A Few Good Men [Blu-ray]

Description

A group of old friends returns to their hometown for a friend's funeral. When two of them begin to investigate the suspicious circumstances of his death, they uncover a shocking and deadly conspiracy.

Customer Reviews:

"Noirish Coolness" collides with Martial Arts brutality...SUCCESS!!.......2007-07-31

CITY OF VIOLENCE (aka: Jjakpae) is the 4th film by acclaimed action director Seung-Wan Ryoo (Arahan, Crying Fist). His films usually have that commercial appeal which is why they have enjoyed more success in most other countries in Asia than in South Korea itself. "City of Violence" is no exception, as with most martial arts films, it may have more "Style over substance" but no one can deny that it is very entertaining and quite intense that this film is worth a watch.

A Seoul cop named Taesu (Du-hong Jung, Fighter in the Wind, Arahan) is summoned back to his hometown to attend a funeral for an old high school buddy named Wang Jae. Once there, he runs into two more of his old group, Pilho(Beum-Su Lee) and Seok Hwan( Ryoo Seung-Wan). The four apparently forged their own lives; Taesu is a cop, Wang Jae gave up being a gang boss for his family and gave the reins to Pil-ho(who outgrew his goofy kid image), but Seok Hwan, still likes to start fisticuffs. Pil-ho assures Taesu that he owns the town and he will get to the bottom of Jae's murder. But Taesu, being the cop that he is, decides to do a little investigating along with Seok and they find Jae's killers have been brutally beaten to death, except for one. They find that Pil-ho was having an issue with Wang-Jae over a real state deal and it seemed that Pil-ho could have a hand in the murder.
Taesu and Seok must go through a gauntlet of Pil-ho's goons and a very tough QUARTET to bring Pil-ho to justice. The inevitable climactic showdown is a sight to behold.

The plot is unoriginal, and is quite simple. The screenplay gets a tad blurry with too many characters and with the flashbacks. It is also hampered with the fact that Pil-ho is revealed to be the culprit early on in the movie. It reminds me of the films; "Stand By Me" and the Korean Hit "Friend".

However, "City of Violence" succeeds in the action/fight scenes as well as its visual style that I forgave its shortcomings. The fight scenes (choreographed by Du-Hong, actor who played Taesu) are very well done and limits the use of wires/CGI. Bloody and hard-hitting, the fights are well-executed that the style has a touch of realism and doesn't lose its humanity. Camera work gives you an observational perspective, so you can see all the action. The atmosphere has that "noirish coolness" and coupled with very nifty scenes with the different "themed" gangs (looks like it was modeled after "The Warriors";ex. Cheerleaders, bikeriders, etc.) And the music at the climax is reminiscent of the Eastwood's "spaghetti westerns". All the formulas blend well to give us a very cool action movie.

I have the 2-disc region-3 edition from CJ entertainment. The presentation is exceptional which is why Korean dvds are expensive. I heard the Dragon Dynasty release will utilize the same transfer and may carry an English dubbed track. (I prefer to watch it in original Korean language)
PICTURE/AUDIO: 1.78 anamorphic widescreen. Near-flawless picture transfer. Vibrant colors, clean and sharp with strong solid blacks in the scenes where needed. 5.1 Dolby/DTS-ES in Korean, English subtitles are very good. If you're equipped, DTS track is the way to go because it is very powerful and crisp. You hear the impact of the punches more clearly.

IN CLOSING:
"City of Violence" may not be wholly original, but it is proof that a film doesn't need to be one to deliver an intense and entertaining experience. It is fast-paced and definitely delivers in the action/fight scenes. It is exactly what action-buffs have clamored for in a long time!
RECOMMENDED! For action fans. (4 stars)

Average customer rating:

Easy to Like Even if You Don't Like Its Star
The future of yesteryear
Total Recall
one fo the best arnolds
I "recall" it being a better movie

Total Recall
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Sharon Stone , and Michael Ironside
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
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ASIN: B00070FX5U
Release Date: 2005-05-31

Product Description

This Special Edition DVD allows you to experience TOTAL RECALL the way it was meant to be seen & heard. 16:9 Newly remastered Widescreen Version will immerse you in the action. 5.1 Newly remastered Dolby Surround with Nearfield performance. Audio mix delivers optimum home theater audio performance. Arnold Schwarzenegger provides a rare audio commentary along with Director Paul Verhoeven.

Customer Reviews:

Easy to Like Even if You Don't Like Its Star.......2007-09-01

"Total Recall," (1990), a sci-fi action thriller set sometime in the future, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's based on "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," a short story by the noted sci fi author Philip K. Dick, was penned for the screen by Ronald Shusett, and was directed by Paul Verhoeven. It boasts a high-quality score by Jerry Goldsmith. And it's as easy to like as its affable, hugely muscular star, who, we know, has gone far in real life, too.

The film's set in Mexico City future, and on the famously red planet, Mars, where they've found something worth mining, leading to its colonization from Earth. Unfortunately, however, the planet has no atmosphere, thus no oxygen: all settlers and tourists must stay within an immense dome, and pay the local administration for air. Schwarzenegger plays Douglas Quaid, supposedly an ordinary earthly construction worker, though married to the beauteous young Lori (Sharon Stone). But Quaid is actually a recently brainwashed incarnation of Hauser, who was a big man on Mars as an administration spy. Quaid dreams of the red planet, and is so strongly drawn back there that he goes to a firm called Rekall, that implants pleasant memories, of whatever virtual vacation a client might select, in the subject's brain. But Quaid pays extra to virtually vacation as a spy, in cahoots with Melina, the sleazy-demure girl(Rachel Ticotin) he's chosen from the book. Problems arise, and Quaid must beat it back to Mars.

Verhoeven is a good action director -- he also gave us "Robocop--" and he's got a down and dirty Dutch touch. Sets are good: neither Mars, nor the city of the future, has too much of a cardboard look. And, in fact, just when things look most spacey, we're wittily, abruptly brought down to earth by something that still looks a lot like present-day Mexico City, to those who know it, or a can of Pepsi, a neon "lite" beer sign, or a sidewalk newspaper vending machine selling "Mars Today," in the familiar red logo of "USA Today." The citizens of Mars' Venusville, and its physical appearance, are spicy hot hot hot. The dialogue is witty -- Schwarzenegger gets off a couple of his famous one-liners, including "Consider this a divorce." The plot's good, and quick, satisfyingly complex, and has quite a few witty moments, too.

