Jakarta

Great foundation. The execution? Toss-up.

The Nothster plays an ex CIA agent with a recurring romantic nightmare.

The agency wants him back, but he keeps running away so...they force him back to Jakarta.

Jakarta was mostly used for scenery and atmosphere here. Any city would have given a similar result with this plot.

Noth has a girl in his past that he thinks has been nixed. Has she? We head for 'nesia to see. Chase scenes commence. And of course he has an old buddy there. For words from said buddy? "Make it Johnny Walker Black...on me." Hey, he just happened to be in that bar.

The acting wasn't bad really. The cast did their best and created some pretty tense moments.

The chase into the XXX theater was funny. ("Look at the size of that...PIPE.") And the Indonesian puppet shows lent a bit of flair as well. Even if it had little to do with the story.

For fans of Asian based actioners only.

My review was written in December 1989 after watching the movie on MCEG/Virgin video cassette.

"Jakarta" is a well-crafted film noir made in Indonesia and New York. The 1986 production is a belated direct-to-video release Stateside.

Christopher Noth is the down-on-his-luck hero who used to be a government agent. He's sent against his will back to Jakarta, where three years earlier he botched a bodyguard assignment to protect witnesses planning to testify against drug lords. He becomes reinvolved with femme fatale Sue Francis Pai en route to an ironic finish.

Helmer Charles Kaufman, best known for his 1980 horror film "Mother's Day", dots the action with excellent chase scenes. Of special interest is the pic's ample local color, including authentic Javanese puppet shadow plays.

Noth is okay as the brooding hero, but Pai steals the show as the extremely alluring beauty whose evil nature is a satisfying throwback to the dark '40s pictures "Jakarta" recalls.

Tech credits are fine.

I was unable to sleep tonight, so I went to do some work on my computer. I turned on the tv and started searching for something to fill my ears while my mind worked. Apparently, I did both.

Chris sports a beard in parts of this one, which make him super sexy. There are also shots of him making love, and MAN! does he have an amazing body. =)

I first learned about Chris from Sex and the City, and loved him ever since. I wait for reruns of Law & Order, or S&tC.

There are some decent car chases in this one, but I'm buying it for him.

I love Mr. Big- Nicole

An interesting story on an apparently limited budget. Though filmed in an exotic local, the film was riddled with bad cuts. For example, a character is bare headed during a struggle and then appears with a hat a split second later. However, as B-movies go it was better than most. Though it features a token, drop-dead gorgeous femme fatale (Sue Francis Pai), she had an intelligent role and was actually one of the better actors in the film. If you want an entertaining but not mentally taxing action-adventure flick, this is it.

I only watch this film to catch some great glimpses of Chris Noth (aka Mr Big) in an undressed and trim state. He was hot when he was younger, with a great chest and even better looking behind.

As for the film, it is poorly written and badly edited. In fact, I've seen student films with better editing. There is literally no character development and in the middle of the film there's an interminably stupid chase scene that caters to the dumbest of Asian stereotypes.