Ballistic: Ecks v. Sever
The plotline of two agents fighting each other ala Tom & Jerry sounds like a good idea for a film, but that's as far as "good" goes. Ballistic is another example of clockwork film production (AKA crap) that is decreasing the industry's credibility. The story behind the action is neither clear nor worth unraveling. The majority of people who will see this movie are action-flick addicts. Put another way, Ballistic is the Trite Action Movie of the Week.
Antonio Banderas (Desperado) stars as Jeremiah Ecks, a former FBI agent whose life turned to crap when his wife died in an explosion -- or did she? The FBI's Assistant Director persuades Ecks to undertake an important mission by promising information about his wife's death. Ecks' mission is to find the rogue agent Sever (Lucy Liu) who kidnapped a high-profile official's son. Apparently Ecks is supposed to kick Sever's ass, and all will be hunky-dory.
As it turns out, the assistant director is misinformed; Sever is protecting the child from his own father. The child's father, Robert Gant, planted a tiny robotic bug in his son's arm to smuggle it into the United States. The bug is a prototype of the perfect assassin: unforeseeable, untraceable and uncompromising. Sever is only trying to remove the bug from the child before it kills him. Soon, Ecks and Sever realize that they should be fighting Gant instead of each other, making the second part of the movie's title as accurate as Attack of the Clones.
Here's what I liked about this movie:
1. The special effects were decent, and the action sequences kept me awake.
2. Liu (Charlie's Angels) once again works as a good-looking butt-kicker.
3. A supporting cast of unknowns guards against typecasting and preconceived notions.
Here's what didn't work or could have been improved:
1. There was absolutely no character development. A pair of dirty socks has more personality than the entire cast of characters combined.
2. The provocative idea of an assassin bug could have been taken further. Perhaps if a popular politician was in danger of being killed by one of these bugs, the movie could have been more interesting.
3. There was no suspense during the 90-minute runnning time.
4. Neither the good or evil side gives you any reason to root for it.
5. As I mentioned before, the plot is weak and blurred. Trying to figure it out will only waste time.
6. The title is misleading, because Ecks and Sever are rivals for only half an hour. Also, "ballistic" refers to the study of projectiles. Apparently the producers wanted a cool-sounding title to disguise a mediocre movie.
7. Lastly, comic relief was at a minimum.
Here's another indication that Ballistic won't be considered for a People's Choice Award: It debuted in 4th place its opening weekend, earning a weak $7 million. By the time this review is posted, Ballistic will likely be limited to two showings/day in the cinema's smallest theater. Learn from my mistake, readers, and go the extra mile to see One Hour Photo.
Send any comments/ feedback to the author.
Beer seems to be an action flick's natural companion.
This isn't a date flick, despite suave Banderas and sexy Liu.
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