Schwarzenegger receives strong backing from an athletic young Stone as his wife,and Latina Ticotin as the sleazy-demure other woman: they're quite likely the best parts either woman ever had. The supporting players are solid. That European hand of director Verhoeven is frequently evident. There's a lot more blood, sweat, and spit than we're used to seeing in movies, and a closer look is taken, for example, at some dying goldfish, than we're accustomed to. (Quite possibly, closer than we would prefer.)

Verhoeven, unhappily, lets his special effects get the best of him in the film's last few minutes: they have a "Grand Guignol" quality not to everyone's taste. But it's an entertaining, interesting movie up until then.

The future of yesteryear.......2007-07-24

What else can be said about this movie except that it all seems so innocent now? And seeing CRTs with obviously curved glass in sci-fi flicks from the 80s and early 90s is always funny anyway. Not to mention the hairstyles and costumes. (This is one thing Kubrick got right -- his computer screens in 2001 - A Space Odyssey are flat...)

Nothing is as dated as the misguided futurism of yesterday. But that does not mean it is a bad movie, only one where some of the "futuristic" elements haven't aged all that well.

But the main thing about the film is of course the Big Question -- what of this, if any of it, is "real", what is imagined? Not that I want to sidestep that question, but has anybody ever considered the fact that this is a fricking _movie_? In other words, the whole thing is a fantasy, and those "dream-implanting machines" are just the fancy sci-fi analogue of a movie theater! The one who is getting false memories implanted is not Arnie's character, but the audience who is watching this (and tries to find out if it real or not), i.e. YOU.

Consider this movie a comment on the act of film-watching itself. That you ask questions about the reality of it all really only shows you are ignoring the obvious thing, the cinema/plasma/TFT screen in front of you.

Maybe that is a daring hypothesis, but then again Starship Troopers and Verhoeven's other films are certainly not to be taken at face value either, so I guess suspecting that the director is trying to make an ironic statement here about his profession is not so far-fetched after all.

And within the reality of the movie, it is made quite clear that, once the technology to fake memories perfectly has been invented, you can _never_ again be sure of what is real and what isn't. And therefore, it does not make sense for Arnie's character to ask himself that. "Your mind will not know the difference", so what would be the point?

And ultimately, we cannot verify our "real" memories either. You may live now and have memories of what you did a week ago, but there is no way for you to go back to make sure you really did what you thought you did a week ago. So from that standpoint we are not in a better position than Arnie's character, except that we generally do not question the validity of our memory very much, even though means exist (hypnosis) to alter it just as effectively as with the (hopefully) fictional machine in this movie.

Total Recall.......2007-05-13

Very good action movie with great performances by Arnold Schwarzenegger and SHARON STONE.The special effects are dazzling; it even won a special achievement Oscar.I recommend this movie

one fo the best arnolds.......2007-02-28

this movie is awesome its super violent and the makeup looks amazing still screw computer effects

I "recall" it being a better movie.......2006-12-14

Enjoyable experience back in the 80s; not so much now. The acting is stiff, the makeup is bad and the 80 hairstyles are laughable. Still the script was amazing...any chance of a remake without Arnold?

Average customer rating:

Best movie Kevin Costner has ever made! An exceptional film!
Kostner at his best.
If you love conspiracy, you will love this movie too!
High caliber thriller!
One of Costner's First Good Films

No Way Out
Starring: Kevin Costner , Gene Hackman , Sean Young , Will Patton , and Howard Duff
Director: Roger Donaldson
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: 0792844874
Release Date: 2000-04-25

Amazon.com

This implausible, but effective 1987 film stars Kevin Costner (Bull Durham, Wyatt Earp) as a naval officer and CIA agent who may not be what he seems. This sexy thriller is an espionage mystery and an enigmatic character study of two men trying to be faithful to the loyalties they hold. Costner begins a torrid love affair with the mistress (Sean Young) of the Secretary of Defense, but when she turns up dead, Costner is implicated in a web of intrigue that threatens national security and exposes personal secrets at the highest levels. The Secretary and his men try to cover up the affair while simultaneously searching for a Soviet mole in their ranks. Featuring an exciting chase sequence through the Washington, D.C., subways, No Way Out is a standard issue thriller that nonetheless keeps the action coming. --Robert Lane

Description

Imagine being a hunter leading highly trained bloodhounds in pursuit of a killer...and the trail leads directly to you! Starring Academy-AwardÂ(r) winners Kevin Costner* and Gene Hackman,** No Way Out is "a mesmerizing look at Washington power" (The Hollywood Reporter).Capturing a well-deserved four stars from critic Roger Ebert, this "taut [and] stylish" (Newsweek) thriller is fast-paced and powerful"a perfect nailbiter" (Variety)! In a fit of rage, Secretary of Defense David Brice (Hackman) murders his mistress. To keep a lid on the scandal, Brice's loyal aide (Will Patton) creates the perfect cover-up: he "invents" a more enticing killera Russian spyand then enlists naval commander Tom Farrell (Costner) to find him. But as achilling twist of fate would have it, Farrell also has a strong connection to the victim and now all the clues he's been hired to uncover are leading straight to him! In a desperate race against time, Farrell's search for the killer is not only a matter of national security, but also a matter of saving his own hide. *1990: Director and Picture, Dances with Wolves **1971:Actor, The French Connection; 1992: Supporting Actor, Unforgiven

Customer Reviews:

Best movie Kevin Costner has ever made! An exceptional film! .......2007-03-28

Shel Natowsky, Ph.D.

This movie is Costner's best, without any hesitation. The performances by Hackman and Sean Young are also flawless. Supporting roles are well honed, as well. The movie has everything you could want in a film...I mean everything! The screenplay is wonderfully written, acted, directed, and presented.

Why is it that movies as superb as this one is cannot be made anymore? Everytime I run it, it never ceases to thrill me and to amaze me. If you want to see a Cold War drama that never ceases to excite and one which moves at a fever's pace, then see this one. Satisfaction guaranteed! Well done people!

Kostner at his best........2007-01-09

This early Kostner film is Kostner at his best. It demonstrates his screen magnetism and established him as a star. Great tension, twists and turns. Not a typical Hollywood ending.Great casting.

