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Judgment NightRating:
Release Date: 20 January, 2004 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $13.48 You SAVE: $1.50! Cast: Complete Cast (8 total) |
Judgment Night Reviews
Great film, but where are the extras???
After the miserable first release of Good Times-DVD, I expected a special collector's edition from UNIVERSAL.
Of course, I should get disappointed - except of one lousy trailer there is nothing on the DVD!
Although it was a nice try from UNIVERSAL to worth up the DVD with a DTS-Soundtrack, the DVD actually only matches the first release with its better picture-quality on this DVD-9!
The film itself of course is some great-laconic action-flic with great acting-performances (Leary is a standout as Fellon, the bad guy!).
Like bread, anything can be made
Can someone get an award for being the best thing in a bad movie? If so, Cuba Gooding, Jr. deserves it for
valiantly attempting to act well in the rehashed plot of what should've stayed a USA cable movie. Essentially, four middle class buddies, played by Ernilio Estevez as Frank Wyatt (titled as "Everyman" in the film's press packet); Cuba Gooding, Jr. as Mike Peterson, who plays Frank's righthand man/best friend; Stephen Dorff as John Wyatt, Frank's impulsive younger brother; and Jeremy Piven as Ray Cochran, Frank's sleazy, yuppie friend. There is a tendency in the film for the characters
to center around Frank, which could've worked if Frank had a character. This ensemble of stereotypes make a wrong turn on the expressway en route to a prize fight and end up as the prizes in a man vs. man hunt. Denis Leary, a raucous comedian seen on MTV and Nike commercials, plays Fallon, the psychopathic gang leader. The most difficult part of criticizing a bad movie is knowing that good actors have been saddled with a bad plot and bad characters. Estevez has been slaving away for a surefire hit since Stakeout to no avail. Gooding, Jr. was the recipient of the prestigious NAACP award for
his phenomenal debut performance as Tre Styles in Boyz N the Hood. I suppose even Gooding, Jr. can take a job like the rest of us to just pay the bills. We're all waiting with bated breath for his next film, a comedy, which co-stars tour d'force actors like Hulk Hogan. Cuba must have a lot of bills. Dorff starred in The Power of One, whose title also includes the number of days it was in theaters, the dimensions of his character in this film, and his acting ability. Finally, newcomer Jeremy Piven of The Larry Sanders Show should've backed out and given this re-hashed role to Paul Reiser, who originated a good yuppie
sleaze in Aliens 2.
Leary is simply his comedy persona with a gun. If director Steven Hopkins wanted to combine a comedian
with a gang leader, should've chosen Rita Rudner. Now that would've been original! The real problem with this film, which runs 109 minutes, is that it's 20 minutes too long. Good chase/hunt films like the Alien trilogy, Blade Runner, The Last of the Mohicans, and even Adventures in Babysitting are good because they stay in their mode as action thrillers.]udgment Night can't decide whether or not to be an action film, comedy, melodrama, or dramedy.]udgment Night also has another set of prob-
lems centering around its script: one, it was produced, and two, it is plagued with stereotypical characters,
action scenes, and death scenes.
A slight bright point to this farce is Peter Levy's work as the director of photography. There are great shots of faces in the foreground with another character in the background, which are as well done here as they are in Calvin Klein Obsession commercials. When you watch a film like this one, you shouldn't leave with a lesson in cinematography because the film is sad joke. I laughed through the whole thing because my ticket was free.
In conclusion, there are three points which beg attention. One, Estevez and Gooding, ]r. need to keep
looking for that "right" film for their genuine acting ability. Maybe Emilio's songstress (I use that term
lightly here} wife, Paula Abdul, can use them in her next video! It sure did give a boost to Keanu Reeves' career.
Two, director Steven Hopkins (previous films include the heavy Oscar contenders Predator 2 and Nightmare on Elm Street, Part 5} needs to stop feeding action movie pablum to us like we're newborns who haven't seen this done better, for less money, and with less insult. Which brings me to my last point: is this Hollywood's view of the inner city? Animals waiting to rend helpless wayward strangers? Neighbors who won't help those in desperate need? Stereotypes of African-Americans, Latinos,
and Asians, with white gun-toting gang leaders ruling neighborhoods? Wake up people: the new racism is being filmed, packaged, and delivered to a theater near you.
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