Broken Arrow (1996)

Really Surprised!

Dreadfully Boring

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Really quickly, first of all, Travolta's signature move in this couple of action movies he made in a short amount of time (this one and Face/Off), is dying at the end by a weapon to his stomach. Now, this movie's entertaining from start to finish and my only problem, besides all of the unrealistic action, of course, is when Hale tells Colonel Wilkins that Deke is doing a rope-a-dope. Wilkins looks lost and goes, "A what?" Hale explains what that is and Wilkins interrupts with, "Yes, I know what the rope-a-dope is--what's your point?" lol Well, he just implied that he DIDN'T... Also, well before that part, why would Hale tell Deke about another crafty move he's thought of about taking the second bomb down below to be buried under tons of rock? Keep it to yourself, you idiot! I like how he shows his opponent his cards and then tells his teammate, Carmichael, that they have to hurry because the opponent's now on his way even faster than before to unleash hell.

Now these were the days. Broken Arrow is a terrifically entertaining action film that reeks of 90s cheese. It's chock full of slow motion, campy dialogue and a bombastic score. The movie knows what it is and makes no pretensions about itself, which unfortunately cannot be said for many of the drab, self serious action films Hollywood pumps out nowadays. Storywise, the movie keeps things simple. Crazed Air Force Major Vic Deakins (John Travolta) has stolen two nuclear warheads and threatens to detonate them over a populated area if his demands aren't met. Now it's up to his ex-partner Riley Hale (Christian Slater) and Utah park ranger Terry Carmichael (Samantha Mathis) to foil his scheme before a major U.S. city is reduced to a mushroom cloud. This sets the stage for a relentless game of cat and mouse through the canyons of Utah, as Riley and Terry battle Vic and his henchmen for possession of the warheads. This plot is mercifully coherent and avoids the mistake many action films of today make in becoming too convoluted for their own good. As Deakins, Travolta steals the show. He is so cartoonishly over the top that he almost seems to be from a different planet from the rest of the characters. But this is how it should be. Action films live or die on the quality of their villains. Just look at some of the best ones: Die Hard, Speed, Terminator 1 and 2. Can you imagine any of these films with a lesser antagonist? A great villain is something that can turn a merely OK action flick into a great one, and Travolta's scenery chewing helps in elevating Broken Arrow closer to classic action movie status (He also gets a hilarious and over the top exit, another factor sorely lacking in today's action movie climate). While admittedly overshadowed by Travolta, Christian Slater nevertheless holds his own and creates a solid hero in Riley Hale. Samantha Mathis is fine as plucky park ranger Terry and the supporting cast is populated by reliable character actors such as Delroy Lindo, Bob Gunton and Kurtwood Smith. John Woo directs the film with style and fluidity, although his technique here is slightly more subdued compared to his earlier work. His direction and Graham Yost's script keep the film moving at a breakneck pace that never lets up. The film's pace is exhilarating, and Hans Zimmer's kinetic score further pumps up the movie. A quick note about the score. While Hans Zimmer may have received vast recognition and acclaim for his work on The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception, his compositions for Broken Arrow rank among the best he's ever done for the genre. They juice up the already thrilling action scenes into something that truly feels epic and only highlight what a difference a great score can do for a movie. Broken Arrow is a gleefully absurd 90s action flick that is pure fun from start to finish. Over the years the film seems to have been somewhat forgotten, with Woo and Travolta's subsequent collaboration Face/off overshadowing it. Admittedly, while Broken Arrow may not be quite as good as Face/off the film still holds up. It has well shot action, a brilliant score, a memorable villain and the 108 minute run time flies by. This is all further enlivened by John Woo's operatic directorial flourishes which elevate the film's scale and, consequently, making the stakes feel even larger. Perhaps most refreshingly, the movie never takes itself too seriously, which helps to inject the most important ingredient into a film of this genre. An ingredient that too many action/adventure films of today seem to have forgotten: Fun.

"Broken Arrow" was my first John Woo movie, so you can imagine the impact of such an action virtuoso on a 15 year-old's mind and the soft spot I've had for this movie ever since. It created quite the thirst.Getting down to it, the movie's memorable mostly because of John Travolta, who's clearly relishing the bad guy role here. It's a balls-to-the-wall performance (keeping with the tone of the movie) as he feasts on the scenery in almost every one of his minutes on screen. Seriously, the guy's working on a higher level than the rest of the cast, and walks away with the movie from the more earnest Slater.Aside from the delectable Samantha Mathis, it's all slo-mo shootouts and explosions. Bottom line, good old-fashioned cheap thrills.7/10

John Woo's 1996 thriller has to be the worst Woo film that I've seen. For some reason, the magic just wasn't all there this time, maybe Woo's heart just wasn't in it. For one, the film lacks his typical visual flair for shoot-outs and gun battles, and there is a low death toll. Secondly, the plot has to be one of the most hackneyed things I've ever seen, with the old story of someone stealing nuclear weapons. The ending even rips off UNDER SIEGE 2, but at least things pick up a bit here, with an exciting fight sequence on a train.Sure, there are a few good moments; the bit where a man has a hammer thrown in his face, a bit where a nuclear weapon explodes underground, and the finale where Slater and Travolta slug it out on board a train about to crash, but these moments are few and far between. The miscasting in the film also doesn't help. Christian Slater is more suited to playing psychopaths rather than action heroes, and frankly he just isn't very believable in the role. John Travolta overdoes his psychotic madman role too much, and comes off irritating and childish rather than in the least bit menacing. Still, it's obvious he's enjoying himself in the role, and some of that enjoyment rubs off on the viewer. There are a couple of good actors in supporting roles (including cult favourite Kurtwood Smith), and Samantha Mathis is nice as the female lead, but the pairing of Slater and Travolta just doesn't work very well.Sure, I enjoyed this film a lot the first time I saw it, but on second viewing I realised just how empty it really is. Despite a few moments of impressive chases and fights, this is nothing we've not seen before and a big disappointment. The way that every helicopter explodes in the film is pretty ridiculous too.