Fuera de control

Olivier Gruner has two requirements for a classic rogue cop: his woman belongs to another man, and he has a dead daughter. For punishment, he's sent back to Earth on a slow boat carrying $40 million. Pirates board the ship to steal the dough, leaving Olivier to fight the bad guys with lots of flying effects and pretty sparks. What I like about Gruner is that he really doesn't take himself seriously, almost in the Jackie Chan mode (don't misunderstand, he doesn't have half the skills, but he does have fun). A cast full of folks who went on to bigger and better things -- including Alicia Coppola from "Bull" and Jorja Fox from "ER" and "CSI" -- rounds out the stereotyped cast. I caught it on cable and enjoyed it.

This film is bearable but that's about it, similar to a good TV ep of "Space: Above and Beyond". It's a step up from the sci-fi gagger "Escape Velocity", which had even less action and more cliches. FF through all scenes of him with his girl friend, it's banal drivel, and that part isn't even tied up at the end. And forget the plot holes too. -Bob

Weak story, weak writing and poor acting. The only good thing I can say about this film is that it had mediocre special effects.

Velocity Trap, is a better than avrg movie. The affects combined with the character acting, pulled off by virtual unknowns, truly carried the movie. Alicia Coppola, who played Beth Sheffield the navigator, performed an outstanding job! She was tough, funny, and believable. In watching this movie I enjoyed the association between characters more than I did the plot.

Don't get me wrong, this is a bad, bad movie, but there are some redeeming qualities. Funny on purpose is the Carmen montage. Funny by accident is the anti-chemistry between Jorja Fox and Ken Olandt, as well as the prop gun that falls apart during a battle (Gruner carries on like nothing happened).

I was able to watch it all the way through. In the category of "scifi movies you've never heard of", that's not too shabby.