Freaktana A Major Disappointment

MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Rodrigo Amaro Nothing new in this generic and almost lifeless picture who owns its good moments thankful to the charismatic Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the thief hired by the FBI to steal vital information about a corrupt company. It all complicates when he's followed by the company's security after stealing the info which was hidden in a supersonic new car, object of desire of another thief (Linda Hamilton) who works for another corrupt company, commanded by a powerful businessman (Robert Vaughn). The goal is to take the car and the info out of it, and escape the bad guys who are always on his way. Even having John Carpenter as a writer of this film, "Black Moon Rising" doesn't fly high in ambition. But it's more of a direction problem (Carpenter is not commanding this but it's unknown Harley Cokeliss who's behind this). It offers moderate action sequences that aren't vivid in the memory for too long - the car chases have their qualities while the fight scenes seem a little exaggerated with everyone fighting karate style instead of a more street level kind of fight, something in which we would believe more if seeing characters like those (robbers and security staff members) doing it. The only real exciting part was when TLJ crossed the two towers, a breathless scene that makes it all the while of going through dramatic conversations and some flirting between Hamilton and Jones, somewhat humored but created without interest for us in the audience. The story just wasn't important. Good for some snores in between.Why I liked it? Well, Mr. Jones was the man here. Always great and with an unique sense of humor, he makes of this a good entertainment with this good-hearted robber who even has time to teach young beginners in the field, as exemplified right in the first scene. Typical case of a movie where the actor carries the whole movie on his back and succeeds. And it was good to see Bubba Smith doing something outside of "Police Academy", here he plays the FBI agent who commands Jones mission. Oh the car! It was fun to watch, it's really fast and sparks some fire but it's no Batmobile or Kit the supercar.It was OK. Passable, destined only for those really interested in classic adventure flicks from the 1980's. 6/10

steve-974-698135 If Linda Hamilton and Tommy Lee had an emotional outburst in a forest, would it make a noise? Tommy Lee and his wooden acting is wonderful. I feel the same way about Clint Eastwood. Heck, those two could switch acting roles and nobody would know the difference.Linda Hamilton is another story. Usually a woman needs acting skills or some kind of sex appeal to make it in Hollywood. Hamilton proves the exception. Whether happy, sad, angry, or upset, she sticks with the tight lipped grimace of a hemorrhoid sufferer.Tommy Lee was 40, and had already perfected his acting style of using either a conversational and controlled voice or a slightly louder controlled voice. If he ever plays a robot, they won't have to coach him very much.The plot is pretty non-existent, even for a Tommy Lee movie. The best thief in the world is running away with his loot and comes upon the best car in the world. At the same time, he meets the best auto thief in the world. Tommy, in his wisdom as the best thief in the world, believes that the best place to stash his loot is in a car that is constantly being worked on by a team of engineers. Luckily, the best thief in the world is able to do this because the best car in the world is being hauled around in a crappy little trailer with a tarp. Tommy Lee even gets caught doing it, but they just let him go because, hey, he was just looking.They did throw in some very old actors: Jaeckel, Vaughn, Wynn, Cassavettes. Tommy Lee at 40 was the youngest by far. Hamilton was only 30, and must have had a Daddy complex.I love Tommy Lee when he is directed the same way you direct Eastwood and Lee van Cleef. Have them deliver fewer lines than anybody else, but have them dominate with their controlled, emotionless delivery. That didn't happen here. They didn't capitalize on Tommy Lee's one dimensionality to good advantage.I believe the director was trying to emphasize Tommy Lee's acting chops by having him appear in scenes with Bubba Smith. Bubba is a nice guy in real life, but he rarely contributes more to a scene than what could be provided by, say, a wall or coffee maker. Bubba appears almost exclusively in movies in which something heavy has to be picked up.Overall, the best scenes are those that involve Tommy Lee and none of the other principal actors. In those scenes, Tommy Lee looks like the future Tommy Lee.The movie loses points with the love scene, although it does keep your interest for much the same reason as why people slow down at auto accidents with burned corpses and severed heads. Ya just gotta look, even though you know the images will haunt you.See this movie if you want to see Tommy Lee have a good scene now and then.See this movie if you think an action movie should be full of pudgy old men.See this movie if you think women shouldn't be so emotional.See this movie if you think big-time industrial bad guys should only pack one gun for three guys. My crazy Uncle Ned would pick up a hammer now and then and bang himself in the head over and over. When asked why, he said because it felt so good when he stopped.Uncle Ned watches this movie.

