46 commentaires
'Quicksand' was showing this evening on CH 5, Now I'm always very wary of watching movies on that particular channel as it has become synonymous with terrible films, but I decided to watch purely on it's starring actors, in this case being Michael Caine & Michael Keaton, It's not a terrible film by any means, but it's just so mediocre, it's the kind of Film that even Steven Segal himself would probably turn down.
Michael Keaton plays a New York Banker who travels to the South of France to investigate possible fraud on the Film that his company is financing, and soon finds himself up to his next in dirty cops & Russian gangsters and ends up getting framed for murder....
YAWN!!!!
Been there, done it, got the t-shirt! there is nothing in this film which hasn't been done better before.
Michael Caine is really slumming it here, like he has done many times before..... JAWS IV: THE REVENGE or THE SWARM anyone?.... and makes what could be described as a glorified cameo.
The Original 'Batman' Keaton pretty much disappeared after picking ghastly Movies to appear in, in the mid/late 90's, but really this is below him, Caine is merely cashing the check.
apparently this was filmed in 2001 and not released for nearly 3 years...that tells you just about everything.
as I've said above for a Film that never saw the inside of a Movie Theater it's not terrible, and watchable on TV on a Winter's night, but don't spend any money, it's not even worth the rental.
**1/2 out of *****
Michael Keaton plays a New York Banker who travels to the South of France to investigate possible fraud on the Film that his company is financing, and soon finds himself up to his next in dirty cops & Russian gangsters and ends up getting framed for murder....
YAWN!!!!
Been there, done it, got the t-shirt! there is nothing in this film which hasn't been done better before.
Michael Caine is really slumming it here, like he has done many times before..... JAWS IV: THE REVENGE or THE SWARM anyone?.... and makes what could be described as a glorified cameo.
The Original 'Batman' Keaton pretty much disappeared after picking ghastly Movies to appear in, in the mid/late 90's, but really this is below him, Caine is merely cashing the check.
apparently this was filmed in 2001 and not released for nearly 3 years...that tells you just about everything.
as I've said above for a Film that never saw the inside of a Movie Theater it's not terrible, and watchable on TV on a Winter's night, but don't spend any money, it's not even worth the rental.
**1/2 out of *****
- Welshfilmfan
- 14 janv. 2009
- Permalien
- gridoon2025
- 26 août 2016
- Permalien
It's not that good, but not too bad either. It's nice if you love France but are not there. If you're looking for a thriller, look elsewhere. The characters are rather flat, like cardboard cut outs. The plot is predictable and surreal, if not totally unreal. And, the chemistry between the characters are dry. Like between Keaton's character and the lead actress - you almost hope there's nothing going on between them because it'd be too predictable, but at the same time, you don't have the chance to hope so because it seems like there's no spark at all between them. It's rather hard too to tell who's who for each other unless you listen to their dialogue. Just too bad I missed the blinking corpse part - I didn't watch from the beginning! To be fair, it kept me watching until the end, and it's rather amusing to watch the predictable flow.
- scifisuede
- 31 déc. 2004
- Permalien
"Quicksand", a film directed by the man who made the mighty "Long Good Friday", is about a million miles away from that film. It is an action movie in the vein of "The Fugitive", messily made with an average result from the two lead actors. While the movie has nothing much going for it, after renting it on DVD I must confess that I watched it 'till the end and enjoyed it's
trashiness. So... if you've got too much spare time (like I do) and feel like a nice, B-movie night at home, you could do much worse than renting "Quicksand". Just don't expect another "Long Good Friday", maybe a "Short Trashy Monday".
trashiness. So... if you've got too much spare time (like I do) and feel like a nice, B-movie night at home, you could do much worse than renting "Quicksand". Just don't expect another "Long Good Friday", maybe a "Short Trashy Monday".
It's sucked me in. Two big actors. Stupid plot. Awful screenplay. A C-grader and the two Michaels should have been ashamed to accept any money for this disaster.
- roger-bayliss
- 28 sept. 2019
- Permalien
I love Michael Keaton, but let's face it, the man hasn't done much since such classics as Batman and Johnny Dangerously. I'm still looking for a Michael movie that catches my eye because he is such a hidden talent. Quicksand is just like the others, average and nothing special as well as poorly written. It actually had potential to have suspense and an edge on your seat type of thrill ride, but ends up like most thrillers, because if you've seen the big shockers, then you have pretty much from that point see the rip offs. The acting is OK and the ending? Not so much to do with, this was an amateur movie and an insult to both Michaels. Let's hope for better improvements in the future!
