Operation: Broken Arrow

John Woo's continued attempt to translate his foreign success into Hollywood gold sees him take on bigger stars than Van Damme in Christian Slater and the resurrected star of Travolta. Slater and Travolta play pilots testing a new bomber, when one of them decides to steal the missiles on board the other must begin a personal fight to stop him.

As with Hard Target this is a solid enough action movie but it really could have been made by anyone, Woo's style only really comes through in a few scenes (the birds eye view of the opening boxing match, double handed gun play). This is a shame because the action scenes only occasionally get better than average.

The plot is weak and relies a lot on coincident and luck to keep things moving. This is quite insulting to an audience because it just shows that the script writers couldn't fix the plot as a workable story and decided to try and get this past. Travolta overplays the villain well, but perhaps overdoes the ticks and the madness a bit too much to be believable. Slater clearly wants to be like Keanu was in Speed but doesn't convince as an action hero, Mathis is cute but that doesn't make her performance good - she pretty much a non-entity and doesn't really have much chemistry with Slater.

Again a solid action movie that is OK for a Saturday night, but with the stars, the budget and a director of this calibre you can't help but feel this was a missed opportunity.

Broken Arrow (1996) is one of my favorite John Woo best US action films alongside Hard Target which is my first John Woo favorite film, Broken Arrow is my third personal favorite John Woo action film that I love to death! Hard Target was his first American movie, this is his second American movie, which I think is incredible classic action thriller from the 90's I have ever saw.

It is going to be 20. years since this movie come out and i still love it today more than any other movie.I love John Travolta in this movie which I think he did one of his best acting performances of his life. He acted convincing as the main villain Deakins in this movie. Broken Arrow has a great score, great actors and different style of terrorists, who stole nuclear warheads, but didn't took over some plant or building or plane or train etc.. It is completely different action movie. Christian Slater was awesome as the main hero. I love this movie and it is never too long or boring unlike Face/Off. In my honest opinion the movie to me is compared to Die Hard and it is one of John Woo's best underrated action movies but that is just my opinion.

It is a die hard movie in a desert heat much a like as Stallone's Cliffhanger. But with very different story and it is a stand alone movie which I love that. John Woo never liked making sequels so A Better Tomorrow II (1987) was his last sequel he made, so I am glad this movie doesn't have any sequels, remakes or reboot. In my opinion the 80's had a lot of better action movies, but the 90's had a very cool action movies too. I still love Die Hard With A Vengeance to death and still love other action movies that were made in 90's. I love Broken Arrow to death! It is my favorite John Woo movie! This is a great film recently and it is a cool action movie. It's got action, excitement and interesting characters and Legendary music. I love this film. Christian Slater as the Good guy, the Hero was cool and John Travolta was an intriguing character and hilarious, damn what a rush.

The action in here is amazing. Fun action, good acting, quick pace, and entertaining. The final sequence on the train has some quality explosions and even has bad guys killed by helicopter blades. The best thing about this movie though is John Travolta who hams it up beautifully; he is having an absolute blast as Vic Deakins, former US Air Force pilot turned terrorist loon. He also has one of the most over the top and awesome bad guy deaths of all time. I have always enjoyed this movie, I never felt bored I love the action sequences on the train when Hale (Christian Slater) uses one of his martial arts to defeat Deakins (John Travolta) was spectacular he deactivate the nuclear device and kills Deakins it was outstanding. Hans Zimmer theme for Deakins ripped off movie Scream 2 for Dewey (David Arquette) theme.

Hans Zimmer provides one of his greatest scores to this movie with some nice twanging guitar from Duane Eddie. I love how any time Travolta is on screen he has this hilarious guitar theme tune which is cool, but hilarious funny at the same time. Broken Arrow has Woo's trademark slow motion and double gun-play galore. I believe there is the odd pigeon thrown in for good measure too. Not entirely sure Samantha Mathis was all that great as the female love interest, but it is cool to have a Pump up the Volume reunion (1990). Which I never watched that movie before I am glad they both of the actors (Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis) worked together once more again.

Broken Arrow has plenty of flaws but for sheer explosive entertainment you could do a lot worse. I love the movie and could watch it on repeat. The music is also totally epic. This movie get's is a perfect 10 by me. Last Year it was hardly for my supplier of Blu-ray's to get me this movie on Blu-ray I actually have this film in Blu-ray collection this one and Stallone's Cop Land was so hard to find. I have them both on Blu-ray discs.

If you want an action film in which the hero has a personality, and the bad guy has an even better personality, take a look at Broken Arrow. John Woo's choreographed action is not as dramatic as the Matrix-clone films that are so common today. He is great at creating interesting relationships between heroes and villains, and this film is a good example.

John Travolta is terrific. Christian Slater breaks typecast by playing a nice, sane soldier doing his duty. The love interest isn't an idiotic supermodel playing a nuclear scientist or something, but a park ranger, also doing her duty. She is cute, earthy, and actually believable.

If you want a film that will repeat every aspect of every other military adventure film you have ever seen, you will be disappointed. If dialog bores you, skip this film. If you like action movies filmed entirely in parking garages and spooky allies, then you will not appreciate the settings in this film in America's majestic West.

In his "TV Movies and Video Guide," Leonard Maltin asks, "Why was this movie made?" The answer is simple: To entertain the people. I was certainly entertained by this far-fetched action thriller, due in no small part to John Woo's imaginative direction of the action sequences. John Travolta overdoes the psycho routine, hamming it up when some restraint would have made for a more believable performance, but his considerable charm sees him through. Christian Slater, an actor who hasn't impressed me as anything more than a Jack Nicholson wannabe, makes a surprisingly commendable hero. This movie is junk food, of course, but it's very tasty indeed.

John Travolta stars in this mindless thriller in which he steals a nuclear weapon and its up to Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis to save the world.. Overall a good action flick with a leave your brain at home plot..Travolta goes slightly over the top with his character but is still good..Slater is ok and Mathis does what she can with what little the script gives her.. on a scale of one to ten... 6