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Swordfish (2001)
Review by
Victoria Alexander,
Films in Review
Rating: FRESH
Putting aside all the right and logical reasons to slam this film,
its big summer fun and makes Sena's Gone in 60 Seconds look like a
long day in driver's education school.
SWORDFISH
By
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
RATING: FRESH
SWORDFISH, director Dominic Sena's homage to blowing things up, the
blowjob, and gorgeous special effects excess, is not based on
reality. That
said, we now know men like Gabriel Shear (John Travolta) do exist,
live above
all laws, get away with stealing mega-millions, and buy presidential
pardons.
To enjoy this movie one has to set aside the prejudice of demanding realism,
which can be boring and tedious, and be willing to be entertained by clever
dialogue, a breathtaking action sequence involving 135 still cameras, and the
star magnetism of Travolta.
Travolta, looking thin in most scenes, plays a character that is
deliciously evil and morally bankrupt, but he has a higher purpose! He must
preserve the American Way of Life and stamp out international terrorism. This
takes a lot of money. While it may be wacky to us, he does have a
philosophical agenda that he will execute no matter how many innocent people
get killed, just like The Children's Crusade - without the religion part.
Travolta delights in his character's self-idolatry: long hair and soul patch,
custom-made clothes, and a fierce commitment to fascism (or is it
fanaticism?). He's right and the rest of the world be damned.
Gabriel's assistant Ginger (remember, nobody is what they appear to be!)
is the now very expensive topless actress Halle Berry. (The bar on nudity has
been set and it has a big dollar figure. Think about it: Jessica Lange went
topless in TITUS for no money at all!)
I like the Skip Woods script: great lines and he gives us a very good
reason why Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) reluctantly agrees to help Gabriel
steal 9 billion dollars. His daughter is living in Hell with his rich, porn
performer ex-wife. Gabriel wants Stanley to do something big and nasty in
cyperworld. It involves firewalls, back doors, worms, and really fast typing.
The movie begins explosively with a bank heist in progress and moves
backward and forward in time. It opens with Travolta pontificating about DOG
DAY AFTERNOON. And he's making sense! (Well, at least he was to everyone in
the audience).
Putting aside all the right and logical reasons to slam this film,
its
big summer fun and makes Sena's GONE IN 60 SECONDS look like a long
day in
driver's education school.
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