There are two reasons why Treat Williams is a B-movie king. First is he is not that good of an actor, and second is he always gets roles like his in Gale Force. Campy B-movie actors are usually ok as long as they don't try to become `real' actors, which is something that Williams unfortunately has tried to become. Although he can portray his campiness well in such movies as Hollywood Ending, he's better suited in his direct-to-video type movies, such as Gale Force, in which he's the best part.
In Gale Force, Williams plays Sam Garrett, a cop who breaks all the rules, according to an unintentionally hilarious opening scene. Due to that, he's on suspension, and to get back on the force, he has to go on a new reality show called `Treasure Hunt.' The host has ulterior motives, and there's a giant storm (a gale force
get it?) that threatens everyone. Whatever is Treat Williams to do?
I understand that this is not a movie to be taken seriously, and the first half or so actually wasn't that bad; it was cheesily good. The acting was horrible, and so was everything else. However, it was entertaining, and, in some ways, an eye opener to reality shows. Once the storm came, that's when everything fell apart. A new subplot came in and anything enjoyable from the first half went away. It wasn't cheesy, it was just stupid.
Although this is a minimal budget movie, you would at least think they could get better special effects. In the opening scene, at one part Williams is being chased by the bad guys. He has to go around a truck, so he goes on two side wheels. How this happens is randomly he just tilts to one side with the most obvious backlighting I have ever seen. It was more obvious than those `special effect' rides at Universal Studios. The hurricane looked extremely fake; yet again, just something out of an amusement park ride. I would expect something more from Artisan and Phoenician Entertainment.
Adding to the fakeness was also in the opening scene. When Williams is being chased by the bad guys, they throw dynamite at him (of course). The dynamite explodes at various times, but never the same, especially when Williams would be killed. Another time, Williams shoots someone who flies out of his car (did I mention that he is also being chased by a minivan?) at a 90 degree angle and then flies into an ice cream truck which immediately explodes. It's so bad it's good, which is something I can't say about the abysmal second half.
Williams is actually quite good when he isn't required to act. Sometimes the script by Steve Latshaw throws him some one-liners, which are pretty funny. When someone asks him, `Who do we have to f**k to get us out of here?', he replies, `Probably the pilot.' This, of course, leaves the second half, which is so bad it makes me want to go up to Artisan (who has made quality projects like Terminator 2) and yell in their face. If you wind up watching Gale Force, only watch the first half. I guarantee you'll be in convulsions in the second half.
My rating: 3/10
Rated R for violence and language.
