Raven

I had actually never heard about this 1996 action movie titled "Raven" before now in 2023 as I had the opportunity to sit down and watch it. Initially I picked up the movie because I saw Burt Reynolds on the movie's cover. And since I had never seen it, of course I opted to watch what director Russell Solberg had to offer.

Writer Joe Hart actually put together a fair enough script and storyline for "Raven". Sure, it wasn't the most of innovative storylines, and it was a somewhat generic mid-1990s action movie for sure, but it was still watchable and enjoyable enough for what it turned out to be.

While "Raven" isn't Burt Reynolds best movie, it was actually a fair enough movie to his name. He carried himself and the movie well enough, taking into consideration the type of movie that this was.

There were a couple of familiar faces on the cast list, aside from Burt Reynolds. And the acting performances in the movie were actually fair enough.

"Raven" is, however, hardly a movie that warrants more than a single viewing, unless you are a diehard fan of Burt Reynolds, I guess.

My rating of "Raven" lands on a five out of ten stars.

If you loved other Burt Reynolds action flicks like "Malone" or "Stick", which of course you did or you wouldn't be reading this, you'll like this one. Burt plays Jerome Katz, AKA "The Raven", an assassin for the government. When his latest mission busts, he goes underground. He turns up a few years later as a mercenary who plays by his own rules. His newest job is kill Martin Grant (Matt Battaglia) who is a fugitive. As usual, it doesn't go as planned. The best action sequence was in the beginning, so watch out for that. "Boogie Nights" was only a few years away at this point.

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This is a film worthy of having on in the background, save that it would be incomprehensible in those circumstances. The Acting is abysmal, especially from those 'on the hill' (who all appear to have been reading the script from a document a little too far out of comfortable view!) It is a modestly passable action film, with the main star too old for the part he is playing.

I have had better evenings entertainment when too ill to watch anything!

The producers think that just by adding an on-screen tag that the action is in , for instance, Bosnia, is sufficient to set a background that is obviously nowhere near the named location.

Even the 'love interests' are wholly unbelievable!

Not a terribly good film at all.

Burt Reynolds is the lead man in a team of mercenaries being run by the CIA. Sent in to get a fifty-million-dollar maguffin, they make a lot of things go boom, and most of them wind up dead. Not Reynolds and Matt Battaglia. Battaglia decides he wants to retire. He takes half of the maguffin and disappears. Reynolds realizes his bosses want him dead too. He takes his half of the maguffin anf disappears, and builds a team of private mercenaries. A few years later, Reynolds shows up and demands his half of the maguffin. Battaglia says he destroyed it. Reynolds goes around killing various corrupt government officials, and takes Battaglia's girl friend, Krista Allen hostage.

It's a fine movie if you want to watch things go boom, and Reynolds reciting his lines adequately, if you can put up with Harry Mafredini's dumb score. For a good actor, Reynolds made a lot of bad movies, and turned down a lot of good ones. I suppose it was based on the size of the check. This one clearly was large enough. It never had a theatrical release.

A very tired looking Burt Reynolds plays a mercenary battling his former employers for some gizmo these non-heroes plan to sell to "the Iranians." Low-rent video nonsense by the producers of "Silk Stalkings" offers some decent action footage and a lot of ineptly staged "drama"...a lack of logic and truly dreadful dialogue are the defining aspects, although the final twists and allegiance shifts could've been a nifty end to a better movie. Burt still has presence, although it also means you notice more when he mouths insultingly half-baked "one-liners".