If you love conspiracy, you will love this movie too!.......2006-02-16

This is one of the benchmark for the movies based on political drama and corruption in government departments. The story is about a secretary in Pentagon, and his attempts to cover-up the accidental killing of his mistress. The corrupt officers will not stop at anything to save the secretary from loosing his position. The defence secretary put Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) in charge of the murder investigation and later uses him for the cover up by falsely accusing him of a being a KGB spy. The world around Farrell changes, as the people he was supposed to trust turns out to be corrupt and partners with the defence secretary. Go for this movie if you like the conspiracy and political thriller because till date very few movies are made up to this mark.

High caliber thriller!.......2005-09-30

Desire and seduction, murder and cover up, scandal and intrigue, half truths and false promises of patriotism; where the duty lies beyond the flatter and the appearance must become a politically correct matter. In this sense this Neo Noir Film transcends the anecdote in a very linked similar profile with classics of the genre such as Pick Up on South Street or Kiss me deadly where the personal destinies are tied with the another dark side of the ethic.

Costner is an actor who is not precisely among my favorite ones, but I must acknowledge all the possible credits for this role, the alluring, irresistible and captivating of Sean Young as Femme Fatale and the worthy acting of Will Patton plus the presence of this giant actor as Hackman making of the sophisticated villain conform a magnificent cast that support the admirable camera work of Roger Donaldson who made until now, his most interesting work.

A magnificent remake of the Big Clock.

One of Costner's First Good Films.......2005-05-26

Roger Donaldson's 1987 film regarding the intrigues of the Department of Defense and the Pentagon starring Kevin Costner, Sean Young, and Gene Hackman.

Costner is a navy officer and C.I.A. operative who starts having a risky relationship with the mistress (Sean Young) of the Secretary of Defense (Gene Hackman.) When the Secretary of Defense accidentally kills her, Costner is made a scape goat to cover up the potential scandal: he's accused of being a KGB mole. The story then becomes a cat-and-mouse game between the U.S. Government and Costner on the run.

This is certainly one of Costner's better movies and the film carries the suspense quite well. Costner's limited acting talents are also complemented by those of Gene Hackman. This is a better movie to rent as it counts on mystery to carry the suspense which is resolved at the end of the film.

Average customer rating:

A fine, intelligent thriller, with thanks to Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Judy Davis, among others
Absolute Power
READ THE BOOK, FORGET THE FILM.
An interesting suspense thriller!
A solid thriller with a message

Absolute Power
Starring: John Lyle Campbell , Yau-Gene Chan , Judy Davis , Alison Eastwood , and Kimber Eastwood
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 0790731959
Release Date: 1997-07-08

Amazon.com

Director Clint Eastwood's 1997 box-office hit stars himself as Luther Whitney, a highly skilled thief who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, witnessing the murder of a woman involved in a secret tryst with the U.S. president (played by Gene Hackman). Determined to clear his name, Whitney cleverly eludes a tenacious detective (Ed Harris) while investigating a corruption of power reaching to the highest level of government. Adapted by veteran screenwriter William Goldman from David Baldacci's novel, this thriller balances expert suspense with well-drawn characters and an intelligent plot that's just a pounding heartbeat away from real White House headlines. Absolute Power features the great Judy Davis in a memorable supporting role as the White House chief of staff who desperately attempts to cover up the crime. --Jeff Shannon

Description

He was there he shouldn't have been and saw what he shouldn't have seen. Now, who will believe the word of a career thief and ex-con? Who will trust Luther Whitney when he says he saw a woman killed and that the man responsible for her death is the President of the United States? Clint Eastwood portrays Whitney and directs this crisp, finely acted thriller based on David Baldacci's best-selling novel. A stellar cast which includes Gene Hackman and Ed Harris creates well-rounded characters that intensify constantly spiraling game of cat and mouse between Whitney, local police and the highest levels of White House power. Eastwood is a master at steadily raising the stakes in thrillers. Here his mastery is absolute.

Customer Reviews:

A fine, intelligent thriller, with thanks to Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Judy Davis, among others.......2007-06-11

So the president of the United States may not be the nicest guy in the world. Well, we've known that can be the case since 1789. So the idea of our presidents engaging in sexual shenanigans may be as uncomfortable as realizing our parents do it. Well, we've learned more than we want to know over the last few decades about how our presidents spend their time when they aren't bringing peace to the world and ensuring our domestic tranquility. One of the reasons Absolute Power is such a fine thriller is that it involves the dirty doings -- murder, cover-ups, self-serving righteousness -- of those in high elected office.

Absolute Power is the story of Luther Whitney (Clint Eastwood), "one of the great thieves of the world," who breaks into the mansion of Walter Sullivan (E. G. Marshall), a very rich, very powerful and very old political kingmaker. But then Luther hears voices and has to hide in a bedroom vault with a one-way mirror. He has to watch the rough sex between the rich man's much younger wife and a friend of hers. When things get out of hand and she angrily starts to do some stabbing, suddenly two very competent men break in and shoot the lady dead. They're followed by an aggressively competent woman who proceeds to clean things up and spin a story that a thief must have killed the lady of the house. Luther comes to realize that the two shooters are Secret Service agents, the competent woman is Gloria Russell (Judy Davis), the president's chief of staff, and the man is Allen Richmond (Gene Hackman), the unscrupulous president of the U. S. Luther is spotted and barely escapes but Russell and the two agents manage to identify him. They also learn he has an estranged daughter, Kate Whitney (Laura Linney), a young prosecutor. At first Luther decides to take his accrued wealth and flee the country. Then he sees a press conference on television where Richmond uses the grief-stricken Sullivan, who made him president, in a smarmy soap opera of shared grief. Luther changes his mind and decides to see that justice is done. Luther's brand of justice is resourceful, clever and dangerous. All the while he has to deal with an honest homicide cop, Seth Frank (Ed Harris), who is on his trail, an assassin hired by Sullivan to kill whoever killed his wife, and the machinations of Gloria Russell, determined to shield Richmond, aided by the two Secret Service agents. One, Bill Burton (Scott Glenn), has a conscience. The other, Tim Collin (Dennis Haysbert), does not.

Eastwood and writer William Goldman have, in my opinion, concocted a fine, intelligent thriller that plays off Eastman's age ("Go down a rope in the middle of the night? If I could do that, I'd be the star of my AARP meetings."), gives us some fine set pieces (the break-in, killing and cleaning up; the attempt on Luther's life by two separate assassins when he meets his daughter; and the wonderfully played dance at a White House ball between Hackman and Davis) and which is told at a more-or-less human-sized scale. While I think perhaps too much time was spent on the relationship between Luther and his daughter, it's this relationship, well acted between Eastman and Linney, that helps raise the movie beyond just another thriller.

