Renegade Force

Yikes, this was not quite what I expected. Granted it was well depicted, good script. But the two leads were the coldest pair I have ever evinced a disinterest in. You really didn't care what happened to them. That closing line from the dying renegade, the one about himself and the FBI man being alike. Spot on the money. You sort of wished they'd killed each other and then only two people would be dead.

Graphic, but detached. You couldn't involve yourself with the characters they were all so cardboard.

I saw this movie for the first time two evenings ago on HBO. I guess my critcism of this movie is a culmination of seeing so many of the same mistakes in almost all movies. Even on a movie set some of these safety mistakes can be very dangerous. You'll never see a tactical team "SWEEP" their weapon across another officer. Even blanks can kill or seriously injure if discharged close to an individual. Entry teams will never walk in front of a window while approaching a building either.

I also couldn't believe the bad choice of camoflage they use when filming the sniper scene. Not to mention that they show a gross knowledge of the capability of their rifle when they over estimate it's effective range not by just a little bit. In this movie they "overshot" it's effective range by 1000 yards, which is double it's capability. An expert marksman couldn't have made two of the three shots with a .50 Caliber BMG, much less a .308 Winchester (7.62 X 51mm NATO). One thing that particularly sticks in my craw is that the gas tank on a car WILL NOT explode by simply putting a standard bullet through it. The mistakes and misconceptions in this movie go on and on and I can't go through every one of them with the room I have here. I think Michael Rooker and Robert Patrick were victimized in this film by shabby writing and directing. Both of their acting skills are far above what their parts in this movie offered them.

I watch a LOT of movies and about 1 in 20 has any redeeming qualities. This one is one of those, even though it is flawed. The first half was excellent, scenes loaded with little details that showed a lot of thought went into them, like, the FBI agent is grilling a bad cop in his office, then lifts his coffee cup to drink and it has a big smiley face on it. The smiley face comes back later in the movie as it's tatooed on the battering ram used in a later scene.

I have always considered the running street battle in Heat to be one of the best scenes of all time in movies. This movie has at least 3 scenes done just as well EXCEPT for the sound which is not as realistic as the sound in Heat.

This movie has a lot of firsts also, like, the sniping scene is done at 2000 yards and the bullets take 3 seconds to arrive at the targets. I've never see that little detail accurately portrayed before. I wanted to give those targets advice: Serpentine!!

The attempt to portray ALL the little details involved in sniper activity, and SWAT activity was incredibly enjoyable. I don't know if it was realistic but it sure convinced me. I just love that s***. This movie could have been a contender for top 10 in my book if the story hadn't lost momentum halfway through. It almost seems like someone told the producer to chop the film short because the ending is rushed and repetitious as there is no need to show the same tactical problems and solutions over and over again.

Anyone who likes action films won't be disappointed with this but don't expect Sleepless in Seattle ladies. No, this sure isn't that.

"Rogue Force" is brainless action at it's best. The plot: FBI Agent Matt Cooper (Rooker) has to stop renegade cops who are killing mafia members and other assorted bad guys. It doesn't seem like a problem, but they have gone too far, because innocents are also being targeted. He is saddled with a partner: Helen Simms (Diane Di Lascio) to bring down the ringleader Jake (Patrick).

What "Rogue Force" excels at are the action scenes. All the action is brisk and exciting. The climax in particular is the best. It's just non-stop bullets and mayhem. Rooker, Di Lascio, and Patrick put in good performances too.

In the end: "Rogue Force" is 90 minutes of cool FBI\SWAT action. The plot is routine but who cares when you're having a good time.

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Rogue Force was a violent, interesting, and sometimes silly movie. I have to admit though, a big part of the reason I liked it is because it stars my favorite actor, Michael Rooker. Rooker is typically great and entertaining, and Robert Patrick is up there too. The violence is pretty gory, which is a plus, and the plot was interesting enough.

It's a low-budget action film. You could do a LOT worse.