itself...
Although, I willingly admit, the beginning of this movie begins with some very weak dialogue, by the end of the movie, you begin to realize it's all a joke.

Quick synopis: Timothy Hutton is a newspaper writer--writing columns about "scenes from everyday life." He publishes a book based on these columns, which his friend "doc" sends to a contact in hollywood. Meanwhile, Hutton's Character finds out that his true life stories got a guy killed by the local mob, and his wife leaves him. Hutton also meets a stripper who captivates him. From there we move to hollywood where Hutton needs to write a script with the edge his columns have, however, the studio wants his later work, including his article about the stripper, but she says he cannot. The tension builds.

The movie ends up being made, and that is where you see it make fun of itself and its hollywood dialogue. Very entertaining. But there's also some serious stuff at that point as well--more details of the strippers past and her own personal testimony and wisdon gleened from her experiences.

The juxtaposition of music and action in the movie is extremely well done. All together, a very good movie, even if the dialogue makes one want to cringe at times, at least it rights itself by the end.

stories to tell
It wasn't until the end credits when I saw that writer/director Tony Spiridakis' film was based on a play that I could fathom the reason for his Clifford Odets-ian blather which passes as dialogue. Spiridakis was fortunate to be able to direct his own material - he manages to make a contribution to the genre of wacked auteur classics which teeters between genius and lunacy. These kind of films have their own fascination and Spiridakis' is just as strangely compelling. I can imagine anybody else wanting to excise these pungently lyrical encounters and pare down the treatment to it's plot points, but perhaps there is no way to do this, since it's hard to genre-place the material. It begins in Detroit as a mafioso thriller of sorts with Chaz Palminteri threatening Timothy Hutton as a the writer of a column "Scenes From Everyday Life". Hutton has collected his writing into a book which has Palminteri in threatening mode, since Hutton exposes the underworld low life, which has "consequences". The title of Hutton's column and book scream irony and the notion of writer as a mythological figure, a modern day Cassandra, is perhaps a little too much of an ego trip for Spiridakis. Things become more surreal when Hollywood calls and options Hutton's book, with the proviso that he includes the latter material he has published on a stripper named Caprice. Caprice is aptly named, a "class act" who strips wearing hideous clown orange glow lipstick and a peroxide wig to the sounds of classical music. (In the real world this kind of stripper would be fired after her first set). Naturally she and Hutton become an item and with Hutton's childhood friend, Joe Pantoliano, relocate to L.A. The L.A. scenes are said to show Hollywood's darker side, though they are most memorable for the star cameos Spiridakis features. Richard Dreyfuss, Tony Goldwyn, Cybill Shepherd, and Jimmy Smits make brief appearances (Smits gets 7 words) which is proof that either Spiridakis' dialogue can cast a wide spell or that he pays well. Palminteri only got one scene as well. Spiridakis presenst all this with a straight face, with the occasional Toni Childs croaker on the soundtrack, intercutting between Caprice painting and Hutton having sex with someone else, split second flashbacks to Caprice's tragic past (which includes a Golden Boy violin), and an amusing opening with the entrance of a long-stemmed flower box thought to be a machine gun at Hutton's book launch. His screenplay features endlessly quotable thearical flourishes though my favourites are a line to Caprice - "It's not easy to love the way you do and still be alive", and how Hutton is required to produce a screenplay "with teeth". Hutton performs his duets with Michelle Burke as Caprice in hushed reverential tones, as opposed to the yelling that takes place between him and Pantoliano. Panoliano probably comes off the best, since he tends to rush through his lines. There is an interesting parallel between the two men and the leads in Sweet Smell of Success, with Pantoliano like Tony Curtis' Sidney Falco. Burke however comes off the worst. It doesn't help that she resembles Holly Hunter, but having none of Hunter's ability, and she gets Spiridakis'worst excesses, like a montage of silent screams. Movies about Hollywood are always a little odd, just from the fact that it doubles the illusion, but this is one of the oddest.

