Fled - Flucht nach Plan

Mindless chasing and shooting. This one leaves plenty of your mind unoccupied to wonder such things as: How can a guy shoot a three-quarter inch rope with a handgun and miss everything with a shotgun? Why is RuPaul in this movie for 15 seconds? Would the feds really honour a verbal agreement to let you off after you've shot up a lot of folks and a lot of Atlanta? Could a limo really keep up with a Ducatti? Is it true that all you've got to do to get a semi out of your way is to lean on the horn?

As with many movies, as long as the viewer doesn't read too much into the movie you will do OK! Its a fun fast paced road movie-ish, fugitive styled chase movie.

It's well filmed, and slickly edited for a low budget chase flick.The acting is simply and solidly done even if the dialogue is a tad cheesy. Steven Baldwin is the token down at the heel hero, Laurence Fishburne is cool as the mentor type character, pulling the hero out of one fix after another. Salma Hayek is as stunning as ever but the best character is Gib played by Will Hatton, a highly likable character whos putting the puzzle together as the heros run around.

Not a classic but worth a late night look see when you get home from the pub with a bag of munchies.

While this is not a film that will mark any new trend in the thriller genre, it's not unpleasant to watch. The director, Kevin Hooks, working on the script written by Preston Whitmore, delivers a an action film that is easy to watch.

Preston Whitmore's screen play combines elements from different movies that have been much better, but that said, while it's not breaking any grounds, the film keeps one's interest throughout.

Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin make an odd couple indeed. Mr. Baldwin acts with a blank expression most of the time he is seen. Mr. Fishburne has been around for a while; with the right director he is more effective than what he shows in this movie.

Will Patton, one of the best character actors working in films today, has a small, but effective role. It'shame because he can outperform this cast by only saying his lines. Salma Hayek's Cora, the girl with a heart of gold, is a welcome presence for the eyes.

The beginning of the film, as well as the closing scenes are the best things going because it sags a bit in the middle section, but all in all, it will keep the viewer entertained without pretending to be more.

Will Patton is one of our finest actors, having blessed the screen with a variety of memorable characters. Unfortunately, most of his performances seem to be in movies like this: generic action films which nobody has any need to remember. Sure, he gets to show up in great movies (NO WAY OUT), good movies (REMEMBER THE TITANS), and popular movies (ARMAGEDDON), but the man is a working actor who ain't embraced by the masses, so he also has to make movies like this. Not that this is a painfully bad movie... it's just so darn generic. And the testament to the man's performance is that there is nothing on paper that should make this a particularly great role. But darn it if he isn't the moral center of the movie.

If you don't know who this guy is, you can skip the movie with a clear conscience. But if you are a fan of the man, this performance is one of his best.

FLED is, perhaps, best watched very late at night after a bit of a drink when you don't seem to care about plot holes, bland characters and poor acting. Although not as diabolically awful as other reviewers have made out, this is a pretty bad remake of a great classic. What they seem to have forgotten is that when they made THE DEFIANT ONES, it was at a time where racial awareness was so topical - in FLED the conflict is represented by just one line.

The two leads are acceptable, with Laurence Fishburne flexing his fighting skills ready for THE MATRIX. Stephen Bladwin is his usual surly smouldering self, and there is a very small (ie no reason to watch it just for this!) part from Salma Hayek.

Although a little overdone, I enjoyed the film references made by Baldwin's character, and you will have a chuckle at the very final one...!