Three things make this movie so good. First, there are two sets of intriguing relationships, one of which is poignant and tender, the other almost grotesquely amusing. The Eastwood-Linney situation is the first. And then there is the Allen Richmond-Gloria Russell pas de dieux. He depends on her but we know he'd toss her out in a minute if he needed to. She depends on him, probably loves him, and would gut her mother to protect him and her power ("I'll take care of everything. Like I always do."). It's fascinating, especially as played out by Hackman and Davis. Their White House waltz at the ball, where Davis is coy because she thinks the necklace she received was a present from Richmond, and Richmond knows, and tells her, that the necklace was the one worn by Sullivan's wife and that it had to have come from Luther Whitney, is a classic lesson in acting. The two of them play every emotion you can think of, all the while dancing in close-up and smiling for the admiring guests. The scene is a tour de force and immensely funny.

Second, this movie is so good for what Eastwood and Goldman don't do. This is a thriller without explosions, without wild car chases and without star posing. We're left to focus on the story, on the intelligence of the dialogue, on the cleverness of the situation. As Roger Ebert said, "it's a thriller not upstaged by its thrills."

Third, and most importantly, is the casting. The impact of the movie primarily rests with Eastwood, Hackman and Davis. Each one has shown many times that they can carry a movie by themselves. Judy Davis is the least known and has been stuck in character roles for years. However, just watch her in My Brilliant Career, A Passage to India or Children of the Revolution to see an actress who can dominate a movie. The second tier, made up of Ed Harris, E. G. Marshall, Laura Linney, Scott Glenn and Dennis Haysbert are just as effective. These are experienced actors who work well together and who know how to deliver their stuff. E. G. Marshall at 83 gives a performance that combines great sadness with an implacable sense of retribution. And Scott Glenn, such a good actor who has slowly slipped down to smaller, secondary roles, gives a performance of such regret it nearly distracts us from the story.

The movie is in real need of a better release. The picture is consistently too soft and frequently too dark in the night-time and interior scenes. There are a couple of inconsequential extras.

Absolute Power.......2007-05-07

Clint Eastwood and a very good story plus a great cast makes for a keeper for collectors.

READ THE BOOK, FORGET THE FILM........2006-12-11

I read the brilliant book first (always a good idea) and got the film expecting a similar reaction. If you want a standard Clint Eastwood thriller with a top notch crew then this is your standard fare. It's all fairly nice and staid and rather slushy at the end but if you want a version of the book DON'T BOTHER it is a virtual rewrite, leaving out the main character Jack, his daughter's ex-boyfriend completely. The basis of the book was built around him defending Luther and finding out the truth. In the book the daughter hates Luther, in this she just vaguely dislikes him. Don't want to give to much away but Luther isn't even in the end of the book and the way he manipulates the authorities is non-exsistant. See what i mean? they should of said 'based on the book...but only a little'.

An interesting suspense thriller!.......2006-03-27

This is an interesting film with Clint playing a cat burglar who likes to paint as a hobby. He is estranged from his daughter due to his criminal actiity but longs to be involved in her life.

Clint plays this part with dignity and grace. The story is well written and interestingly filmed. It was nice to see Gene Hackman as part of the supporting cast.

A solid thriller with a message.......2005-10-24

Absolute Power is not among Clint Eastwood greatest films, but it's much better than is usually given credit for. A dark thriller, directed as professionally and bleakly as only Eastwood can do it, Absolute Power centers around Luther Whitney, a professional burglar (Eastwood himself, in one of his best performances in the last decade), who finds himself in a classic wrong place, wrong time situation - while robbing a luxurious mansion, he accidentally witnesses a sexual assault and a murder, and the subsequent cover-up, that involves the President of the United States and the White House staff. That scene at the very beginning of the movie is probably the strongest one in it, Eastwood making brilliant use of cinematography, music (and especially the lack of) and his trademark heavy contrasted lighting, and with almost no dialogue at all, it's a remarkably effective scene that overshadows much of the rest of the film.

Still, as the film turns into a more standard conspiracy-thriller, it holds its own quite well, mainly due to William Goldman's wonderful script (as his always are, this is the genius who wrote 'The Princess Bride', 'Marathon Man', 'Misery' and 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', among others) and most of all thanks to the absolutely fantastic all-star cast; other than Clint himself, who is ideal as the charming, ruthless but honest criminal, fantastic performances are also given by Gene Hackman as the President and by Ed Harris as the detective on the case. The rest of the excellent cast includes Laura Linney ('Primal Fear') as Luther's daughter; the fantastic Judy Davis ('Naked Lunch', 'Barton Fink') as the President's sneaky assistant; Scott Glenn ('Buffalo Soldiers'); Dennis Haysbert ('Far From Heaven'); E.G. Marshall ('Tora! Tora! Tora!'); Penny Johnson ('24'); and Richard Jenkins ('Six Feet Under'). As is usually the case with Clint Eastwood's films, all the actors seem to have been hand-picked by him directly, rather than participated in an audition, because each character seems to have been designed specifically for the actor portraying them. Because of that cast and the brilliant directing and dialogue, Absolute Power is an entirely gripping watch, even if the story is at times less than entirely convincing and just a little fragmented.

Absolute Power tries to make its mark on three levels - the thriller level is the only one where it completely succeeds, and it manages to be constantly exciting, gripping and enticing. It works slightly less well on the human level, because the inter-character relationships are rather poorly developed. Laura Linney's character in particular is underdeveloped, and so the father-daughter relationship element hardly carries any weight in the story, and neither does her relationship with Ed Harris's character. As there is no interaction between Eastwood's character and Hackman's, the only relationships that are worth mentioning are the ones between Eastwood and Harris, which is strictly superficial and based on mutual respect, and the one between Hackman and Marshall, who plays the old billionaire who funded Hackman's rise to the presidency. The third level on which the film works is as political commentary; there it achieves partial success, as the story often seems contrived (although, one might note, not as contrived as we may imagine). Still, it can give you a general idea of how absolute power corrupts, and of the kind of horrors that the intricate systems of democracy might hide; but it's not to be taken too literally. The strongest elements of the story are the mystery, and Clint Eastwood's character, clearly the strongest in the film; as such it's a solid and enticing thriller with lots of atmosphere and wonderful acting, that will keep you glued to your seat.

Average customer rating:

Silkwood
The trio goes to work everyday
silkwood
Streep is very convincing as Karen Silkwood
Red alarm still keeps turned on!

