The List: 5 Nov 1993 (20/84)

FILM REVIEW

L 18 The List 5-18 November 1993

Wesley Snipes wins haircut of the year as The List reviews all the ﬁlms opening in Scotland over the next two weeks.

I Dave (12) When US President Bill Mitchell (Kevin Kline) slips into a coma during an extra- marital bout of ofﬁce work with his secretary. the scheming Chief of Staff reckons he can twist the situation to his advantage by employing presidential lookalike Dave Kovic (also Kline) as a political puppet. But Dave and the First Lady (Sigoumey Weaver) reckon they can give America back its liberal conscience. A sentimental modern fairytale with social overtones. Dave is proof that a caring heart does beat somewhere in Hollywood. Kline is comfortable in Jimmy Stewart’s shoes. while Weaver nicely underplays in the support role. See preview.

l Black Diamond Rush (U) Experience the thrills and spills of top piste action from the comfort of a cinema seat as the latest of Warren Miller‘s ski films takes you across the world. And for those who fancy a bit of apres-ski. this one-off event — which takes place at the Dominion in Edinburgh at 7.30pm on Fri 14 Nov —

also offers complimentary

. sips of mulled wine. the

chance to win fashion and accessories from Blues Ski Shop. as well as free dry ski runs for every ticket holder at Hillend Ski Centre. Tickets cost £6 (£5). with a family ticket for two adults and two children set at £18. Group bookings. with a minimum of six people. cost £5 each.

I Naked (18) Mike Leigh's bleak view of 90s Britain is much more abrasive than the comedies for which he is best known. Johnny. a cynical drifter from the North. comes to London and embarks on an increasingly desperate odyssey through the dark streets and fractured personalities of the capital‘s nightlife. Some of the supporting characters - notably the middle-class ones — are caricatures pure and simple. and could not exist anywhere except in a Mike Leigh world; however. the central virtuoso performance by David Thewlis is easily one of the year‘s best. See feature.

I The Klller ( 18) A hired killer accidentally damages the eyesight of a nightclub singer while carrying out a hit. and his conscience forces him to carry out one last job in order to pay for an operation that will stop her from going blind. When she recovers her sight. however. she will discover that her benefactor. whom she has grown to love. is the man she witnessed commit the murder. Action balletics and emotional turmoil in John Woo‘s breakthrough

movie. now receiving a welcome subtitled re- release thanks to specialist Far Eastern action distributors Made lll Hong Kong. Chow Yuri-Fat. a veritable icon on home turf. is excellent as Jeff. the troubled. essentially noble killer; Danny Lee also brings a tough code of honour to his cop role.

the flipside ofJeff‘s

criminality. Both are men out of time. as are many of the themes and heroic

characteristics that wind

' through Woo's work.

BACARDI BLACK

DEMOLITION MAN

Demolition Man: “clever. entertaining and funny' Whatever happens, don’t be put off by the lame and misleading trailer for Sylvester Stallone’s Demolition Man, which makes it look like Freeiack 2 ' and gives no hint of how clever, entertaining and funny the film really 2 is. its future cop John Spartan, Sly consolidates the comeback which began with Cliffhanger in a sci-fl action picture laced with self-mocking humour and sharp social satire. Co- ‘ star Wesley Snipes also gets the . breakthrough role he’s been waiting for, as a maniacal, blond-haired villain who lives only to kill, maim and destroy.

Cryogenically frozen in the year 1996, following an incident in which 30 innocent los Angeles citizens were blown to pieces, psychotic criminal Simon Phoenix (Snipes) is thawed out for a parole hearing in 2032, by which time all crime in the huge conurbation of San Angeles has been eradicated, the only remaining guns kept in a

l major mayhem. Against their better

museum, and peace, love and understanding are the order of the day. Naturally, he escapes from his captors, heads straight for the museum and, having armed himself to the teeth, sets about creating some

iudgement, the authorities are forced to defrost Phoenix’s old rival ? (Stallone), whose old fashioned, l violent methods are needed to end 1 Phoenix’s reign of terror. Meanwhile, a l group of raggedy, sewer-dwelling eco- i terrorists are causing problems for the a city’s benevolent dictator Dr Raymond Cocteau (Higel Hawthorne), who wants :

their graffiti spraying and food raids stopped because they spoil the atmosphere of calm, peaceful, boring normality which otherwise exists.

