Even though this is a subject very close to my heart and made by one of my favourite directors I cannot rave about this movie. The problem is that a lot of it just doesn't add up.
The subject matter of a special forces operator going off the reservation is very complex but Friedkin turns it into a chase movie. You therefore don't get any real insight into the mind of Hallam and why he has gone loco. You also don't understand why his attempts to contact LT were rejected. Was LT also a burn-out? Its not properly explored.
The character LT is also half done. Having read Tom Brown Jr's work I know how superficially they treated the subject of man tracking. They could have really made a meal of this, given the complexity of the subject but it is only given a cursory treatment.
A couple of things just didn't work for me:
The business about making a knife on the run is a nice little plot device but complete hokum of course. The scene with the wolf also stretched belief a bit. I'm sure a wounded wild animal would be a LOT more difficult to handle.
Where the movie DOES work is in the use of locations, which are fantastic, particularly the wilderness areas, and the actual fight sequences, which are very realistic and nicely done. The movie looks fantastic throughout and the two leads are excellent. The chase sequence through the city was well handled too, although one wouldn't expect much less from Friedkin.
What a wasted opportunity, given the fascinating subject and caliber of the director and two lead actors. If you want to see Friedkin do this type of story properly, I highly recommend To Live and Die in LA.
The subject matter of a special forces operator going off the reservation is very complex but Friedkin turns it into a chase movie. You therefore don't get any real insight into the mind of Hallam and why he has gone loco. You also don't understand why his attempts to contact LT were rejected. Was LT also a burn-out? Its not properly explored.
The character LT is also half done. Having read Tom Brown Jr's work I know how superficially they treated the subject of man tracking. They could have really made a meal of this, given the complexity of the subject but it is only given a cursory treatment.
A couple of things just didn't work for me:
The business about making a knife on the run is a nice little plot device but complete hokum of course. The scene with the wolf also stretched belief a bit. I'm sure a wounded wild animal would be a LOT more difficult to handle.
Where the movie DOES work is in the use of locations, which are fantastic, particularly the wilderness areas, and the actual fight sequences, which are very realistic and nicely done. The movie looks fantastic throughout and the two leads are excellent. The chase sequence through the city was well handled too, although one wouldn't expect much less from Friedkin.
What a wasted opportunity, given the fascinating subject and caliber of the director and two lead actors. If you want to see Friedkin do this type of story properly, I highly recommend To Live and Die in LA.