Tripfall - Das Todestrio

Eric Roberts is in full psychopath mode, yet strangely there is only a couple trickles of blood. He and his accomplices seem to be driving around a beach resort for almost the entire film. John Ritter is good in the first part of the movie, but once the family is snatched, he really struggles with the underdeveloped script. Rachel Hunter as his wife doesn't have much to do except look scared. The two kids are just plain annoying. The ending is too convenient, and not to be believed, with Ritter suddenly morphing into the hero type. Eric Robert's performance is worth a look, but do not expect to be enthralled with the overly simplistic plot, and numerous lapses in logic. - MERK

**SPOILERS** Totally implausible kidnap thriller with Eric Roberts as Mister Crazy Eddie doing what he does best, playing a psycho killer, The late John Ritter, Tom Williams,as his victim together with his wife Gina, Rachel Hunter, and two kids Michael & Angela, Tyler Cole & Christina Ann Moore, are the one's being held by Eddie & friends for a ransom of 1.2 million dollars.

Grabbing Tom after he was taken to this strip-joint on the boardwalk by Eddie & Franklin, Michael Raynon, who who together with Lonnie ,Katy Boyer, kidnapped the Williams family. Holding the Williams' hostage for 1.2 million dollars Mr. Eddie & Lonnie take the reluctant Tom to the local California branch of his bank back home in Ohio to get the cash by wire transaction.

No one at the bank has the presences of mind to call the police to check why such a large transaction in cash is being ordered by Tom and even his lame excuse. Tom claims that he's into real estate and does this all the time to buy land on the spot at the local auction house is just a bit too off-the-wall. All that the bank has to do is check on Tom's past transactions and see that this is a first for him. There's this scene in the bank after Tom picks up the cash where the bank administrator is suspicious of what's happening and tells one of his aids to call the police to follow Tom in the streets and see what he does with the money. But later, like the very next scene and for the rest of the movie, there's not a cop car or cop around?

We see the kidnapping trio murder a family at the start of the movie and later Eddie gleefully murderers a nature watcher that he kidnapped at the beach and a pizza delivery boy that he kidnapped at the motel, where he was holding the Williams' captive. All this on Eddies part just to show Tom how easy it is for him to murder someone. Yet for some strange reason he fails to kill the Williams even when Tom escapes from him and his cohorts and later beats him over the head with a sack full of bills to make his getaway!

You start to realize that Mr. Eddie is more interested in murder then in money, he really gets a big kick out of it, but he gives Tom and his family all the leeway he could in not murdering them. The kidnap trio later fall into disarray when Franklin takes it on himself to deal with the on the run Tom for the money as Mr. Eddie is lost in the crowd looking for Tom after he got belted outside the bank by him.

Getting back to Franklin's van Mr. Eddie plays along with him until he turns his back on him and then blasts away. With Tom putting the cash in garbage cans, $300,000.00 a can, in order to have his family released, one at a time. Tom finally meets up with the remaining kidnappers, Mr. Eddie & Lonnie as well as his hostage family. True to his character Mr. Eddie takes the remaining cash and instead of releasing Tom's family attempts to murder them, and him only to end up shooting himself to death. Lonnie now all alone without her Knight in shinning armor and afraid of being put behind bars for life put a gun to her head and pulls the trigger! what a happy ending. Tom battered and exhausted from his ordeal can now live to talk about it to anyone who would be crazy enough to believe him.

"Corporate executive Tom Williams (John Ritter) and his beautiful wife Gina (Rachel Hunter) take a much needed family vacation to sunny California. Unfortunately, they end up in the sights of Eddie (Eric Roberts), a career criminal, and his violent crew of kidnappers looking for their next mark. The crooks earn Tom's trust, get his guard down, and snatch Gina and their children. If Tom ever wants to see his family again, he must pay Eddie $1.2 million, his entire net worth. With only one day to comply and no one to turn to for help, Tom is in a race against time, with his family's lives at stake," according to the DVD sleeve.

That is an excellent description of the "Tripfall" plot, but doesn't give you any idea about how painful it is to watch this "family in peril" movie. It could be the worst to feature two fairly well-known names - those being Eric Roberts and John Ritter. They are so mismatched, it's pathetic. If Mr. Ritter were in shape, they could have exchanged roles; then, the actors might have made it more interesting. For the record, most others in the cast are better; though, admittedly, that's not difficult to say. For skin trackers, Katy Boyer wears a barely there pink bikini in extreme close-up, and the topless bar scene occurs early.

** Tripfall (6/27/00) Serge Rodnunsky ~ Eric Roberts, John Ritter, Rachel Hunter, Katy Boyer

I caught this movie on late night, I was working on my wife's computer and it was the only thing on. (famous last words) This movie was horrid! The only thing worse was 'Space Mutiny' which had been on the night before. I read here about Eric Robert's great performance....it was horrible! His entire performance reminded me of the title character from all the 'Ernest' movies. The only saving grace was John Ritter's performance, although he was straddled with an absolutely HORRIBLE plotline, where he did (or did not do) things that no sane human would. Everyone else in the movie was given so little to do or act as, it was almost pointless to watch unless the only other thing to watch is an hour long advert for nose hair trimmers. Run away from this movie.

I am a huge fan of thriller movies, and this one was standard, but not great. Eric Roberts seems to always stick to his Low-Budget films, he could do so much better then that. Poor old John Ritter has his good and bad films, this was a good movie but the budget was far to low, which made it a bit less bearable, give it a go, see what you think.

5/10