Trespass

The main focus of this movie is the set-up of various action sequences, the debating over what to do in the characters' situations, and – what Walter Hill has always been especially good at – the overall machismo. Most of "Trespass" is a drawn-out standoff between the bad guys in a remote, long-abandoned warehouse and the grossly outnumbered good guys in a tightly-sealed room with the bad leader's brother as a hostage. David Fincher may have wanted to watch this movie and taken notes, since "Panic Room" has got absolutely nothing on this movie. The action begins very quickly and doesn't let up until the fiery, casualty-counting conclusion, making the film's 101min length seem like not even half that. "Trespass" is ripe with Hill's inimitable style and pace, combining with Ry Cooder's score and Lloyd Ahern's sepia-toned cinematography to create a sense of desolation and high tension for the setting.

Add to this an excellent cast of genre and character actors for a very captivating film. Bill Paxton and William Sadler ("Die Hard II") turn in intense performances as the lone protagonists, especially Sadler whose career unfortunately never reached the level it should have. Ice-T is in one of his more effective roles as King James, the gangsta leader. Ice Cube also stands out as the upstart, rebellious follower of James, Savon; his "king of the streets" speech is the monologue highlight of the movie. Art Evans (also from "Die Hard II") is perfect as the wise old angry homeless man, who reluctantly helps out Paxton and Sadler despite their initial treatment of him. And the criminal elements include noticeable performances from De'voreaux White as the unfortunate hostage 'Lucky'; Tiny 'Zeus' Lister Jr. as the musclebound henchman 'Cletus'; and the underused Stoney Jackson as the overly-suave crony 'Wickey'.

This was the last of a string of box office disappointments (including "Johnny Handsome" and "Another 48 Hrs.") that Hollywood allowed Walter Hill to make before relegating him to the role of mainstream hack. "Trespass" was released with little fanfare, having its release date postponed from summertime to after Christmas as a result of the 'crisis' that was the LA riots. Besides its original title of "Looters", "Trespass" also includes the recurring theme of seeing events via videocamera (which would have been a troubling reminder of the Rodney King and Reginald Denny beatings), not to mention a heavy, uncompromising racist slant not too common in modern-day action movies.

Though not Hill's best, it is far from his worst. A must-see for fans of stylized action. 8/10

i was flicking thru tv channels when i came upon this film playing a few years back, im a big bill paxton fan so sat down and watched it, im glad i did as its great. basically it boils down to 2 fireman (paxton and sandler)getting hold of a map that shows a trove of gold which is buried in a warehouse on wasteland. they go to find it at and get interupted by a gang fued in the same warehouse they are in. the gang (ice-t, ice cube among others) find out why they are there and a standoff ensues leading to gunfire and carnage.....SWEET!

good acting throughout from all concerned (including lesser known stars). it is a simple idea for a film played out very well with lots of tension and bursts of violence.

it features a good rap soundtrack by the stars in the film too (considering im a metal fan and dont like much rap thats kinda shows its not too bad hehe)

well worth watching, i've just got to find it on dvd now hehe

I thought this movie was very well done and didn't recieve the attention it deserves. I saw it a long time ago and have asked my video store to get it in stock on DVD so I can again rent it. I can't even find it for purchase through Columbia House! Great movie!

Wow. It's been said that Walter Hill is a masterful action director and this does rank as one of his best films. Working from an air tight script by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, he sure does make it all work.

Here we have the story of a couple of Arkansas firemen who stumble across a map to...you guessed it, buried treasure. They load up their Bronco and take a little road trip up to East St.Louis to grab the loot. In a rundown building, where the treasure is supposedly hidden, they find a little more than they bargained for and things pretty much go downhill from there. It's now a battle of wits and bullets. It rocks.

Bill Paxton, I think, is one of today's best actors and he does his thing well here as the naive Arkansas boy. William Sadler also does his thing as the likeable, hot-headed psychopath and Ice T pretty much plays Ice T. The action is fast and the absurdity of the whole thing will keep you glued to your sets.

I saw this film recently on cable and found myself more intrigued by it than I thought I would be. I hadn't heard anything about this movie so I really didn't know what to expect. It ended up being much better than I expected and, while not a great film, it is certainly one I wouldn't mind watching again. I recognized the elements of "Treasure of Sierra Madre" without having any information about the film. I've since learned that it was indeed echoing Huston's film.

I had no problem with the actors and actually found some of the conflicts on both sides interesting. Even some of the "bad guys" were struggling to deal with decisions they didn't necessarily agree with. I didn't really see the characters as all bad or all good. Each had their own demons that they brought with them and they were all susceptible to the lure of gold.