Silkwood
Starring: Meryl Streep , Kurt Russell , Cher , Craig T. Nelson , and Fred Ward
Director: Mike Nichols
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
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ASIN: B0000AM6IS
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Amazon.com essential video

Based on the harrowing account of whistle blower Karen Silkwood, this 1983 film directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Postcards from the Edge) is as much a character study of a woman galvanized by injustice as a story of the dangers of nuclear power and the extremes of corporate greed. When Karen discovers unsafe conditions and reckless protocol at the plant where she works, her actions in uncovering the dangers that lie at the plant not only cause a rift between her and her lover (Kurt Russell) and her best friend (Cher), but they threaten her very life. Streep gives yet another bravura performance as a wild child in Oklahoma forced to confront the harsh realities of her life, and the supporting cast, from Cher to Russell to Diana Scarwid is first rate. This true story of the woman who disappeared under mysterious circumstances while trying to find the truth is a well-told, challenging, and emotionally complex tale. --Robert Lane

Description

Meryl Streep is stunning (The New York Times) in this shocking true story about one woman's struggle against a huge corporation. Nominated* for five Academy AwardsÂ(r), including Best Actress (Streep) and Best Supporting Actress (Cher), this daring, provocative and critically acclaimed drama just 'shouldn't be missed (Newsweek)! Karen Silkwood (Streep) lives a free-spirited existence with two friends (Kurt Russell and Cher) who work with her at an Oklahoma nuclear facility. It's only when she discovers she's been exposed to radiation that Karen's conscience awakens, and soon she is digging for evidence of wrongdoing at her company. But her sudden zeal for safer working conditions may come at a high price as she alienates friends and possibly even puts herown life in peril.

Customer Reviews:

Silkwood.......2007-07-09

Director Mike Nichols brings a chilling true story to life with this suspenseful, engrossing exposé. Streep's nuanced portrayal shows an ordinary woman who, through fate, circumstance and a streak of raw defiance, risks her life to attempt something extraordinary. Russell executes one of his more interesting roles as Karen's beau, and the talented Cher sheds all her glamour to play Karen's lesbian friend Dolly. Director Nichols builds a gradual sense of dread, culminating in a nerve-jangling conclusion. Don't miss this disturbing cautionary tale.

The trio goes to work everyday.......2007-06-13

Karen got very sick, dying. But Drew or Dolly never got sick.

silkwood.......2007-05-12

i thought this movie was really good and it was based on true events.

Streep is very convincing as Karen Silkwood.......2007-05-05

I am always amazed at the vastly different characters Meryl Streep has believably played in her long career. Her portrayal of Oklahoma nuclear plant worker/activist/martyr is particularly memorable. Though I believe the movie was actually filmed in Texas the filmmakers do a great job of creating working class Oklahoma in the 1970's. Both Kurt Russell and Cher are surprisingly good in their parts and the secondary characters are also well cast. An important movie that should not be overlooked.

Red alarm still keeps turned on!.......2007-02-28

Under the smart and talented direction of Mike Nichols, this veridical dramatis personae acquired bindings of special attention around the world when focused all the attention the existential premise generated by the employment of the nuclear energy.. Previously the China syndrome had sounded the alarms; and although the face fact the world still seemed not understand in its exact dimensions the magnitude of the ethic challenge, the picture two years before the historical catastrophe of Chernobyl, the collective conscious was shocked with certain intensity.

A female worker of just 28 years old dies "in weird circumstances because a crash car, due these curious and random twists of fate" just when she was already to expose the alleged dangers of a plutonium plant in Oklahoma.

Intriguing and absorbing film that meant for many people who lived at the edge of the precipice, deaf and disinterested about a theme which claimed since that first call of Mother Nature in 1953 when traces of radioactive isotopes were found in cows, notably depicted by Barry Commoner in his famous text "The circle which encloses."

Average customer rating:

Starts Slow, Finishes Very Good
Superb film, well acted and with a twist at the end
about the movie/film presumed innocent.....
Most of the actors seem to be sleep-walking through this one.
A disgrace to any integral female

Presumed Innocent
Starring: Harrison Ford , Brian Dennehy , Raul Julia , Bonnie Bedelia , and Paul Winfield
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 6304712588
Release Date: 1997-12-17

Amazon.com

Rich with ambiguity, this smooth adaptation of Scott Turow's bestselling mystery novel stars Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich, the prosecuting attorney assigned to a case involving the murder of a beautiful, seductive lawyer (Greta Scacchi) with whom he'd been having a secret affair. After the investigation gets off to a slow start, damning evidence points to Rusty as the prime suspect. His career is destroyed when his superior and secondary suspect Raymond Horgan (Brian Dennehy) sets him up for the fall. Bonnie Bedelia plays Rusty's wife Barbara, who is not above suspicion herself. While Ford's performance rides a fine line between presumed innocence and possible guilt, director Alan J. Pakula (All the President's Men) maintains a consistent tone of uncertainty that keeps the viewer guessing. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Starts Slow, Finishes Very Good.......2007-07-27

The film is a little hard to get into for the first 10 minutes or so. Then it improves very quickly and finishes with a bang. At times the dialogue is hard to understand and, at times, is hardly above a whisper and cannot be heard. All in all, this is a very good film - it just takes a while to get with it.

Superb film, well acted and with a twist at the end.......2006-08-08

I just saw this film for the second time in a period of several years and although I vaguely remembered the ending it wasn't until the "denouement" that I really remembered the details. However, I would watch it again, even if I did remember the ending because it is so well written and so well acted.

about the movie/film presumed innocent............2006-05-25

Singapore sold he code 1 version of this movie/film DVD in videoshops which I managed to grab one....hee hee....and the story is about Harrison ford was at first suspected to murder without knowing it he found out to be his own wife after he, his wife and his child goes to a ;ville' for holiday which she finally confessed her deeds in an undeground storeroom. He just take his wife as insane to do this and say that the case of murder was left unsolved. The problem is that the wife did not like the husband to look for her ex-girlfriend. This movie/film is recommended to those whom are interested in this genre of movie/film.