It Was Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This CD Was Great I Loved It, You Will Really Enjoy It. It Was Grea ... Read more

Reviews (26)

JCVD has DERAILED his fans
Jean Claude Van Damme made his reputation in the late 80's and early 90's with martial arts movies that involved his entering a kumite, winner take all. In BLOODSPORT and KICKBOXER, his athleticism, good looks, and never-say-die persona were magnified in confrontations with a killer bad guy, usually played by Bolo or Michel Quissi. The fights in those films were seen as intriguing choreographed versions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As long as JCVD stuck to that type of film, he stood out and the movie did good box office. Eventually, he felt that he could branch out into being an action star along the lines of Steven Seagal or Jackie Chan. The brutal truth about his acting talent is that it is limited to the savage ring fighting of his early career. With DERAILED, JCVD proves once again that his acting, when combined with laughable special effects, cheesy writing, and illogically paced fight sequences, cannot compensate for these other deficiencies. In DERAILED, he plays Jacques Kristoff, a CIA type who is hired to bring in a sexy Russian female who has ripped off her Mafia boss to the tune of a deadly smallpox serum, which is released into the air of the train on which all are riding. The plot holes are big enough for that train to drive right through without hitting a bump. His wife and children surprise him by meeting him on the train, only to be taken hostage along with the other passengers. If this sounds a little like DIE HARD meets SIEGE, then you have already figured out the ending. The bad guys are tough enough, but JCVD's fights with them are claustrophobic, thus negating the allure of his high kicks. Instead, he has to resort to the grappling devices like chokes and ankle locks that I found to be the most interesting part. DERAILED is a glitzy movie with lots of pretty girls, tough guys, and short combat scenes, but the feeling that I had at the conclusion is that if JCVD wants to avoid the continual embarrassment of straight to video flicks like this one, he would do well to remember the kind of movie that made him a superstar in the first place.

Not his best
The movie to me was very horrible,first of all the sound effects in this movie were very cheap. The movie wasnt one of his best. The other thing is that the whole thing of him having a family and being married was stupid.

Entertaining, low budget movie that could've been bad.
I don't understand why people say this movie is bad it's really pretty well done. Van Damme jumping from one train to the other on a dirt bike put a good touch on to the movie. And i liked the directing of the film for the fight scenes. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is at one point during a fight they split the screen between Van Damme fighting a guy and the girl fighting another guy, that was bad looking. Also when the helicopter blew up that was done a little badly. Other than that the movie was pretty good for a low budget flick.

WORST MOVIE EVER.
This has got to be the worst movie I've ever seen.
If you find this DVD on the street, just keep walking.

Terrible but a great laugh!
Van Damme is back and his movies are getting worse . . . sure he has made some great ones like SUDDEN DEATH and KICKBOXER, but this one, from the people that brought you CROCODILE and SHARK ATTACK(and its sequels!) is so bad it's hilarious. Van Damme plays a government agent(AGAIN?!) who has to escort a prisoner across Europe by train, but in the process terrorists steal and unleash a bioweapon on board which she is transporting. And to add to the complications, Van Damme has his family, or the usual oh-the-humanity interest on board. The authorities, fearing a Europe-wide plague from the dealy smallpox bioweapon, attempt to destroy the train. Sound familiar? A rip-off of the far superior CASSANDRA CROSSING with hints of the equally superior UNDER SIEGE 2 thrown in. However, the enjoyment comes from the incredibly bad special effects that you will see. Check out the toy helicopter chasing a train set through papier-mache mountains! Exploding cars on the autoracks that blow up as soon as a bullet hits them, lack of route knowledege through Austria by the producers(all main lines in Austria have overhead wires and do not operate Bulgarian diesel locos), two toy train wrecks set alight by a kid with a match or so it looks and horrendously bad acting and dialogue that makes bad movies like BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and SHARK ATTACK 3 look brilliant. So at least it's funny. Recomended if you love dreck and want something to compliment that bad movie cheese-fest you are putting on! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fun to see, no more, no less.
Why Roy Scheider plays a part in a movie like this I really don't know, but it elevates Executive Target just a little bit above your everyday action movie. It does not really have much of a plot. ( Former stunt driver has his wife kidnapped and must help kidnap the president to get her released, how unlikely can you get ) but Michael Madson as the frantic driver makes tme most of the part and Scheider as the president is quite believable. The action scenes, especially the car-chases are really good and the movie is short enough that you don't get bored from the lack of story and dialogue. Nothing special, but good for an evening of fun.

