Jakarta

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.

my, my, my - it doesn't get any cheesier than this. lame saxophone solos, typical detective narration, and stereotypes of an asian culture. whooo. it's my guess that chris noth shakes his head whenever reminded of this. but anyway, it was very entertaining. let's just be thankful we can watch chris noth doing bigger and better things these days. if you happen to find this on t.v. at 3 in the morning sometime, then watch it (by the by - a movie entitled "bikini ho-down" came on directly after i watched it); renting and/or buying it, however, is not advisable. have fun.

This is a hard movie to find, but if you are a Christopher Noth fan-atic and can rent or purchase it, go for it! It's a pretty straight-forward action flick with some fun touches such as the car chase through the market, and Chris looks gorgeous, of course. So does the scenery around Jakarta. Worth seeing.

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 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