Rede de Intrigas

I really wasn't sure whether this was supposed to be a comedy or action flick. Writer Wes Wilson (Christian Slater) falls head over heels for Samantha (Sarah Ann Schultz). Before they get married, she is kidnapped by Isaac (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Seems she didn't tell Wes all about her past.

Wes has this thing about fast relationships because he soon is shacking with a magazine writer Nicole (Christa Campbell).

Slater seemed to be having a good time; well, he was with Christa Campbell, but Gooding was the main man here. He was just so cool throughout.

Now, Wes might pick another subject to write about as he clearly is not good with relationships.

Things clearly become cartoonish in Spokane. So, maybe this is a comedy after all.

The ending was funny, but it had nothing to do with the story.

I'm just glad to see Campbell in a more meaty role.

It's simply incredible that two famous actors accepted to act in such a terrible Z-movie. The script and screenplay are so incredibly poor that it looks like a 5 year old child spent his time in writing this crap. Direction is something which made me hope there was no director, the result could have been better. Really, I can't save anything at all of this movie, the only nice thing is sometimes the soundtrack, but two songs repeated ad infinitum would result boring even if wonderful. Please, avoid this movie if you can, spend your free time in something more intriguing... like sleeping. And actors, were you really so short in money you had to accept it or there was a gun on your head to force you to?

I could understand if this was a funny crime film where all the villains are cartoonish bumblers. This is played for real. We have Slater, a con-author who tells everyone how to run their lives but has made a ruin of his own. He runs afoul of Gooding, playing a prissy, effeminate, yet somehow feared smuggler of all kinds of stuff and his gang of over-age thugs. The head thug is a dead ringer for Patrick Troughton, the second actor to play Dr. Who. As such its hard to take him too seriously. The others are kind of old to be slapping people around. Yet, this gang is talented: they manage to shoot people, beat up men and women savagely, shoot up a hotel, crash their car, all in broad daylight and in public without attracting the attention of a single cop. And, like the evil killer in a slasher movie, they are unstoppable. No matter how fast or where Slater runs, how well he hides, how many people are witnesses, the crooks always catch him and beat him up. After a while the chase scenes become pointless since you know Slater is doomed from the start. And no matter how savagely he or his girlfriends are thrashed, a minute later they are just fine, broken ribs and fractured jaws forgotten, with maybe a little cut on the forehead to address. If the film had been played as a take-off on other gangster films, it could have been funny and entertaining. As it is, it's a plot hole ridden mess. Maybe I'm too critical. Others seem to enjoy it.

I'll start by defending myself for actually watching this; someone else made me watch it! This isn't so much a review, but more of a warning. DON'T WATCH IT! The plot if you read the back of the DVD sounds quite promising. A writer's (Christian Slater) fiancé is kidnapped and he finds himself being chased by violent thugs (led by Cuba Golding Jr) who believe he has some diamond that his fiancé stole from them. Nothing groundbreaking about the plot, but OK, could be a good Saturday night action film. Alas no! What we get could be reasonably described as a cheese fest. Appalling acting, an awful plot, dismal effects and shoddy camera work.

Perhaps the most depressing part about this film is watching the death of the careers of two previously promising actors. Christian Slater and Cuba Golding Jr, both have successful films behind them, but both have had a recent string of turkeys, and this should just about finish them off. However to be fair, they are probably the best thing about this film, as the supporting cast are well out of their depths.

At one point in the film, it feels as though it might just save itself in becoming a sort of spoof of action films. The fight scenes and dialogue are so bad it is hilarious. The people watching it with me were laughing harder than we have done with some comedies. The trouble is, the film isn't meant to be funny.

I think this film has one use, to show it in film school to aspiring actors, directors, cameramen etc and explain this is how not to do a film.

At the beginning I saw that in this movie plays Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater and I thought it's gonna be a nice movie. Then I saw the trailer of this movie and I understood that it will not be such a good movie that I suppose.

It is not a good movie and I do not recommend it because I did not like it and I can tell you that it is a boring movie and not an action movie. Although one thing that I liked in this movie is the performance of Cuba Gooding Jr. as a bad guy.

Finally "Lies & Illusions" is a movie to simply pass your time and nothing more.