An above average B-pic!
I didn't expect to find one of the best ever car chases is a straight-to-video, (I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Australia, this went straight-to-video) but Executive Target proved me wrong. The presence of the ever-cool Madsen also makes this movie a winner. To sum it up, its vertually a movie version of the playstation game "DRIVER".

Poor Roy Scheider.
He and Michael Madsen earnestly trudge through this B movie with nary a flash of charisma. The supporting characters ham things up in an appropriately campy way, but the low-budget mayhem looks flat and dull. ... Read more

Description

In this all-star gritty mob thriller in the tradition of Pulp Fiction, small-time hood Frankie "the Fly" (Dennis Hopper) is tired of being a low-level gofer for mob boss Sal (Michael Madsen) and wants to get out.With the help of porn filmmaker Joey (Kiefer Sutherland) and former junkie and porno actress Margaret (Daryl Hannah), Frankie puts into action a plan to scam Sal that will either make them all rich...or dead. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The idea was good, but it could have been better.
I initially rented this movie because Kiefer Sutherland is in it, and I am a big Kiefer Sutherland fan. I was pleasantly surprised by the appearances of Michael Madsen and Dennis Hopper.

While, the acting, I thought, was good, it was the screenplay/storyline that wasn't. I can feel this build up, but the movie never climaxed for me. It just built me up and then didn't really go anywhere with it.

I don't blame the actors for this, as I think everyone really was good, it was just wasn't done as well as it could have been.

The soundtrack was nice.
The only thing I like about this movies was the soundtrack. I expected more from this move with the actors that was in it.

Amazing waste of talent!
Extraordinary! I would never have thought that it was (is) possible to take a bunch of A-list actors (ie. Hopper, Madsen, Hannah, Sutherland) and pair them with a director who usually has a knack for making cult faves (Hot Dog... the movie for instance) and come up with a bag of leftovers like this!

I got the feeling that the director was high on speed and didn't sleep at all during production, just kept on stubbornly trying to imitate the stylings of Quentin Tarantino except without the novelty nor the talent.

Do not waste your money on this. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

JCVD has DERAILED his fans
Jean Claude Van Damme made his reputation in the late 80's and early 90's with martial arts movies that involved his entering a kumite, winner take all. In BLOODSPORT and KICKBOXER, his athleticism, good looks, and never-say-die persona were magnified in confrontations with a killer bad guy, usually played by Bolo or Michel Quissi. The fights in those films were seen as intriguing choreographed versions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As long as JCVD stuck to that type of film, he stood out and the movie did good box office. Eventually, he felt that he could branch out into being an action star along the lines of Steven Seagal or Jackie Chan. The brutal truth about his acting talent is that it is limited to the savage ring fighting of his early career. With DERAILED, JCVD proves once again that his acting, when combined with laughable special effects, cheesy writing, and illogically paced fight sequences, cannot compensate for these other deficiencies. In DERAILED, he plays Jacques Kristoff, a CIA type who is hired to bring in a sexy Russian female who has ripped off her Mafia boss to the tune of a deadly smallpox serum, which is released into the air of the train on which all are riding. The plot holes are big enough for that train to drive right through without hitting a bump. His wife and children surprise him by meeting him on the train, only to be taken hostage along with the other passengers. If this sounds a little like DIE HARD meets SIEGE, then you have already figured out the ending. The bad guys are tough enough, but JCVD's fights with them are claustrophobic, thus negating the allure of his high kicks. Instead, he has to resort to the grappling devices like chokes and ankle locks that I found to be the most interesting part. DERAILED is a glitzy movie with lots of pretty girls, tough guys, and short combat scenes, but the feeling that I had at the conclusion is that if JCVD wants to avoid the continual embarrassment of straight to video flicks like this one, he would do well to remember the kind of movie that made him a superstar in the first place.