Review by:

(Dr)Ang Poon Kah
PhD (Prof) in political science from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in Neuroscience from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in Technology from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in Security System from Cambridge University and NUS
PhD (Prof) in Computer from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in film from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in Business from Cambridge University and NUS.
PhD (Prof) in Electronics Engineering from Cambridge University and NUS.
Bachelor degree in computer studies from Techco University
Zakkers film director

Most of the actors seem to be sleep-walking through this one........2005-12-26

"Presumed Innocent" is a so-so courtroom drama, weighed down by a too-slow first act, and a cast that seems almost as if it is sleepwalking through the movie. Ford, Dennehy, and Bedelia seem particuarly listless. Out of the entire cast, only Spencer, Julia, and Winfield seem to display any energy at all--with the latter two being particularly fun in their roles once the movie shifts into the courtroom.

On the upside, "Presumed Innocent" plays fair with the audience as far as the "whodunnit" aspect of the film goes, and I always appreciate a film that's confident enough in its story to do that. The film gives the audience so many clues and hints that I guessed the identity of the murderer and why and how well before the movie gave us the "big revelation"... but that was actually okay, because it does a good job of giving enough alternate suspects that I doubted my conclusion. The ending also played so well that I minded solving the mystery at the beginning of the second act even less.

I'm a tremendous fan of courtroom dramas, and I enjoy watching them. "Presumed Innocent" had just enough problems to knock it down to the low side of average. It's a shame, because this film should have been a full-fledged winner instead of a low three-star effort.

A disgrace to any integral female.......2005-12-12

There are two main female characters in the plot: one is a man-eater who will sleep her way to the top (although she may not even need it because she is good independently) and the other is the jealous and depressed housewife who gave up her career for the sake of her husband's. This is a man's fantasy and nightmare come true in one; and a boring cliche for all the intelligent and responsible females of the world. To all the Hollywood men out there: You can't brainwash us anymore with your b/s; okay???

Average customer rating:

Deception by Intellectuals
Quiz Show
Mass Deception
American cynicism regarding its institutions is born
BEST FILM OF 1994!!!!!!!

Quiz Show
Starring: John Turturro , Rob Morrow , Ralph Fiennes , Paul Scofield , and David Paymer
Director: Robert Redford
Manufacturer: Walt Disney Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 6305428522
Release Date: 1999-09-07

Amazon.com

This vigorously entertaining film, sharply directed by Robert Redford from Paul Attanasio's brilliant screenplay, is based on the game-show scandals of the 1950s, when TV quiz shows were rigged to attract higher ratings and lucrative sponsorships. The fact-based story focuses on the quiz show Twenty-One and popular contestant Charles Van Doren (Ralph Fiennes), a charming, well-bred intellectual who agreed to win the game by using answers supplied by the show's producers. This unfair advantage turned Van Doren into a prototypical media darling at the expense of reigning Twenty-One champion Herbie Stempel (John Turturro, in a bravura performance), a working-class Jewish contestant who, according to the show's sponsors, had worn out his welcome in the public eye. When a congressional investigator (Rob Morrow) catches on to the scam and Stempel blows the whistle on this backstage manipulation, Quiz Show becomes a smart, political exposé about the first generation of television, the corrupting effect of celebrity and success, and the ongoing loss of innocence in American society. Bristling with superior dialogue and energized by an excellent cast including Paul Scofield as Van Doren's morally upstanding father, Quiz Show succeeds as history lesson, intelligent thriller, and morality tale, setting the stage for the countless scandals that would follow in a nation addicted to television. --Jeff Shannon

Description

Academy Award(R)-winner Robert Redford's (1981, Best Director, ORIDINARY PEOPLE) critically acclaimed triumph, QUIZ SHOW, was cheered as one of the year's 10 best films by more than 80 critics nationwide. It's an exciting look behind the scenes at the thrills and high-stakes competition of TV's hottest big-money game show! But fame and fortune become a hotbed of scandal when a Washington investigator (Rob Morrow -- NORTHERN EXPOSURE) uncovers corruption beneath the quiz show's glittering facade. The scandal implicates both the wildly popular champion (Ralph Fiennes -- 1996 Academy Award(R) Best Actor nominee, THE ENGLISH PATIENT) and the disgruntled ex-champ (John Turturro, O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?). A powerful story with unforgettable performances -- don't miss this suspense-filled hit!

Customer Reviews:

Deception by Intellectuals.......2007-07-17

Its 1957 and the very popular show "Twenty-One" attracts the national eyeballs. A patent medicine is the sponsor. Just answer a few questions and you can win a big prize. It seems so easy! Then we see the whims of the top managers affect the show. Herb Stempel is a hero to his neighborhood. The college instructor Charles Van Doren applies to be a contestant. The producers think he has star quality and want him on "Twenty-One". They also explain how things work. A new face will perk up interest. The big event comes, and Herb Stempel takes a very dramatic dive. That's show business, folks. Charles Van Doren puts on his act to be the new winner.

The contestant is led through a series of questions. They know what he knows, and what he doesn't, so its easy to promote or demote any contestant. Stempel goes to the NY Grand Jury, NBC soon learns of his secret testimony. Stempel made a poor investment with his winnings and wants more. Lawyer Goodwin noticed the attempt to squelch the Grand Jury presentment. Judge Mitchell Schweitzer upholds this cover-up (wasn't he later involved with some scandal?). Goodwin tracks down contestants (like Woodward and Bernstein). Van Doren basked in his fame. Goodwin asked his opinion about the show. Finally Goodwin talked to Stempel and got his story. [The monetary figures from 50 years ago must be multiplied by 20 for today's values.]

Stempel took a dive because of what he was promised. (He should have known better.) They had the foresight to send him to a therapist so they could question his mental stability! But Goodwin checked the facts. Stempel admitted he got the answers, and Goodwin's investigation continued. When viewing a film of the show he noticed an anomaly in Jack Berry's performance! Then he sees Van Doren take a dive, and lose after 14 weeks. But there is a consolation prize of a $50,000 salary as a cultural advisor. Goodwin confronted Enright with a registered letter, proof of rigging the show.

Goodwin's detective work lead to a Congressional hearing into television. Stempel was a star witness. Can a television network stand to be distrusted? Would print and radio profit from this? The manufacturer of Geritol told how his sales went up 50% when Van Doren was on. Of course they suspected nothing, and admitted to nothing. Could an old college professor really be so naive as to be shocked by paid performances on television? Charles Van Doren showed up to admit to the facts: he was involved in a deception. How unlike his peers in corporations or government! Putting on an act is so common in television, then or now, that no one should be shocked. Just look at the Congressional speeches at the hearings, then or now.

