Sanction fatale

I saw this film in the TV guide and decided to give it a go, since it had Kristy Swanson. Anyway seeing her as an government assassin was new. The opening credits were encouraging, but then my expectations went down the drain as soon as the shooting started. Swanson does not look in anyway like a hitwoman, the 'action' scenes are laughable. The reporter she is supposed to be protecting look s bored most of the time. Michael Madsen is such a over-rated actor, it occurred to me that he plays the exact same character in every movie. The attempts at humour are so bad that they're funny, the best lines go to Swanson's sidekick. Ron Pearlman is wasted as the big boss, and dies cheaply. In one scene the reporter has been interrogated (Tortured) by Madsen's people, but when we see him afterwards he doesn't have a mark on him!!!

In my mind Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Donnie Brasco) is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. He has given some great performances (watch him out-act all of the talented actors in Reservoir Dogs). But he hasn't gotten as much respect as he deserves because besides some big movies (Donnie Brasco, Free Willy 1 and 2, The Getaway, Thelma and Louise) he has appeared in more low-budget, small, often direct-to-video films. Once again Madsen appears in a small film, this time debuting on HBO. The story line is similar to the much superior (though average) film The Replacement Killers. Kristy Swanson (8 Heads in a Duffel Bag, The Chase) plays a government assassin who refuses to kill a famous reporter because she sees him with his kid. Because she does this, her government agency orders Madsen and friends to kill her. This starts off some boring action scenes. Swanson though a talented actress in unconvincing as a professional assassin. The other actors are average at best. Once again, Michael Madsen saves the day. If it wasn't for Madsen's strong presence this film would be horrible not just below-average. The film would have been a lot better had Madsen received more screen time. Recommended only for Madsen's performance.

After reading the other comments, I again feel we all did not see the same movie. I liked it very much. I thought it was one of David Dukes' better movies. That is who made this movie for me. Though, I was quite impressed with Michael Madsen's performance.

Very interesting action flick. An elite assassin(Kristy Swanson) for a covert U.S. agency decides not to pull the trigger on her latest assignment. She spots her target who is a well known TV reporter(David Dukes) playing with his child and decides to not take his life. Now she and her target are hunted down by her employers. Michael Madsen and Ron Perlman are determined to catch the savvy and sexy sharpshooter.

It's fairly evident throughout the movie that the plot has been molded after Point Of No Return and others of the genre. Christy Swanson plays a government assasin that must kill against her will. Watch it if you'd like to see Swanson dressed up as a lady of the night!