The Fate - La mano del destino

Armed with no particular viewing agenda when I arrived at the video store the other night, I decided to rent this handsome thriller of a film. The result was one of those happy accidents where you inadvertently discover a film that turns out to be quite enjoyable, and you think, "Man, I'm glad I got to see this." It's certainly worth the watch.

The story was compelling and I really did not expect the surprise ending. I've seen plenty of bad b-movies whose plots (if you want to call them that) are flat and boring, where you know exactly how things are going to turn out in the first five minutes. "Fate" kept me interested until the end with its compelling premise and storytelling.

The film also looked great...in a league similar to some of the Hollywood studios' more moderate budget action fare. And, the make up effects were cool, too.

The acting also held up as well. I pretty much expected Phillip Michael Thomas to be washed up, but he surprised me with his subtle and smoldering performance. And while he wasn't part of the main name cast, there was something about director Ace Cruz's performance that made his detective colleague character enjoyable to watch.

What else can I say? I think it's worth checking out, and I look forward to more from Ace Cruz and the gang.

This movie is very bad, do not watch it, you are balls.

Fate first appears as cop/thriller rip of Seven or Silence of the Lambs, but offers a little more than you'd think. While the characters are a bit stereotyped, Lee Majors and the rest really do the best with what they were given. The extremely low budget for this film is easily overlooked by Ace Cruz's ability to make a visually pleasing film. Many films today are over-budgeted and given to Hollywood hacks that throw money at big name actors and special effects and end up being no better than this film. (eg: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, American Treasure, or Daredevil.) Fate had several unexpected twists and offers a fresh look into the psyche of a serial killer. Rent it at Blockbuster and be sure to watch the making-of.

Actors Pare and Phillips portrayed police detectives with an authentic feel.

There were no cop movie clichés to tire you out like so many of the police films you see. I picture this is how an actual police department and it's homicide investigations are conducted...with professionalism and seriousness. I enjoyed this consistent feel the director kept throughout the film. The casting was very good and effective at keeping this feel of realism. I hope to see Pare and Phillips together in another film!

Lee Majors is a popular actor and it was fun seeing him in the rare antagonist role. I would like to see Majors in more films. As well as Pare and Phillips. At one time or another I have wondered what happened to each of these larger than life actors?

Fate is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is nothing but a tired cliché, complimented by bad acting, bad writing, and bad direction. The writers are obviously casual fans of 80's cop shows, and their knowledge of police procedure would apparently go no farther.

The movie follows the basic plot for Se7en, with two cops tracking down a fanatically religious serial killer, who leaves various clues as to his identity, because he wants to be caught, to prove his point. It also borrows liberally from such other films as Silence of the Lambs and The Empire Strikes Back. In fact, if there's an original idea in this movie, I missed it.

Michael Pare is apparently the worst actor I've ever seen. He could not have been more wooden, and delivered his lines more poorly. The fact that he is so awful is the only reason I'm not laying into Philip Michael Thomas, who has been M.I.A. for several years, apparently with good reason. And frankly, it's really sad to see Lee Majors reduced to this garbage. He's the freakin' Fall Guy! The dialogue in this film is so bad, that I can only assume the writers are dyslexic. Characters often say things that no one, no matter how stupid, would ever say. It's like they director wanted to stop the film at times, so that he could explain to the audience what was happening. Of course, you'd have to be a complete idiot not to understand (especially if you've already seen Se7en), so it just seems painful.

I don't remember the last time I groaned as much as I did watching this movie. I can only hope that the director and writers are forever banned from even borrowing a video camera again. These guys aren't even competent to make music videos.