Not his best
The movie to me was very horrible,first of all the sound effects in this movie were very cheap. The movie wasnt one of his best. The other thing is that the whole thing of him having a family and being married was stupid.

Entertaining, low budget movie that could've been bad.
I don't understand why people say this movie is bad it's really pretty well done. Van Damme jumping from one train to the other on a dirt bike put a good touch on to the movie. And i liked the directing of the film for the fight scenes. The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is at one point during a fight they split the screen between Van Damme fighting a guy and the girl fighting another guy, that was bad looking. Also when the helicopter blew up that was done a little badly. Other than that the movie was pretty good for a low budget flick.

WORST MOVIE EVER.
This has got to be the worst movie I've ever seen.
If you find this DVD on the street, just keep walking.

Terrible but a great laugh!
Van Damme is back and his movies are getting worse . . . sure he has made some great ones like SUDDEN DEATH and KICKBOXER, but this one, from the people that brought you CROCODILE and SHARK ATTACK(and its sequels!) is so bad it's hilarious. Van Damme plays a government agent(AGAIN?!) who has to escort a prisoner across Europe by train, but in the process terrorists steal and unleash a bioweapon on board which she is transporting. And to add to the complications, Van Damme has his family, or the usual oh-the-humanity interest on board. The authorities, fearing a Europe-wide plague from the dealy smallpox bioweapon, attempt to destroy the train. Sound familiar? A rip-off of the far superior CASSANDRA CROSSING with hints of the equally superior UNDER SIEGE 2 thrown in. However, the enjoyment comes from the incredibly bad special effects that you will see. Check out the toy helicopter chasing a train set through papier-mache mountains! Exploding cars on the autoracks that blow up as soon as a bullet hits them, lack of route knowledege through Austria by the producers(all main lines in Austria have overhead wires and do not operate Bulgarian diesel locos), two toy train wrecks set alight by a kid with a match or so it looks and horrendously bad acting and dialogue that makes bad movies like BEYOND THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE and SHARK ATTACK 3 look brilliant. So at least it's funny. Recomended if you love dreck and want something to compliment that bad movie cheese-fest you are putting on! ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Two boxers go head to head but it's the movie that's K.O.'d!
Wesley Snipes stars as the boxing champ of Sweetwater Prison whose title and manhood are put at jeopardy when the true heavyweight champion (played by Ving Rhames) lands in the cellblock for the rape of a showgirl (Rose Rollins).

I enjoyed UNDISPUTED for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. I was looking for deeper character development than I ever got. We get to know Ving Rhames character the most (mainly because he's a replica of Mike Tyson) and he's the antagonist. We get introduced to several supporting characters (Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda) here and there for whatever reason. However, they're all a prison cliché.

The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. We can only assume that Snipes is the hero because of his sensitive hobby of making houses out of toothpicks. Other than that, Snipes has only about twenty lines. It's weird. Rhames even though billed second has far more screen time than Snipes.

I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow this movie feels like half a movie. Like important parts have been chopped away. I just can't imagine writers Walter Hill and David Giler (ALIEN), or any writers for that matter, writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character.

While action film veteran Walter Hill (48 HOURS; LAST MAN STANDING) has learned some stylish new tricks to filmmaking, they're not enough to save his latest effort. All in all, two incarcerated boxers go head to head, but it's the movie that gets K.O.'d.

D+ (the plus is for Ving Rhames)

Highly entertaining.
Looking over several of the poor reviews is rather surprising, unless you hate the violence promoted by boxing. This is a really good boxing movie. You have a Mike Tyson-like character who winds up in prison duking it out with a modest hard lifer in a real prison with hundreds of real convicts for extras. It's interesting to watch from 2 perspectives, boxing itself and prison. However, it's definitely a movie for the guys.

