Ricochet, 1991

I'll start with direction. Directed by Russell Mulcahy, who was responsible for one of the 80's top ten science fiction movies, Highlander... this film comes off as both a departure and... almost a follow-up to Highlander, except much more violent.

Mulcahy has slipped in and out of film and television, mostly noted for his two Highlander films and The Shadow, he's one of those directors who's career should be as solid as his hits. But unfortunately it isn't.

Written by Fred Dekker and Menno Meyjes, with a screenplay by action writer Steven E. De Souza, this story has all the makings of an action his that starts fast and ends even faster.

Dekker has been responsible for writing such films as House, If Looks Could Kill and the godawful Robocop 3 (which he also directed) with Frank Miller (who should be ashamed of that film). He's also written and directed Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad.

Meyjes has had a slightly more 'positive' career with such films as The Color Purple, Lionheart, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and The Siege. De Souza has been around for a long time, having written such hits as The Renegades, 48 Hrs., Commando, The Running Man, Die Hard, Die Hard 2, Hudson Hawk (which I enjoyed), Beveryly Hills Cop 3 and Judge Dredd. The mix of these three gentlemen make up a film that is lacking in nothing. The characters are incredibly well developed, the dialog is smart and funny and, obviously, some of it was ad-libbed (especially Ice-T's work). The story itself is incredibly smart with wonderful parallels that entice the viewer to pay close attention.

The acting in this film is one of its big draws. Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollock and Josh Evans make up a well rounded group that depicts their characters perfectly.

It's obvious from seeing this film why Jonathen Demme chose Washington for his roll in Philadelphia. Washington plays Nick Styles, a rookie cop who stops rookie hitman Earl Talbott Blake (Lithgow). His progression into the public eye coincides with the destruction of Blake's life, and this is where Blake takes fate, and the fate of Styles', into his own hands.

It would be useless to get into Denzel's career, which spans over 20 years, from television (in his early career), to blockbuster films, award winning films... smart films with great characters that Washington slides in to with ease.

Lithgow... this man is one creepy guy, and he gets the creepy rolls pat... has for years.

Another career that has spanned over 20 years, one of the creepiest rolls I've ever seen Lithgow play was that of Burke in De Palma's Blow Out. This performance must have caught the eye of man directors down the line. Lithgow has become a staple in the 'method actor' arena, with such rolls as Doctor Emilio Lizardo (John Whorfin) in Buckaroo Banzai... Sam Burns in Terms of Endearment, Walter Curnow in 2010, George Henderson in Harry and the Hendersons... from comedy to science fiction to horror to psychological trauma... Lithgow knows his craft.

What can I say about Ice-T, except he had the funniest line in the movie. "Yo, chill officers. We're with the District Attorney's assistance club. We're assisting the district attorney, so don't make me club your ass." Or "I'm not dressed for this commando shit." The fucking guy was straight out funny, and his acting (not a very far leap in character) was right on.

Kevin Pollack and Josh Evans round out the remainder of the main cast with ease. Josh plays the part of Blake's little apprentice... he comes of sounding a lot like Tarrantino, and it's pretty funny. Pollack takes this roll after doing years of stand-up and shows the world he can act... moves on to bigger and better things like The Usual Suspects, A Few Good Men and Casino.

One of the beautiful things about this film was the photography. Cinematographer Peter Levy has had a spotty but impressive career as a DP, with films like Nightmare on Elm Street 5... then moving on to Predator 2 (a great movie), Dangerous Game, Judgement Night, Blown Away (which is a beautiful film to look at), Cutthroat Island, Broken Arrow, Lost in Space and Under Suspicion. It is obvious that Mulcahy trusted Levy with his film, and with good reason. The results are nothing less than captivating.

A note on the music by Alan Silvestri. It was strongly reminiscent of Predator, which Silvestri did do. You could catch other glimpses of music from his others films (way too many to mention), but still, the man has done over 70 film scores, I'm sure some of it gets recycled by accident. The music is creepy and it works... but twinges of Predator are definitely there for the listening.

I say see it. I say, also, read the script. It's non-stop action, great dialog and great characters. It's also reads and views as the very definition of character arcs.

J.P.

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