robert-temple-1 This is a film with complex plot and action, and a great deal of tension. Tommy Lee Jones is a better action hero than most because he actually knows how to show a bit of emotion on his face, which is not a common attribute for some of his rivals on the screen. In fact, he seems human, which action heroes are not supposed to be, as they are mostly meant to be either comic book types or robotic. An action hero who thinks and feels? Hardly likely! Wouldn't thinking and feeling get in the way of the action? So that more or less defines the genre. Action movies come in different grades: (1) more than 100 people get killed, (2) more than 20 get killed, (3) only 2 or 3 get killed, which is really too boring. Also: (1) more than two helicopters, (2) more than one helicopter, (3) only one helicopter (hopelessly low budget). Or: (1) more than 20 cars explode, (2) more than 10 cars explode, (3) forget it. Robert Vaughn (he with the missing 'a' in Vaughan) is superb as the sinister chief villain, an arrogant, rich and powerful mastermind of a massive car theft ring. There are some really brain-teasing aspects to this story of how to crack an uncrackable building, and some good scenes of crossing from one tower to another to gain access. A new type of super-car features in the story, wholly unconvincing automotively, but nevertheless a good story item, especially when its after-burner seems to enable it to drive through the windows of one tower and fly across and crash through the window of the adjoining tower. Pretty advanced stuff for the 1980s! This film still works, all these years later, which shows just how good it was and is. Harley Cokeliss helmed this thruster.

Scarecrow-88 Robert Vaughn portrays Ed Ryland, one of those meglomaniacal crooks who runs an underground organization where his crew steals high priced cars and sells them on the black market. Linda Hamilton plays Nina, his head runner of the operation. Richard Jaeckel is Earl, one of three who have created a uniquely shaped and very fast state-of-the-art car which can go to speeds up to 325 miles per hour(it also runs on hydrogen from water). Earl and crew are at a meeting to pitch the unique car to Italian buyers when it is stolen by Nina and her crew, among many vehicles in the lot. Tommy Lee Jones is the star of the film as superstar thief, paid by the government to retrieve a cassette with important information the federal government doesn't want out to the public(Bubba Smith is the secret agent Johnson who threatens Jones if he doesn't give the tape to him). Jones plays Quint, who has an arch rival in Marvin Ringer(Lee Ving), both after the same cassette. Ringer has a bevy of cronies behind him to help in the dirty work and they try several times to kill him(often viciously beating him or shooting at him). In a scene to keep the cassette from Ringer, Quint places it in the pocket of the Black Moon vehicle..owned by Earl! So Quint isn't able to deliver the cassette to Johnson and is given 72 hours to find that tape and give it to him. The deck is stacked against Quint, for he must get inside Ryland's secure, well guarded compound, retrieve the hidden cassette, fend off constant attack from Ringer, and convince the Black Moon crew to help him. It's a lot to handle, but soon Quint winds up falling head over heels for Nina and the story takes on a whole new path. The film is quickly paced and fun despite asking the viewer to accept a lot of hogwash about cars that can drive a quick speeds through endless traffic, a man who can cross from one building to another on a rope hanging on one prong on a hook, and one man seemingly able to do many psychical things after being beaten heinously. The film has a ridiculous ending car chase which has the Black Moon going from one window off a building and into another windowed building. The film does have good leads who take the film a long way. Jones is always fun to watch, and is believable in his role. I liked Hamilton as well. Ving is really over-the-top bad in this film playing the heavy REALLY heavy.