Fast paced action drama, no it's best presentation
This has got to be the most obvious movie you will ever watch as the fights and outcomes, court hearing, prison moves from Rhames and Snipes, not their best movie though, they've did some great ones like Ving in 'Pulp Fiction' and Snipes in 'The Fan'.
Although the realistic fight at the end between reigning prision champ, Snipes and Challenger and former Heavyweight Champion of the world accused of rape, was worth the 1 1/2 hour watch. Some of the storylines in this movie is a bit zany and unauthorised charecters that make apearences in this movie enter then suddenly vanish from the script. If this movie took long enough to make with the fluential budget ammount and great cast of charecters, it would've made a name.

Great B movie
First off, why in the hell wasn't this movie a hit? This is your classic slambang action movie and a helluva lot of fun. Wesley Snipes pulls a complete 180 by playing an appeallingly low key, almost spiritual underdog prison boxing champ and the great Ving Rhames rocks the house with his Tyson inspired heavyweight champ sent to jail for allegedly commmitting rape. Peter Falk , who plays an old jewish mobster has one hilarious monologue where he drops the F-bomb more times than even Joe Pesci ever has. Don't get me wrong, this material isn't exactly original and it is formulaic and predictable but an old pro like director Walter (48 Hrs.) Hill can pull this off and make it feel fresh and suspenseful. A lot of typical screenplay conventions are missing, such as a love story and a protaganist. The Rhames character is so arrogant you don't care if he really is innocent, he should serve time just for his megalomania. The Snipes character is a murderer serving life and even with his underdog persona he is still not exactly a hero and that is one of the refreshing aspects of this well acted and directed movie.
This is a B movie to be sure, but a damn good one.

Prison, Boxing, and Men's Pride; Peter Falk Is Standout
"Undisputed" is a Walter Hill film, which means it's about well-drawn characters, simple premise, and machismo. Or especially the last thing. Here you see Wesley Snipes as 'Champ of the prison boxing' (for 10 years) Monroe Hutchen, and Ving Rhames as 'the real Champ' or George 'Iceman' Chambers, who is convicted for rape charge. But some say they don't need two champs, so they decide it by fighting.

So they fight, but not so soon. A veteran prisoner named Ripstein (excellent Peter Falk, spitting out so many F-words) steps in, who truly loves the art of boxing, and he wants them to fight there, in the prison in the middle of the desert. Surrounding the three main characters are Michael Rooker, Wes Studi, Jon Seda, Fisher Stevens, and Master P as special guest.

The story is so simple, but the point is not that part. If you are looking for "48 Hours" it's not here. Hill and co-writer David Glier opted for creating realistic characters instead of actions, so what you see first is not the names of the actors, but those of the characters. They do not talk much about themselves, unlike many films of the genre, but you get to know them through the dialogues, uttered by well-chosen actors who can really act.

"Undisputed" belongs to the genre (prison film); however, it never shows unnecessary digression in the short course of story, and Hill wants that way (see how Michael Rooker's character slyly refers to the genre itself). It is not about a hero and a villain, it's about men's pride and dignity, and on that score it succeeds. ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Better than that other volcano movie with James Bond ;)
I've watched this movie dozens of times, the first being at an ampitheater in Indiana on a cold fall day. I hadn't heard of it before but the tickets were free, so I checked it out. Wow! What a movie! I couldn't believe it, the entire time I was sitting on the edge of my seat, I left with no fingernails at all. All the actors were just terriffic, especially Tommy Lee Jones, who just adds flair to any film he's in. I'm not sure where people get off saying that this movie is too fantastical, either. As they say in the film, one day in Mexico a man saw a smoking fissure in his field; the next day there was a volcano growing there. That story is completely true, and it's happened repeatedly throughout the world. Why couldn't it happen in LA, the most geologically unstable major city? That's like saying that an earthquake can never hit New York City because it just can't happen. And as the current quote on the page said, you can't fight nature? The techniques used in Volcano are used constantly in Iceland and Greenland, which are all highly geologically unstable places with many volcanos. Anywho :) off my soapbox, if you've got a second, check this out on a large TV with a huge sound system! And skip that Dante's whatever, Volcano is the bomb... literally.

