Film Review

As always, if you have not yet seen the film and plan to, then it is probably not best to read this first!

The film had great potential. A whole host of top names and good publicity. It started well, viewpoints from each character unravelled to tell the story. The film literally rolled back each time a new person's story was told. A couple of good twists along the way made it interesting at times. (Matthew Fox's character being a baddie saddened me!)

My knowledge of the politics surrounding this scenario is very limited, which didn't help. The planning and accuracy of the terrorist group was frightening. It all seemed very calculated, but yet easy to do. Far too many people were on the inside. It made me wonder how much of it was artistic licence, and how much of it with a stretch of the imagination and right tools, could happen.

It was all going well until very near the end....all of the stories have tied together and we are watching the plot unfold. It suddenly becomes very cheesy. Lots of impossible moments. For example the agent turned bad, in a high speed car chase, eye-balling the partner he betrayed via the rear-view-mirror, chasing him in the car behind!! The real president (not the fake one who was shot, good twist) is in the ambulance with the (very attractive -its Hollywood) kidnappers. Dennis Quaid then becomes everything that America should be. Out fly the cheesy lines. All that was missing was a shot of the confederate flag and the words God bless America!! The president fights off the bad guys dressed as paramedics with a pole, the ambulance swerves to miss a child, the ambulance tips, along comes Dennis leaping over cars, opens the doors, shoots the bad guy who is pretending to be dead, and utters the words - you're safe now Mr president. Followed by many more classics. (much to the amusement of my friends and others in the cinema!!)

Along with a mushy phone call for the last King of Scotland, its a typical Hollywood ending, no-one messes with the US! -apparently.