Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

This film scores a measly 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, yet Clay Keller (the creator of the wonderful Screen Drafts podcast) rates it one of the best action films of the 1990s.  Who's right? Well, it's a little from column A and a little from column B. The critics were a bit harsh, maybe because inevitably they were comparing it with its predecessor 'The Fugitive'.  On the other hand it barely passes muster as a way of whiling away a couple of hours. To describe it as a sequel to the aforementioned Harrison Ford blockbuster is misleading since its only connection is the presence again of Tommy Lee Jones as US Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard. We should be thankful for that since he is the best thing in this film.  It's a pleasure again to see him barking orders at his team. The main difference between the two films is that the former had a fugitive hero we could easily identify with and root for, a civilian wrongly accused of a terrible crime, whereas here Wesley Snipes is a gov...

I'm not into basketball but this film, directed by Ron Shelton, was a critical and commercial hit, and it stars Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, so I thought why not give it a go? It’s a classic case of a film where the individual scenes are entertaining enough but they don't cohere into anything much of a narrative arc. The only thing at stake is that Billy (Harrelson) and his girlfriend Gloria owe £8,000 to some gangsters, the Stucci brothers, but no real attempt is made to make this seem important.  It’s just a plot device to get Billy to join forces with Sidney (Snipes) to hustle up some cash. The relationship between Bobby and Gloria  exemplifies the narrative fuzziness.  Early on, the film goes out of its way to show us that she has an alcohol issue, but this then gets dropped or forgotten.  And the resolution of their relationship issues is odd, with her just walking out of his life. The actress who plays Gloria (Rosie Perez) is a memorable screen presence a...