6/10
6/10
- Smells_Like_Cheese
- 3 avr. 2006
- Permalien
My summary says it all. This film is highly unpleasant in places (for example one theme is systematic rape; this is also shown at one point). It does not even make up for this by being remotely worth watching: the acting is appalling, and even Michael Caine and Michael Keaton cannot make up for the terrific lack of ability in terms of plot, script and direction.
The "setup" of Keaton (Keaton walks onto his balcony and discovers a sniper rifle there; rather than leave it he picks it up, just as a police chief is sniped) is ridiculous; apart from being hideously contrived and formulaic, it also neglects to take into account brutally obvious factors such as motive and bullet trajectory analysis, not to mention the fact that only the terminally stupid would assassinate someone by standing up on a balcony incredibly close to that person, while holding a sniper rifle. At that range Keaton could probably have popped the guy with a pistol.
The characters are drawn with big, big brush-strokes, the female lead is just appalling, and to top it off the final scene shows the vindicated Keaton back as a workaholic in his office, and the girl walks in, he smiles at her and she smiles softly back. Cut to credits. Yuck. Oh, and apparently a corpse blinks at the start, something to watch out for.
And WHY do they have to get shot in the eye? And WHAT is that tattoo which the bad guys have on their hands? And...WHY set him up in the first place if you're gonna try and kill him anyway?
Save your money, time and brain. Go look elsewhere.
The "setup" of Keaton (Keaton walks onto his balcony and discovers a sniper rifle there; rather than leave it he picks it up, just as a police chief is sniped) is ridiculous; apart from being hideously contrived and formulaic, it also neglects to take into account brutally obvious factors such as motive and bullet trajectory analysis, not to mention the fact that only the terminally stupid would assassinate someone by standing up on a balcony incredibly close to that person, while holding a sniper rifle. At that range Keaton could probably have popped the guy with a pistol.
The characters are drawn with big, big brush-strokes, the female lead is just appalling, and to top it off the final scene shows the vindicated Keaton back as a workaholic in his office, and the girl walks in, he smiles at her and she smiles softly back. Cut to credits. Yuck. Oh, and apparently a corpse blinks at the start, something to watch out for.
And WHY do they have to get shot in the eye? And WHAT is that tattoo which the bad guys have on their hands? And...WHY set him up in the first place if you're gonna try and kill him anyway?
Save your money, time and brain. Go look elsewhere.
This is a well crafted albeit formulaic movie. I don't find much fault with it - a blinking corpse can't distract me (contrary to other reviewers, as it seems). Incidentally, irritation is a major factor in the story, the main character, an ultra pedantic controller from a global consultancy enterprise (frankly a great, contemporary creation and a good, convincing performance by Michael Keaton) represents just a little, irritating grain of sand in the international machinery of crime.
The plot is the 39 steps, Saboteur, North by Northwest etc. all over. A wrongly accused and framed man on the run gets help from a beautiful woman and succeeds in turning the table on his pursuers. The grace, elegance and beauty of actress Judith Godrèche is a major asset of Quicksand. As far as the crime and the front for it are concerned, I found the movie credible. I assume in this aspect it relates to actuality more accurately than one might feel comfortable with. White slave trade from Eastern Europe is a new and unpleasant reality in Western Europe and probably in America as well. It happens in front of our doorsteps, so to speak. If Quicksand helps to bring this to mind, all the better.
They had some excellent location scouts working on this movie. Almost the whole story evolves in and around the town of Nice and I found they caught the feel of this picture postcard place with its not so nice underbelly perfectly. There is a great assassination scene in the central district - and one will find references to Hitchcock's Nice-movie To Catch a Thief here and there. My favorite location is the small open air cinema high up above the coastline in the hills which serves as meeting place between Keaton and Godrèche. Who wouldn't like to be there when the projector starts rolling?
The plot is the 39 steps, Saboteur, North by Northwest etc. all over. A wrongly accused and framed man on the run gets help from a beautiful woman and succeeds in turning the table on his pursuers. The grace, elegance and beauty of actress Judith Godrèche is a major asset of Quicksand. As far as the crime and the front for it are concerned, I found the movie credible. I assume in this aspect it relates to actuality more accurately than one might feel comfortable with. White slave trade from Eastern Europe is a new and unpleasant reality in Western Europe and probably in America as well. It happens in front of our doorsteps, so to speak. If Quicksand helps to bring this to mind, all the better.
They had some excellent location scouts working on this movie. Almost the whole story evolves in and around the town of Nice and I found they caught the feel of this picture postcard place with its not so nice underbelly perfectly. There is a great assassination scene in the central district - and one will find references to Hitchcock's Nice-movie To Catch a Thief here and there. My favorite location is the small open air cinema high up above the coastline in the hills which serves as meeting place between Keaton and Godrèche. Who wouldn't like to be there when the projector starts rolling?