Haha, what were you people expecting? Pyroclastic flows?
I think, overall, this is a good disaster movie. I mean, are you ever REALLY looking for a realistic scenerio in an action flick? I think the plot progressed smoothly (not one of those movies where the screen comes on and starts with people running around getting fried), and the music was great.

Obviously this is a small volcano, considering that if it was a Mount St. Helens thing with pyroclastic flows and lava all over, then yeah, LA wouldn't stand much of a chance, but its fun to think how a major city like LA would face a little volcano deciding to pop up in the middle of the city.

I think I lost some IQ...
This has to be one of the dumbest movies...ever...Yes ever...Seeing this movie I think my IQ dropped 20 points from it's stupid storyline and totally impossible happenings as a volcano magically forming in LA

Really dumb....the only thing good about this movie is laughing at it the entire way for its sheer stupidity

A stale and lame piece of junk
Is it fun to watch? Yes. Why? Because this is so bad you can't help but enjoy. They completely and utterly disregard any realism and totally defy the laws of physics. Let's put it this way, in this movie the coast is toast and the plot is rot. Tommy Lee Jones gets a major pay check to lead the rescue effort when geological mumbo-jumbo causes the La Brea tar pits and the new L.A. subway system to spit steam, ash, fire and a rolling, molten sea. Actually the coast is not even toast. Let me quote from everyone's favorite smart alleck Mike Nelson: "I hate to start this by nitpicking, but the movie really should be called lava and not volcano. The "film" starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche, really was long on lava and, as far as I could tell, had only one small-quite small, really-volcano. And, despite all the hype, the coast was not, at any time during the film, toast. The coastal city of Los Angeles, CA, was indeed in no small danger of being incinerated by flowing magma, but the situation was completely handled by disaster workers, and only the most pessimistic naysayer would describe the situation by saying 'the coast is toast.'" Beyond all that, seeing as how close our characters were to the lava, one would have to wonder why they weren't burnt up. At the temperature of the magma the characters could've in no way been as close as they were. Oh well it's simply a terrible movie. Bad acting, boring plot, crumby music, and doesn't even remotely live up to the hype! Unless you're in the mood for a cheeze-fest I suggest you see something else. Heck watching grass grow would be more stimulating than this.

valcano rocks on!
I love the movie valcano. I recemend it only to people who like horror and death movies becuse valcano is one of them. I hope kids don't really belive that this has happend becuse there has not ever been a valcano so powerful to blow up so much ash and magma to destruct a whole state and more than that so dont belive this happend. I will like this movie so much I am willing to pay for 2 copys of it if I had that kind of money but I dont so dont think I will. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Two boxers go head to head but it's the movie that's K.O.'d!
Wesley Snipes stars as the boxing champ of Sweetwater Prison whose title and manhood are put at jeopardy when the true heavyweight champion (played by Ving Rhames) lands in the cellblock for the rape of a showgirl (Rose Rollins).

I enjoyed UNDISPUTED for the first thirty minutes or so but after that I became lost. I was looking for deeper character development than I ever got. We get to know Ving Rhames character the most (mainly because he's a replica of Mike Tyson) and he's the antagonist. We get introduced to several supporting characters (Wes Studi, Fisher Stevens, Peter Falk, Michael Rooker, Jon Seda) here and there for whatever reason. However, they're all a prison cliché.

The character we never get to know, oddly, is the hero, played by Wesley Snipes. We can only assume that Snipes is the hero because of his sensitive hobby of making houses out of toothpicks. Other than that, Snipes has only about twenty lines. It's weird. Rhames even though billed second has far more screen time than Snipes.

