Os Imortais

"Time doesn't matter when you're talking about eternity." At one point in the film: One of the eight one-time convicts (who were hired to steal suitcased loot in pairs) says this to a fellow thug (who, in turn, points a gun on the declarist's forehead). Every character in this flick has a reason to be on-edge, and we discover those reasons at the end of the film, which is blessed with a magnificent cast. Eric Roberts leads the pack with style, Chris Rock plays a goon who boasts, and Kevin Bernhardt is a tough guy that delivers extremely-timely lines. The hostage "Cleopatra" adds plenty of sex appeal, sporting some fine threads and some fine cleavage, almost distracting the viewer. There's a certain '95 film that may seem cousin-bound, but to compare this film to "The Usual Suspects" is blasphemous. 'Suspects' doesn't have the action, humor, or the Cleopatra that this film has. TUS simply has an unusually inferior cast and script to this action-comedy. This crowd-pleaser also stars Bill Forsythe, known for his villainous role in 'Out for Justice'. In this one, he seems to play a homophobe who bickers at Kerry, and early in the film they visit a titty bar. In this one, however, he doesn't battle Steven Seagal at the end. But gay or straight, they all slowly but surely realize they have more in common than they initially thought. And whether you're an Eric Roberts fan or not, this has to be considered (along with 'Nature of the Beast') a 1995 timeless masterpiece.

A surprisingly well-known and talented cast help to make this an unexpectedly enjoyable film. In particular, Roberts and Pantoliano are solid as usual, and Chris Rock has some funny moments, as you would probably expect. Things do slow down midway through the movie, but a wonderful plot twist breathes new life into the film towards the end. The ending scenes are all too typical, but by the final minutes, there had already been enough clever writing and creativity to keep me happy. Despite some slow spots and a routine finish, this is still a movie that is definitely worth a look.

Wow. Another crime/robbery movie, but this one with a great twist....a must see and all that. I usually don't like this genre, but this movie is good for anyone. Has moments for all kinds of people. It is strikingly profound and this surprised me, that it was much different from the normal shooting/blood splattering movie type. A 10 from me.

I just saw this film for the first time (Feb 07). I bought it for a buck on VHS. I'd never heard of it and realized the cast was a definite B-level cast at best, but I thought, what the heck? Just a buck.

I was pleasantly surprised. It's definitely no great film, but I actually enjoyed it. Sure, it's cheesy here and there, and it would've benefited from better direction. But I'd call it a hidden gem for any crime film fan to find.

An original, if bizarre, premise leads to some left-field drama and several genuinely funny moments. It's simply one of those late-night pleasures.

Enter Eric Roberts (American Strays, Purgatory, The Grave) a manager of a mobster owned (Curtis) high-rise hotel and eloquent casino. He arranges eight individuals, all unknown to each other to rob the other four casinos that also belonging to Curtis. Pairing them off, he sends them out with similar masks at the precise time of casino collections. Thus begins ninety minutes bloody shoot outs, humor and an interesting plot that catches the viewer off guard at the end. Chris Rock and Tia Carrere make an interesting team. Forsythe is superb as he lies shot and bleeding profusely and decides, `This is as good as time as any to take that last hit of acid I was saving.' As the plot thickens, they all realize they have more in common than just being robbers. To say anymore would give it away as that movie dude did with `The Crying Game.' And we don't want that, do we? On a scale of One to Five, I would give it three and half stars purely on the fact I think Roberts and Forsythe are great actors. But as the critic I'm not (laugh Barb) I'd probably give it four.