- manuel-pestalozzi
- 15 juin 2006
- Permalien
OK, the plot is clear enough - a compliance officer for a bank travels to Monaco to verify the sources of investor funding on a suspicious movie production. The production turns out to be a front used by the Russian mafia (in conjunction with local police) to launder money. When Michael Keaton's character (the compliance officer) starts sniffing around, the bad guys decide to frame him for murder. And, because the local cops are involved in the scheme, they plan to catch and kill him. So, he's on the run in Europe and gets aid from a couple of other characters who get drawn in as well.
Anyways... the point of this review is not to tell you about the movie, but to save you money. This movie is not even mildly entertaining. It's worse than most 'made for TV' flicks you've seen. It's actually even worse than some pornos I've seen. It was obviously a "C"-level movie that got bumped up to "B" level because it has actors like Caine and Keaton in it. However, even though they are, as always, good actors, they still can't save this train wreck of a film. Bad writing and bad production meet head-on in what turns out to be an embarrassingly bad movie. I think the only entertainment value is as a "what NOT to do" lesson in film school. It's actually kinda funny (in a sad way), because it's so bad.
There are goofs in almost every scene, aside from the cheesy lines and plot holes. I'm not angry or being vindictive. It's simply the truth. I actually went into this movie with high hopes because I love Keaton. But this is just such a waste of time, I'm trying to save anyone else from accidentally renting it. Anyone who gave this movie a good review is actually working for the distributor or production company. It's not even debatable, it's soooo bad, and the goofs are so glaring.
I honestly assume that the reason Keaton and Caine signed on was because they owed someone a favor, or because it was a slow time for them & they got to take their families on vacation in the South of France for free.
Goofs and plot holes from beginning to end. Look for the blinking corpse at the beginning, and look for Caine's ventriloquism near the end.
Anyways... the point of this review is not to tell you about the movie, but to save you money. This movie is not even mildly entertaining. It's worse than most 'made for TV' flicks you've seen. It's actually even worse than some pornos I've seen. It was obviously a "C"-level movie that got bumped up to "B" level because it has actors like Caine and Keaton in it. However, even though they are, as always, good actors, they still can't save this train wreck of a film. Bad writing and bad production meet head-on in what turns out to be an embarrassingly bad movie. I think the only entertainment value is as a "what NOT to do" lesson in film school. It's actually kinda funny (in a sad way), because it's so bad.
There are goofs in almost every scene, aside from the cheesy lines and plot holes. I'm not angry or being vindictive. It's simply the truth. I actually went into this movie with high hopes because I love Keaton. But this is just such a waste of time, I'm trying to save anyone else from accidentally renting it. Anyone who gave this movie a good review is actually working for the distributor or production company. It's not even debatable, it's soooo bad, and the goofs are so glaring.
I honestly assume that the reason Keaton and Caine signed on was because they owed someone a favor, or because it was a slow time for them & they got to take their families on vacation in the South of France for free.
Goofs and plot holes from beginning to end. Look for the blinking corpse at the beginning, and look for Caine's ventriloquism near the end.
John Mackenzie's 'Quicksand' is a Time-Pass flick, that isn't meant to be taken too seriously. It delivers what is promises: Fair Entertainment.
'Quicksand' Synopsis: After a workaholic banker journeys to Monaco to investigate the suspicious activities of a company, he finds himself framed for murder and running for his life.
'Quicksand' is pretty engaging, but its surely not flawless. The Screenplay has a few loopholes, that keep popping-up, but overall, the Screenplay is fairly constructed. John Mackenzie's Direction is decent. Cinematography is good. Editing is average.
Performance-Wise: Michael Keaton is excellent, as always. He plays the protagonist with ease. Sir Michael Caine appears in an extended cameo & he does just fine. Judith Godreche does an okay job. Rade erbedija is superb.
On the whole, 'Quicksand' is a fair entertainer.
'Quicksand' Synopsis: After a workaholic banker journeys to Monaco to investigate the suspicious activities of a company, he finds himself framed for murder and running for his life.
'Quicksand' is pretty engaging, but its surely not flawless. The Screenplay has a few loopholes, that keep popping-up, but overall, the Screenplay is fairly constructed. John Mackenzie's Direction is decent. Cinematography is good. Editing is average.
Performance-Wise: Michael Keaton is excellent, as always. He plays the protagonist with ease. Sir Michael Caine appears in an extended cameo & he does just fine. Judith Godreche does an okay job. Rade erbedija is superb.
