Hard Rain (1998)
Hard Rain and Chain Reaction. What do these two movies have in common? Answer: they both have Morgan Freeman (Kiss the Girls, The Shawshank Redemption) as the bad guy, and star an annoying, young, lackluster protagonist. Note...
Hard Rain and Chain Reaction. What do these two movies have in common? Answer: they both have Morgan Freeman (Kiss the Girls, The Shawshank Redemption) as the bad guy, and star an annoying, young, lackluster protagonist. Note...
1980s / Action / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published April 6, 1999 · Last modified October 8, 2020
They Live is a laid-back sci-fi actioner starring ex-pro wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as John Nada (he’s not called any name in the movie), a drifter who lands a temp job at a construction...
Caddyshack marks the first in Harold Ramis’ (Groundhog Day, Analyze This) now-distinguished directorial career, and you have to give him credit — he knows what’s funny. This is one hilarious flick that’s a certified classic for...
Three teenage hoodlums get recruited by a cop to work undercover to bust a drug ring which may involve fellow police officers. When the recruiter gets killed himself, they take it upon themselves to...
1990s / Action / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published March 18, 1999 · Last modified March 9, 2023
Around 1978, Roland Emmerich, a film school student in Munich, screened a documentary about who built the Great Pyramids of Giza and why. The documentary incorporated ideas from Erich von Daniken’s book, “Chariots of...
Top Gun is a quintessential Reagan-era by-product, a pure fantasy highlighted by typical concentration on materialism and superficiality. From the synthesized score by Harold Faltermeyer to the synth-rock tunes of Berlin and Kenny Loggins,...
Due to revolving around the occupation of firefighting, Lifeline will likely be compared by most viewers to the American film by Ron Howard, Backdraft, by any who have seen both. However, even though Lifeline came afterward and should rightfully...
1990s / Action / Drama / Thriller
by Vincent Leo · Published February 21, 1999 · Last modified February 4, 2019
An assassin (Yun-Fat, All About Ah-Long) inadvertently nearly blinds a young lounge singer (Yeh, Peking Opera Blues) during one of his assignments. Overwhelmed by pity, he decides to take care of her and soon they fall in love. ...
by Vincent Leo · Published February 18, 1999 · Last modified April 2, 2019
A young woman named Kitty exacts revenge for the murder of her father and is hunted down by the Hong Kong police, including Tinam (Yam), a man she was seeing who is seeking who...
1990s / Action / Science Fiction
by Vincent Leo · Published February 14, 1999 · Last modified February 20, 2019
What is it that makes a good action film? Isn’t it the combination of good acting, directing, script, action set-pieces, costumes, and special effects? If that’s the case, The Avengers is a good film, right? That...
Reviews from film writer Vince Leo, covering all eras and genres of films from classics to the latest releases.
Film reviews from Vince Leo, from classics to new releases, since 1996.