Enright took the blame for everything to spare the corporations. Freedman admitted to rigging the quiz shows: its entertainment. NBC is owned by RCA, Rockefeller companies (they knew nothing). This is the story of a deception by one intellectual who served corporations. How many tens of thousands of intellectuals have deceived the public for corporations without being exposed? This lavish production may not have recovered its costs at the box office. Goodwin later became a speech writer for JFK and wrote a book on this story. John Turturro seems to be "the man with a 1,000 faces" for his many acting roles in films.

Quiz Show.......2007-07-13

Tackling the quiz-show scandals that rocked the days of early television, Robert Redford's intelligent, absorbing drama digs into the murky ethics of mass-media entertainment. Turturro and Fiennes are both excellent, playing antagonists whose ethnicity is as much a concern to image-conscious programmers as their smarts. Paul Scofield won an Oscar for his turn as Van Doren's patrician father, while Rob Morrow is memorable as a Boston attorney who helps Turturro blow the whistle. "Quiz Show" remains one of cinema's best meditations on our tricky dealings with the almighty tube.

Mass Deception.......2007-04-17

This is a great film--the acting, writing, and directing are superb. Especially noteworthy was John Turturo--his performance was great! The others were also excellent. The story was believable and it developed at a nice pace. My only regret was that at times it slowed down considerably and unnecessarily, making the movie longer than necessary, especially in all the trivia scenes which were meant to increase audience believability in the characters. And yes, the characters were real, many dimensional, and this was nicely portrayed throughout. I highly reccommend this film, well worth seeing many times.

American cynicism regarding its institutions is born.......2007-03-03

This has always been one of my favorite movies. I generally have to be "in the mood" for a particular film, but I will always sit down and watch this one. It seems strange today in this post-Watergate era to believe it could have been considered scandalous at one time for quiz shows to be rigged. For that matter, today, I doubt many people would be surprised if you told them the Congressional hearings on the quiz shows were rigged. That is the level to which our cynicism has progressed. At any rate, this film excels on many levels. To begin with, the cast and performances are just excellent. Turturro excels as the completely unlikeable walking encyclopedia, Herb Stempel. He so badly wants to be admired and successful, but he is just SO unlikeable he doesn't realize that he IS unlikeable. His long-suffering wife played by Johann Carlo sees Herb's every flaw yet loves him anyway. In this he is truly lucky, but he just doesn't see it. Besides his Jewish heritage, Stempel seems to have cluelessness in common with Robert Morrow's Richard Goodwin. Goodwin's character is center stage throughout this movie, and he is played as an exceedingly complex character. First in his class at Harvard, he has brains but lacks the worldliness to see from the beginning that corporate America's Goliath will never be taken down by his version of David and his sling shot of a subpoena. Long before Big Pharma got so big, the fix was already in.

In this sense, Goodwin is the personification of the wide-eyed idealist. He still believes if you just present the truth to the public the correct outcome is inevitable. Finally you have Ralph Fiennes as Charles Van Dorn, possibly the most tragic figure in all of this. He goes in to try out for one of NBC's quiz shows with the best of intentions, and ultimately trades his integrity for fame and fortune, although reluctantly at first. Van Dorn at first enjoys the attention and the money, but when Goodwin shows up at his door with a host of questions about the honesty of the quiz shows he seems to reawaken Van Dorn's conscience, and he slowly disintegrates into a pile of nerves who even goes out of his way to avoid the host of admirers he once welcomed. He seems relieved to indict himself before Congress and the nation, but pays a heavy price for his confession. Rounding out the cast is the excellent Paul Scofield as Mark Van Dorn, Charles' father. He is another wide-eyed idealist, and a tall shadow in which Charles has had to dwell until "21" comes along. The master stroke in this film is the cameo by Martin Scorsese as Martin Rittenhome, an executive with Geritol, the sponsor of "21". His short conversation with Richard Goodwin pretty much lays out the ugly truth of the situation - People do tune in to watch the money, and the same end could be accomplished by merely making the questions easier. He also mentions that the public has a short memory but corporations do not, and is thus confident that the NBC employees who rigged the show will never implicate anyone higher than themselves at any hearing. This fictional composite character is right at every turn, and the dishonored NBC employees even return to TV in the 60's with an even bigger hit - "The Joker's Wild" - something that would have never happened if they hadn't been willing to be the fall guys.

In short, I highly recommend this film. You'll probably get something further out of it each time you watch it.

BEST FILM OF 1994!!!!!!!.......2006-11-29

This is the best film of 1994. I rank it slightly ahead of Shawshank Redemption. It deserves a deluxe DVD!!!!!!!

Average customer rating:

A Government Gone Bad Tale
Capricorn One and Executive Action
Outstanding Action Conspiracy Adventure
Great concept...lousy writing
Houston, we have a problem!

Capricorn One
Starring: Elliott Gould , James Brolin , Brenda Vaccaro , Sam Waterston , and O.J. Simpson
Director: Peter Hyams
Manufacturer: Lions Gate
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0784011540
Release Date: 1998-02-18

Amazon.com

Thanks to repeated showings on cable television and home video, this speculative thriller has built quite a loyal following since its release in 1978. The provocative "what if?" scenario still packs a punch, even if it is not always believable. James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson star as three astronauts who agree to spare the government embarrassment by faking their historic landing on Mars after their spacecraft is determined to be unsafe for blastoff. When a scheming mission controller (Hal Holbrook) plots to kill the astronauts in a staged capsule fire, the trio embarks on a dangerous mission to expose the truth. Elliott Gould costars as the journalist determined to crack the conspiracy, and director Peter Hyams turns up the tension with an exciting chase sequence involving Telly Savalas as an eccentric barnstormer who comes to Gould's aid in his attempt rescue the hoax mission's sole survivor. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A Government Gone Bad Tale.......2007-06-25

The first manned mission to Mars is ready to go. The astronauts are strapped in and the countdown is proceeding. At the last minute, the capsule is opened up and the astronauts are taken out to a secret location. The rocket then blasts off as scheduled.

It turns out that a contractor skimped on some parts and the high brass knew the mission would be fatal. Their funding, however, depends on success. They intend to let the rocket go on and mount a hoax with the unwilling participation of the astronauts. Their families are being threatened and they have to play along.

Conditions are rough but they get rougher when the astronauts figure out that they are expected to have a fatal accident on re-entry. They know they must escape and the chase is on.

This is a pretty fair film from the 70s. It is not the best and the cynical view of the government seems harsh but, all too often, it rings true as well.

Capricorn One and Executive Action .......2007-05-04

These are both great movies because they shatter the myths of our times.