On the whole, 'Quicksand' is a fair entertainer.
The blinking corpse in the beginning of this film is a clue as to the shabby production which follows. A story of international intrigue with Keaton's character framed for murder and desperately trying to exonerate himself while on the run from both good and evil elements, "Quicksand" sinks slowly into its own messy conglomerated story which tries to do too much in too little time. Its good cast and nice locations can't make up for the poor screenplay, the herky-jerky flow, the numerous unanswered questions, and countless plot holes making this flick best saved for broadcast where one can switch channels with no liability as soon as they find themselves losing interest; which may be sooner than later. (C-)
Quicksand is a great movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the film when I caught it on TV. It had all of the mystery, suspense and drama of a top-notch film, but for some reason it lacks the notoriety. It didn't have a series of car chases and crashes that most American movies display. One has to wonder if this is why it wasn't the commercial success it should have been. Michael Keaton and Michael Caine gave stellar performances, which were supported by a wonderful European cast.
If you want to see a great movie with great actors and great footage of Europe, this is one of the best choices I can think of.
If you want to see a great movie with great actors and great footage of Europe, this is one of the best choices I can think of.
This movie had potential. Speedy script: Class actors: competent crew; but somehow missed out. Half way through it became predictable. The denouement was hackneyed. There were enough bright moments to make it watchable through to the end but it is not a film I would ever watch again if I were given the choice. Nor is it one that either of the two Michael's will be remembered for.
For me the freshest thing to come out of this film was the performance of the female lead Judith Godreche. Attractive and sparkling she earns the sympathy of the viewer which is something that the characters portrayed by Messrs. Caine and Keaton fail to do.
For me the freshest thing to come out of this film was the performance of the female lead Judith Godreche. Attractive and sparkling she earns the sympathy of the viewer which is something that the characters portrayed by Messrs. Caine and Keaton fail to do.
- mickey dripping
- 8 juil. 2005
- Permalien
Jake Mellows (Michael Keaton) is a divorced American banker sent to Monaco to investigate the possibility of laundering of money. Apparently the laundry of money was made through the production of films. In Monaco, he meets Lela Forin (Judith Godrèche), the financial manager of Miramax films, and Michael Caine, a decadent, alcoholic and gambler previously famous actor of action movies. Being in Europe, makes him promise his teenager daughter to visit her in London. Then, he gets absurdly involved in the murdering of the ports chief of police of Monaco. Then he realizes that most of the high level characters of the story are somehow involved with corruption. Next, his daughter is kidnapped. Jake will have to fight against powerful persons trying to save his daughter and himself and prove his innocence. This plot is so absurd and has so many `holes' that becomes funny. The murdering of the ports chief of police `à la Kennedy' and how and why Jake is blamed are ridiculous. Anyway, if the viewer do not have nothing better to do in a rainy Saturday afternoon, there is a chance to enjoy this flick. The excellent Michael Caine is not decadent yet like his character, and Michael Keaton is a good actor. My vote is five.
- claudio_carvalho
- 11 oct. 2003
- Permalien
- planktonrules
- 15 déc. 2020
- Permalien
So says The Daily Mail as they not only want to give this film away as a 'freebie' with their newspaper, they are trying to make us want it too, because, this is a Michael Keaton, not Caine, film.
Caine gets to shout 'bloody' again (as in his most famous ever line, in The Italian Job), this time about money he's owed, or he owes - not always sure who is pointing guns at whom, or why, the next, they're in a heap on the floor. Keaton is seemably always on the run, after setting off for south of France to dig up some info on some deal that's been flagged up as dodgy. Next thing, he's shot the Chief of Police, on Armistice Day, in a French town and everybody has seen him do it - and yes! there's a very convenient film crew who almost knew he was about to do it...The investigating police are dodgy as there's all sorts of cover-ups going on, to do with porno film rackets and illegal immigrants and such, I think..(nothing too explicit, cert 15).
Anyway, this credibility straining movie, in old style 4:3 ratio has its moments, cannot recall too many of them, now, that it's finished, except Caine, who is really quite obnoxious, but in a Michael Caine sort of way - i.e - we know he's such a great guy in real life so we forgive him (& for his not-too-rare dodgy choices of film roles) as he gets to try strangling folk, with his bare hands as well as string, or rope, or whatever...
Some of the French actresses are pleasing, both to the eye and their attempt at adding a different perspective to an otherwise quite unpleasant film.
Never mind, this is still better than some Michael Caine movies out there and the transfer quality and sound is OK.
