Swordfish was the first mindless popcorn movie of the summer and managed to live up to my expectations. The action sequences were top notch, beautiful women all around, strong performances from most of the cast, and a story with holes big enough to fly a bus through.
Surprisingly this 'action' movie focuses more on character development than it does on blowing shite up, but it still manages to deliver some stunning action sequences. The car chase is the best since Ronin and along with the opening explosion turns this movie into a credible action flick. It was nice to see the bad guys using something new to destory a city block (you have to see the movie to see what I mean though).
Like all popcorn action flicks there has to be a beautiful woman, and this one certainly delivers. All hail Halle Berry and her beautiful body. I must say that I was actually kind of disapointed at how they showed her berries, it seemed like they thought, "Hey, let's just throw this in to sell a few million more tickets". Don't get me wrong, I am certainly not complaining, but I felt the scene with her taking her wire off was actually a more 'exciting' scene. Physical attributes aside, Halle Berry shows that she does actully know how to act and turns in a fine performance as Travolta's sidekick.
Speaking of Travolta, am I the only person he bugs the hell out of? I don't know who the bright person was in Hollywood that decided John Travolta was the ultimate psycho villian (Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Battlefield Earth), but that person should be shot. In my eyes he just doesn't seem like a believable villian. Early in the movie a computer hacker is talking about how Travolta lives in a world of fantasy, one that we can only dream of. Well that might not be too far from the truth because the only place that John Travolta can act is in a fantasy world.
Unfortunately for my buddy John Travolta he had to star alongside Hugh Jackman. This man is going to be a STAR people! He was great in X-Men and wisely chose to follow it up with a role that makes him look like THE MAN!!! (but then again, so would just about anybody next to Travolta). I can't wait for this guy to make some more action flicks because he sure is good at it. He reminds me of Willis in the Die Hard days and I am sure he will be pleasing audiences for many years to come.
The rest of the cast was strong, though Don Cheadle seems to be rehashing the role he played in Traffic. Fortunately he does it well so there really are no complaints. I just wish that Hollywood would give him a strong part that showcased what a talented actor he is.
The story was fun, though not very clear. I guess this is to be expected from a movie like this so I won't really complain. Overall I would say that this movie is definately worth seeing, just maybe not on the big screen.
6/10
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