From fake moon landing to the assassinations of liberals -- and all the way to an appointed president and 9/11 -- we are asked to believe in coincidence rather than conspiracy. Is this conspiracy-free America?
Are we unlike every other nation; a gene pool set apart, free from violence, genocide, desires to enslave? Our true history suggests otherwise.

On the other hand, there is the propaganda of white male history which is the "Dick and Jane" version of reality which denies conspiracy in America.
What of the genocide of the native America? The enslavement of Africans in America? Our CIA run amuck all over the world? Vietnam and today's Iraq-nam. Warprofiteers aren't part of today's reality? There is no Halliburton ripping off our soldiers?

JFK released the seeds of a counter-revolution which, like feminism, continues to spread and grow.

If you want more insight into the struggles for and against democracy in America -- and there are those who consider democracy a threat to their view of the world -- see both of these movies. The original "Executive Action" with Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and a sensational cast, not yet on DVD. And, Capricorn One which is the tale of a moon landing more than 40 years ago which more than likely never happened.

For today and the reality of Global Warming we need yet another movie to shatter the myths of wealth, to question why our natural resources are in the hands of private families? To challenge the value of nature, animal-life, humanity being weighed against the yardstick of a dollar bill.

Capricorn One -- with a great cast -- is a cult movie for every good reason!! See it.

Outstanding Action Conspiracy Adventure.......2007-03-06

This is one of the best conspiracy action movies ever filmed. The plot concerning the government faking a manned mission to Mars and a down and out reporter trying to expose the conspiracy is really quite simple. But it is the energy of the script, convincing performances, an outstanding Jerry Goldsmith score and just the plain audacity that a government would even try to pull off such a hoax that gets the viewers' blood boiling. O.J. Simpson, Sam Waterston and James Brolin are excellent as the three beleaguered astronauts who reluctantly go along with the conspiracy. I cannot think of a more diverse trio of actors to play these astronauts but they really make this film convincing. Elliott Gould as the reporter is perfectly cast bringing his best attributes to that role. Telly Savalas almost steals this film with a very colorful performance as an open cockpit pilot who helps Elliott Gould track down the astronauts while being chased by machine gun firing helicopters hot on his heels through curvaceous ravines. This sequence is an extremely exciting. This is director Peter Hyams' best film to date. The one cohesive element that really stands out is Jerry Goldsmith's powerhouse of a theme that literally drives the action and the drama and hits a responsive emotional chord that I remember to this day.

Great concept...lousy writing.......2007-02-22

The concept is terrific:

A struggling NASA, faced with opponents in Congress and a bad track record, decides that it can't afford any more "screwups" as NASA head Hal Holbrook's character puts it. When it's discovered that corner cutting would result in a malfunctioning life support system that would leave a trio of astronauts, NASA's backers decide they'll fake the planned Mars landing to save the program. They ensure the astronauts will go along with it by claiming their families are aboard a single plane armed with a bomb which will be detonated if they don't play along.

Why the movie fails:
Plot holes you could drive a bus through.
**** SPOILERS AHEAD ****

Elliot Gould's reporter character has his car tampered with by the baddies resulting in no brakes and (somehow) a gas pedal that keeps pushing itself down(?!?) Despite speeds reaching 100 miles an hour, he manages to avoid running into another car or any other obstruction in busy traffic until reaching a boat bridge, which is opening as he reaches it (at 100MPH). Gould plunges into the water car and all and not only manages to escape drowning, but doesn't appear to be significantly hurt.

A chase scene late in the movie finds Brubaker clinging to the wing of a cropduster as he, Gould and a minor character are attacked by shooting helicopters. Brubaker manages to hang onto the plane's wing despite barrel rolls, dives and loop-de-loops as they try to evade the copters.

During the fake Mars landing, the astronauts don't "bounce" as they would in weaker gravity...they walk just like they would on Earth. Perhaps the script's writer believes we'll have "weighted" spacesuits by that point in time, but it isn't addressed in the script.

I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting but you get the point...too little attention spent on the actual script once the basic plot was arrived at.

I gave it two stars anyway because the action sequences ARE good to watch, but there's too much disbelief to suspend to really enjoy this one unless you're looking for a movie you can laugh at Mystery Science Theater 3000 style...

Houston, we have a problem!.......2007-02-18

The 1970s were a time rife with left-wing conspiracy theories. Why not? The New Left hippie counterculture of the 1960s was just starting to settle down into "real" life, that dull drudgery of working every day for the man and paying bills so you can squirt out a couple of kids who'll soak up every spare dime you've got yet still hate you when they reach adolescence. Yay! To keep the experience real, the ex-hippies made sure to believe in every half-baked kook conspiracy that came down the pike. The conspiracy to kill JFK. The conspiracy to kill RFK. The conspiracy to kill MLK, Jr. Alien invaders. The evil goings on over at the CIA. J. Edgar Hoover in a dress. Anything was fair game for the acidheads. Heck, they're still up to their old tricks today with the hoodoo about global warming (Yeah, right. They said it'd ice over in the 1970s--if overpopulation didn't kill us off first) and the whole Election 2000 imbroglio. The election of George W. Bush and the concomitant misadventures in Iraq will provide conspiracy scenarios well into the middle of the century--or until the last Baby Boomer in the last pair of Depends coughs out their last breath.

All of this nonsense brings us to Peter Hyams's 1978 conspiracy thriller "Capricorn One," a lesser entry in the 1970s "paranoia will destroy ya" subgenre. It's notable today for the presence of one O.J. Simpson, sans bloody glove and any knowledge that in roughly fifteen years he'll kill his ex-wife and her male companion. There might've been a white Bronco somewhere in the movie--I don't remember. What I do know is this: "Capricorn One" is an entertaining, if somewhat laughable jaunt, through the recesses of Hollywood paranoia, New Left fantasy, and Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain haircut. The plot, if you choose to accept it, deals with three astronauts--Colonel Charles Brubaker (James Brolin), Commander John Walker (Simpson), and Lt. Colonel Peter Willis (Sam Waterston)--and their sudden realization that the much anticipated trip to Mars ain't going to happen. Instead of disappointing the public, however, the government goes through the motions of a launch but stashes the astronauts away in an airplane hanger out in the desert. They plan on faking the Mars landing. The hanger has television cameras, a fake lander, a bogus landscape, and enough government secrecy to keep everything under wraps for years. Or maybe not.

Of course, some young shooter at mission contro