Caine gets to shout 'bloody' again (as in his most famous ever line, in The Italian Job), this time about money he's owed, or he owes - not always sure who is pointing guns at whom, or why, the next, they're in a heap on the floor. Keaton is seemably always on the run, after setting off for south of France to dig up some info on some deal that's been flagged up as dodgy. Next thing, he's shot the Chief of Police, on Armistice Day, in a French town and everybody has seen him do it - and yes! there's a very convenient film crew who almost knew he was about to do it...The investigating police are dodgy as there's all sorts of cover-ups going on, to do with porno film rackets and illegal immigrants and such, I think..(nothing too explicit, cert 15).
Anyway, this credibility straining movie, in old style 4:3 ratio has its moments, cannot recall too many of them, now, that it's finished, except Caine, who is really quite obnoxious, but in a Michael Caine sort of way - i.e - we know he's such a great guy in real life so we forgive him (& for his not-too-rare dodgy choices of film roles) as he gets to try strangling folk, with his bare hands as well as string, or rope, or whatever...
Some of the French actresses are pleasing, both to the eye and their attempt at adding a different perspective to an otherwise quite unpleasant film.
Never mind, this is still better than some Michael Caine movies out there and the transfer quality and sound is OK.
- tim-764-291856
- 24 janv. 2013
- Permalien
- Equalizer90-1
- 30 nov. 2006
- Permalien
The workaholic head of the compliance section of a New York bank flies to Monaco to investigate unusual deposits from an offshore bank.
He meets a down-on-his-luck international film star who has become embroiled in criminal activities.
From the very first frame you know this is going to suck.
Poor production values. Poor story line. Horrible directing. Bad acting.
Just the worst.
Michael Keaton really can't act. And there is no wonder that this movie was shelved for so long and then released on video only.
He meets a down-on-his-luck international film star who has become embroiled in criminal activities.
From the very first frame you know this is going to suck.
Poor production values. Poor story line. Horrible directing. Bad acting.
Just the worst.
Michael Keaton really can't act. And there is no wonder that this movie was shelved for so long and then released on video only.
In the time of "CORONAVIRUS WORLD WAR - 3" in 2020 when your own life is at the hands of a invisible pandemic it's cinema and music that breaks all barriers and provides solace and entertainment in the confines of your home.Have been binge watching all sorts or movies of different genres and era's with crime and psychology being one of my favourites."QUICKSAND" is a excellent edge of the seat thriller and thanks for the excellent print with sound watching it on "Youtube".
- Leofwine_draca
- 18 avr. 2019
- Permalien
Martin Raikes is a banker who gets way over his head with one of the bank's client a group which is used as money laundry for the Russian mob in France. What's wrong with you people? This film definitely has all action thriller needed. A top cast, great villains, beautiful leading actress just as the beautiful filming location and cinematography. Both Michael and Michael bring wonderful performances to the screen. Director John Mackenzie directs expertly and shows he hasn't lost a thing since "The long good Friday" (1980). After watching this movie I hope for 2 things: 1. That people will give more credit to this film. 2. That the film industry will keep bringing us excellent films like this one. This, along with Ronin (1998) are two of the few smart action/intrigue films we have had in the last years. This one rates 10/10. Highly Recommended.
The michaels... caine and katon. Both amazing. Raikes (keaton) is the head of a large financial company, who wants to find any irregularities before the s.e.c. Does. So when he gets an anonymous tip to shenanigans going on at the site in monaco, raikes goes to check it out. The mob is involved, but we're not sure just who or how. And.... we jump the shark 22 minutes in. Raikes has been set up as the assassin. Film star jake mellows (caine) may or may not be involved. One of the problems is that so many things are just not believable; he wouldn't have picked up the assault rifle. We've all seen enough murder she wrotes and columbos to know that you never pick up a random gun, and you never pull a knife out of someone. Another problem is that there's never really much suspense. Even back in 2003, they could pinpoint a cell phone quickly. And raike's hiding places were so lame... the coppers would have to be pretty blind not to see him. Some less than optimal directing. This could have been a top notch production, but many short cuts were taken. It has some blood and guts, some cussing. Directed by john mackenzie. Only made one more after this. He was already in his mid seventies.
Started off great, nice chase scenes, Michael Keaton trying to piece eveything together, after being framed of murder. The Lela character wasn't very likable, and she made the movie drag a bit towards the middle. Then Keaton and Caine cross paths and movie picks up again. I liked their banter and Caine adds good humor. It's an okay movie, but I wouldn't watch again
- WankerReviews
- 24 sept. 2019
- Permalien