Chill Factor (1999)

A deadly biological weapon which destroys all life for miles when it reaches above 50 degrees is sought after by terrorists and it’s up to a lowly diner worker and ice cream man to keep it out of their hands and keep it C-C-COLD.

The parallels to SPEED are there to be sure, but this is strictly b-movie entertainment which is funny only because it’s easy to laugh at. When David Paymer, who plays the scientist responsible for discovering the deadly substance proclaims “I am Death! Destroyer of worlds!!” you just know you’re in for a really, really, REALLY bad film. It ends up not being as bad as it looked like it might be, but it’s small consolation for tired cliches and unexciting action scenes galore. Cuba Gooding Jr. arrives about a half hour into the film, and does little to save it since there aren’t any good lines for him to deliver. He is about as hyper as his performances in the Pepsi One commercials and delivers on energy but not on acting in this outing. Skeet “Depp-elganger” Ulrich has no screen presence or charisma, so it’s a lukewarm affair for most of the duration. It might have been a funny SPEED spoof, but instead it’s a tedious and boneheaded action filler thriller sure to be quickly forgotten by anyone unfortunate to view it.

Qwipster’s rating: D

MPAA Rated: R for violence and language
Running Time: 102 min.

Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Peter Firth, David Paymer, Hudson Leick
Director: Hugh Johnson
Screenplay: Drew Gitlin, Mike Cheda