Les pilleurs

Looking at the cover of 'Trespass' it would be easy to overlook it on the shelves, thinking it was just another one of hundreds of generic action movies that clog up the video store shelves. I know I did for quite some time. Bill Paxton and William Sadler are dependable character actors but seeing the pictures of both Ice-T and Ice Cube hardly inspires confidence. As rappers they are without doubt very talented, but apart from Cube's surprisingly good performance in 'Three Kings', neither has impressed me as an actor. In fact having Ice-T in the cast of a movie is invariably a sign that it sucks big time. No disrespect intended to T, but he seems to have made some lousy career choices when it comes to motion pictures ('Tank Girl', 'Mean Guns', 'Below Utopia', 'The Alternate',etc.etc.) closer inspection however reveals that 'Trespass' is directed by Walter Hill. That's Walter 'The Driver', 'The Warriors', 'The Long Riders' Hill. Even more interesting is the fact that the script is by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis of 'Back To The Future' fame. Well I'm glad I finally gave this movie a shot, because while it isn't one of Hill's best, it's a very effective and tense thriller. It's a siege thriller, and I love that style when it's done well e.g. 'Straw Dogs', 'Assault On Precinct 13'. Paxton and Sadler play firefighting buddies who come in possession of a map which reveals hidden treasure, looted from a church fifty years earlier. When they journey to an abandoned factory to find it they witness a murder and find themselves trapped. Outside is gangsta King James (Ice-T) and his gang, including hotheaded Savon (Ice Cube), and inside they have James' junkie "brother" Lucky (De'Voreaux White) as a hostage, and an old homeless man Bradlee (Art Evans). Okay, I'll admit that there's not much new here (the movie is deliberately modeled on John Huston's classic 'The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre'), but the acting is above average, especially from Sadler, a most underrated actor, and Hill manages to sustain the suspense right until the very end. Definitely worth a look.

Another stylish movie from Walter Hill since Streets of Fire.

The interesting part is, none of the characters are good. So it's truly a story about wrong guys in a wrong place and a wrong destiny and luck.

Maybe the story gets dry in the middle, but if you enjoy Walter's style, you'll end up buying a copy of this movie and watch it whenever you need some stylish booze... Like me.

It seems that it is impossible to have a movie that is completely action orientated, yet be highly intelligent.But Trespass has done this very well. It puts together a group of characters in a difficult situation with which you get to see them react to their circumstances in a fresh and realistic way.

I was very impressed with Ice-T who gave an extremely convincing performance as the leader of the criminals.

This film is excellent and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who would like to see an action movie done right!

Trespass is directed by Walter Hill and written by Bob gale and Robert Zemeckis. It stars Bill Paxton, Ice-T, William Sadler and Ice Cube. Music is by Ry Cooder and cinematography by Lloyd Ahern II. Plot finds Sadler and Paxton as two fireman who learn of stolen treasure hidden in a disused building in East St. Louis. Upon arriving there they begin their search but are interrupted when a gang led by Ice-T's King James decides to use the building to execute an enemy. A stand off ensues....

It was held back from release under its original title of "The Looters" due to the L.A. riots in the summer of 92. Where under its new title it was released at Christmas and promptly bombed at the box office. A shame since it's a taut and claustrophobic thriller crafted with knowing skill by Walter Hill. Clearly an urban take on The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, with dashes of Rio Bravo thrown in for good measure, film makes the most of the premise without using pointless filler and by not being afraid to up the racial hatred aspects of the stand off. Hill's construction of the action is first rate and smooth, and the cast are firing on all cylinders to make the material work in what is practically a one location picture. 7/10

I thought this movie was very well done and didn't recieve the attention it deserves. I saw it a long time ago and have asked my video store to get it in stock on DVD so I can again rent it. I can't even find it for purchase through Columbia House! Great movie!