L'affaire Karen McCoy

This is the sort of film that will do if nothing else is on but not much else. Its a heist film with Kim Basinger and Val Kilmer and everything in it has been done before and done better. The bank robbery at the end is a bit of a let down because it just seems too easy. It was directed by the man who brought us the fabulous Highlander, but sadly also the truly awful Highlander 2, this film is somewhere in between. The only plus points are the always great to look at Kim Basinger, and Val Kilmer in a different sort of role to his usual stuff. I think Kim Basinger is a great actress but like most females in Hollywood seems to struggle to get decent films to star in, not counting the awesome LA Confidential of course. All in all a very average film ***5/10***

From what I've seen (for the most part), if there's a Trans Am in a movie, then the movie's going to be good. "The Driver", "Smokey and the Bandit", "Donnie Darko", "Blue Thunder", all awesome, and each one proudly displaying a Firebird. Pretty good rule of thumb, thus far.

Not so with the "The Real McCoy", which is mostly a brain-dead affair - in the sense that you can be half-comatose on the couch and still follow the plot. This thing's so formulaic, it doesn't take any brain power to keep up. It's just one heist movie cliché after another. They even manage to waste Terrence Stamp on a vanilla bad guy role (dammit, that should be a federal crime!). It's a little shocking just how meek Kim Basinger comes off here, what with her being the numero-uno cat burglar. Who knows, maybe Catwoman ruined me, but they could've hardened this character.

5/10

I'm just a hair or two from labeling the effort above average, though this movie can still supply sufficient entertainment. Were this film to be remade today it would not need much to attain the status of Above Average. I would however abstain from casting the lead with anyone with similar physical attributes as Ms.Basinger only because to date who robs banks and looks like that!! Very "clean" by todays standards for most genre. Terry Stamp plays the villain with just a tad less venom than IS required for his role, he fall short of making me hate him enough, and Val Kilmer does a superb job with portraying his character. All in all absolutely worth the 1 hour & 45 minutes.

The Real McCoy has one of the most impossible storylines around. But how can you not love a movie which contains the line, "What's not normal about getting on a plane with your mom and going down to Rio with 3 million dollars?" Some parts, especially the set-up, are slow, but on the whole it's a great, implausible romp. It's also a must for Kilmer and Basinger fans.

As a heist movie, I didn't enjoy much. As an action, I have seen better and more memorable. As for the acting, no one did her or his best here. So what's this movie's really interesting point? I'll tell you. It's the title's role.

Movies have accustomed us to watch that kind of roles played by men, not women. That confident, genius, and heartwarming thief has been always a man. This time, it's (Kim Basinger).

Since the 1970s, the American cinema had gone a long way to assure that women can be heroes too. Look closer to 1993 movies: there was violent yet sensitive woman (Point of No Return), a remake of the French movie (La Femme Nikita - 1990), who is a dusty female copy of (James Bond). Funny and philanthropic woman (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit), a comic copy of (To Sir With Love - 1967). And there was (Body Snatchers) too, a remake of (Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1959), where the lead role was given to a girl, played by (Gabrielle Anwar). Clearly, it was a man's world, but not anymore.

In another, less daring, less creative, treatment, this could have been a movie for say (Val Kilmer), however - for this movie's good and ours - THANK GOD it wasn't!

So, it's low-tone average entertainment for some afternoon, where its Real McCoy factor is in the sex of who played its Real McCoy!