Not just an action picture, but also a

satire on a Politically Correct future society where violence, sex, fast food, smoking and salt are banned, the witty script — co-written by Heathers writer Daniel Waters - also includes a joke about Spartan’s knitting skills and a

sly reference to the Schwarzenegger Presidential library. First-time director Marco Brambilla stages the senseless mayhem with skill and relish, aided by producer Joel (lethal Weapon) Silver’s trademark mega- explosions. it is Stallone and Snipes, however, who deserve the greatest praise for gamely lampooning their own screen images and making this the film that Arnie’s heavy-handed Last Action Hero might have been.

.(Higel Floyd)

Demolition Man (15) (Marco Brambilla, US, 1993) Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Higel Hawthorne. 115 mins. From Fri 12. General release.

THE REAL MCCOY

In a parallel world where credible casting was one of life’s natural laws, Julia Roberts could never be forced upon us as a hooker in Pretty Woman, Bruce Willis would be last in line to play an ‘English’ journalist in Bonfire Of The Vanities, and the decision to make Kim Basinger one of America’s I top bank robbers would be treated with the derision it deserves. Here, the blonde one gets to engineer intricate break-ins clad in a tight black catsuit, try her hand at moments of vague action and vaguer comedy, and engage in some ‘emotional’ scenes with the kid playing her estranged son. Beautiful, intelligent, caring and resilient this character may be, but The Heal McCoy is a star vehicle that isn’t firing on all cylinders. Out on parole after a bungled iob, Karen McCoy wants to go straight, but is forced into an $18 million heist when gangster Jack Schmidt (Terence Stamp at possibly his worst ever) kidnaps her son. Despite this emotional blackmail, McCoy and her male bimbo sidekick and Number One Fan, J.T. Barker (Val Kilmer), do their utmost to turn the tables on Schmidt and his nasty associates. If ever there was proof that the caper “ movie has had its day, this is it. Watch ' out for the ‘silence the guard dogs

hadits day’

The Real McCoy: ‘the caper movie has i

IN THE SOUP

in The Soup: ‘imassuming. wonderful movie’ lll his mind. New Yorker Aldolpho Rollo (Reservoir Dog Steve Buscemi) is one of the great auteurs of world

cinema. Back ill the real

world. however. he can't pay the rent on the downtown grot-hole he

calls home: ‘That can be

my Christmas present.‘ he tells his dear old mum as she offers to cough up yet again. and we know he must be getting really desperate when he puts his script Unemlditionul Surrender - 500 pages of angst-drenched pretension — up for sale. Amazingly. someone wants to buy it: Joe (Cassavetes regular

. Seymour Cassel) is a warm-hearted minor

gangland figure and his instant offer of hard cash swiftly dispels Aldolpho‘s

> doubts as to where exactly

all those wads of notes

came from.

with drugged meat’ trick, the ‘this car

won’t start and the baddies are on our

tail’ dilemma, the ol’ ‘I told your son ‘ you were dead rather than have him i know you were in prison’ chestnut. You get the impression that Basinger is more than willing to stretch her talents, but she’s boxed in by the script and direction from Russell Mulcahy that takes his career further downhill from Highlander 2 and Blue Ice. Dnly Kilmer’s sweet and silly .l.T. ' deserves any level of audience interest. (Alan Morrison)

The Heal McCoy (12) (Russell Mulcahy, US, 1993) Kim Basinger, Val Kilmer, Terence Stamp. 105 mins. From Fri 5. Glasgow: Ddeon, MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: Ddeon. Strathclyde: Ddeon

' Ayr. All DCis.

The List: 5 Nov 1993 (Issue 214)