Reviews

It should be pretty obvious from other reviews I've done that I enjoy the work of an actor named Richard Lynch. As such, I rented this horrible little film thinking I'd at least get to see one of my favorite actors in yet another role. Oh the things a fan will do!

This movie had a few decent actors in it, the aforementioned Lynch, Joe Lara and Charles Napier, but the rest must have been dragged off the street with promises of fame and glory. It's obvious to even the most obtuse person that this film was so bad it should have been buried in a sealed vault, never to be viewed by upright walking homosapiens.

The premise is interesting enough -- American hero Rod Armstrong, (Frank Zagarino-in the worst performance in this movie) goes to Russia to freelance his security skills in this `no-nukes' era. A close friend of his (Napier) comes to Russia to warn him that some slimy Soviets are not obeying the order to disarm the nukes. He's killed of course by an American mafia type (Joe Lara) and Armstrong becomes the next target.

The movie plods painfully along until the predictable end -- all the bad guys being killed in B movie fashion. This movie would have been better as a one hour episode of a show like `24' or the like. At least we wouldn't have had to suffer through the whole 90 minutes!

The only scene worth mentioning is a rather funny scene in a whorehouse where Lynch's character drunkenly cavorts with several prostitutes. The rest should have ended up on the cutting room floor!

I don't believe that this movie got a wide release or a lot of publicity. It's the kind of film that usually finds it's audience on video. That said, I enjoyed this movie, a lot. It had everything you'd want from a simple little cop thriller, hot guys, intriguing plot with several twists and lots of gun play.

The story revolves around two cops, played by Jack Scalia and Eddie Valez, who are less than thrilled that their promised raise has been nixed by city hall. Grousing about how the bad guys always have cash and they never do, they decide to get in on their action. They plot to sell some guns they've recovered in a bust by stealing them from the police property room and doing a deal with a local gun runner.

What they don't know is the gun runner is really an ATF officer and when they discover this, they take off, with the officer as their hostage. Things go from bad to worse when, while struggling over a handgun, the ATF officer is killed. But things start to look up for the partners when their captain assigns them to the case! They decide to make all the evidence against them disappear, but as they try to cover their tracks, other ATF officers, bent on revenge, tighten the noose around their necks.

The acting in this was great, not one actor did a bad job, even the Huggy Bear want-to-be was good. Scalia was at the top of his game as the tougher of the two cops while Valez elicits sympathy from the audience in his guilt ridden actions. It was interesting to see Richard Lynch play a good guy as he RARELY gets that opportunity. He was very convincing as Saltarelli, the boss of the ATF cops. Nice to know he can play a good guy as well as he can play his bad guy psycho roles.

Won't spoil the ending for you but it's one of the best!

*CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS*

As remakes of great originals go, this wasn't as bad as it could have been. Usually when people in Hollywood feel the need to make a newer version of a classic they do it so badly one can't see it through to the end. That wasn't quite the case here, but almost.

I thought the casting was alright overall, although Patricia Clarkeson, who I do like and think is a good actor, fell flat as Margaret White. But then, in all fairness to Ms. Clarkeson, she did have some BIG shoes to fill, as Piper Laurie was the bomb in the original with her `over-the-top' portrayal of the irrational religious zealot.

I agree with what others have said regarding the character of Sue Snell and the actor who played her. Sue was FAR too well adjusted to the tragedy of the deaths of all her classmates, not to mention her boyfriend, only two weeks prior to her police interrogation. And although I liked that they made her African American, very new millennium-particularly with a white boyfriend, she did look like a black version of Amy Irving with that kinked hair.

I too was confused by the meteor storm, what the hell was that anyway? A flashback or fantasy on Carrie's part? I liked Rena Sofer in the role of the gym teacher, way less `butch' than Betty Buckley's character. But I'm still not sure how she survived the prom massacre. And how about that annoying senior class president, do you wish she'd perished as much as I do?

I also felt the scene at the slaughterhouse was more graphic than it needed to be. We all know they killed a pig to get the blood, but did we have to hear the poor animal in agony? Although the look on Billy's face just before he does it is very demonic and evil looking. I guess you'd have to be pretty evil to kill an innocent, defenseless animal. But I won't get onto that track here. One thing that really bugs me, as it did in the original, is wouldn't the blood coagulate overnight in a bucket? It seemed, in both movies, to be a little TOO liquefied to be realistic.

The police station scenes were ridiculous and not necessary, not to mention sleep inducing. I like David Keith, but his part should have hit the cutting room floor. I did however thoroughly enjoy the scene with Chris's dad when he threatens to sue the school if his little princess can't attend the prom. The way the principal turned the tables on him was awesome!

Lastly, (MAJOR SPOILER!), the fact that Carrie is still alive at the end is, quite frankly, bull ca-ca! I hated the fact that the house was still standing too. For me, probably *the* best scene in the original is the nightmare Sue has when she's visiting the site where the house stood and Carrie reaches up from the grave to pull her down to hell with her. To see them change that to a *very* comfortable Sue driving her to Florida was very disappointing!

Overall, not TOO bad for a remake, but not something I'll ever watch again. It just wasn't as creepy as the first one and lacked the eerie music and lighting as well. I must say I was tickled pink that the original was on TNT last night, gave me a chance to cleanse my pallet.