paulbrec

I have just discovered this film recently. It was never very popular, and I don't know why. I am surprised that a few people can't stand this film. After viewing the DVD a few times, I can honestly say that overall this is not a bad film. The directing is superb. I liked the way the director uses time...the passage of time...and shows its relationship and importance to the story. I also liked the camera blocking, and angles. My favorite shot is of the bully walking out of the school just before the fight: The camera zooms in and tilts up at a low level. A technique taught in film school to show a subject as "larger-than-life", or menacing over something. The acting was also excellent. Richard Tyson is great as the bully. His deep voice is well suited for this role, and is especially noted if you have a subwoofer. Yeah, I wouldn't want to fight him, either... Although the story is "typical", I like the plot-line. Throughout the whole story, the plot slowly builds to an amazing climax, then drops suddenly, and levels off. Its a perfect plot-line. Although, some parts of the story are "far-fetched". Such as, Jerry pretending to fall in love with his English teacher. One thing to remember, though, this is fiction. Sometimes in fiction, things happen that are unlikely in real life. That's why its called "fiction". Other than the bland "typical" story, I could not find anything wrong with this film. I have yet to even find so much as a continuity error. In conclusion, if you are looking for "content" you will be disappointed with this film. However, if you are looking for a well-directed film with good use of camera blocking and angles, and actor positioning, you will find this to be a very enjoyable film. ACTING: 9.1 / 10 DIRECTING: 9.4 / 10 STORY: 8.8 / 10

AVERAGE: 9.1 / 10 A lost Gem, and a must see for "film people".

If you are looking for a film with a complex plot, and complex characters, this is not it. However, if you are looking for good action, this is one film you must see. The plot is simple, and there is practically no character development. So what? This is an action film. All you need to know is: "This is a good guy" and, "This is a bad guy". You do not need their whole life stories. This is not that type of film. This is the type of film where you don't want to have to think about complicated stories and characters. Sometimes you just want to see chases, shooting, and things being blown up. This film does a good job of it. 8 out of 10.

I have always enjoyed Joel Schumacher's work. The same goes for this great piece of work. I was amazed at how well one could build a whole story around a man in a phone booth. Points in the film had interesting presentations. Such as, displaying four different scenes at the same time. Plus, the sniper's voice is non-directional, as opposed to just a voice on the telephone. The only drawback with this film, is the rather slow beginning, but once the lead character steps into that phone booth, that's it. This is an excellent film with a great story, and excellent acting.