I can't help but feel that this film lost it in the editing room. Somehow this movie feels like half a movie. Like important parts have been chopped away. I just can't imagine writers Walter Hill and David Giler (ALIEN), or any writers for that matter, writing a script with such a non-dimensional lead character.

While action film veteran Walter Hill (48 HOURS; LAST MAN STANDING) has learned some stylish new tricks to filmmaking, they're not enough to save his latest effort. All in all, two incarcerated boxers go head to head, but it's the movie that gets K.O.'d.

D+ (the plus is for Ving Rhames)

Highly entertaining.
Looking over several of the poor reviews is rather surprising, unless you hate the violence promoted by boxing. This is a really good boxing movie. You have a Mike Tyson-like character who winds up in prison duking it out with a modest hard lifer in a real prison with hundreds of real convicts for extras. It's interesting to watch from 2 perspectives, boxing itself and prison. However, it's definitely a movie for the guys.

Fast paced action drama, no it's best presentation
This has got to be the most obvious movie you will ever watch as the fights and outcomes, court hearing, prison moves from Rhames and Snipes, not their best movie though, they've did some great ones like Ving in 'Pulp Fiction' and Snipes in 'The Fan'.
Although the realistic fight at the end between reigning prision champ, Snipes and Challenger and former Heavyweight Champion of the world accused of rape, was worth the 1 1/2 hour watch. Some of the storylines in this movie is a bit zany and unauthorised charecters that make apearences in this movie enter then suddenly vanish from the script. If this movie took long enough to make with the fluential budget ammount and great cast of charecters, it would've made a name.

Great B movie
First off, why in the hell wasn't this movie a hit? This is your classic slambang action movie and a helluva lot of fun. Wesley Snipes pulls a complete 180 by playing an appeallingly low key, almost spiritual underdog prison boxing champ and the great Ving Rhames rocks the house with his Tyson inspired heavyweight champ sent to jail for allegedly commmitting rape. Peter Falk , who plays an old jewish mobster has one hilarious monologue where he drops the F-bomb more times than even Joe Pesci ever has. Don't get me wrong, this material isn't exactly original and it is formulaic and predictable but an old pro like director Walter (48 Hrs.) Hill can pull this off and make it feel fresh and suspenseful. A lot of typical screenplay conventions are missing, such as a love story and a protaganist. The Rhames character is so arrogant you don't care if he really is innocent, he should serve time just for his megalomania. The Snipes character is a murderer serving life and even with his underdog persona he is still not exactly a hero and that is one of the refreshing aspects of this well acted and directed movie.
This is a B movie to be sure, but a damn good one.

Prison, Boxing, and Men's Pride; Peter Falk Is Standout
"Undisputed" is a Walter Hill film, which means it's about well-drawn characters, simple premise, and machismo. Or especially the last thing. Here you see Wesley Snipes as 'Champ of the prison boxing' (for 10 years) Monroe Hutchen, and Ving Rhames as 'the real Champ' or George 'Iceman' Chambers, who is convicted for rape charge. But some say they don't need two champs, so they decide it by fighting.

So they fight, but not so soon. A veteran prisoner named Ripstein (excellent Peter Falk, spitting out so many F-words) steps in, who truly loves the art of boxing, and he wants them to fight there, in the prison in the middle of the desert. Surrounding the three main characters are Michael Rooker, Wes Studi, Jon Seda, Fisher Stevens, and Master P as special guest.

The story is so simple, but the point is not that part. If you are looking for "48 Hours" it's not here. Hill and co-writer David Glier opted for creating realistic characters instead of actions, so what you see first is not the names of the actors, but those of the characters. They do not talk much about themselves, unlike many films of the genre, but you get to know them through the dialogues, uttered by well-chosen actors who can really act.

"Undisputed" belongs to the genre (prison film); however, it never shows unnecessary digression in the short course of story, and Hill wants that way (see how Michael Rooker's character slyly refers to the genre itself). It is not about a hero and a villain, it's about men's pride and dignity, and on that score it succeeds. ... Read more