The Specialist (1994)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Beautiful, moving film.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

Miami mob rule, revenge, and a contest between two former CIA demo experts make up "The Specialist." James Woods is especially good as Ned Trent, the former CIA assassin who enjoys killing and brutality. Sylvester Stallone is Ray Quick, the former sidekick who brought him down in the CIA and now confronts him in the mob rule of Miami. Sharon Stone is May Munro who seeks revenge 15 years after she witnessed the Leon family killing of her parents. Rod Steiger is Joe Leon, the head of the family. He has hired Trent to update security of his operation. Leon's son, Tomas (Eric Roberts) was one of the three killers of May's parents. He and Trent despise one another. "The Specialist" may have more explosions in it than any other film – surely any one that's not a war movie. Viewers can enjoy the sly Sly Stallone in his craft of rigging every kind of explosive device imaginable to take down the bad guys. But, overall this is a crass and rough film with lots of brutality, violence and yes – a very long scene with full nudity of the two leads, back and sides in the shower. Definitely not a family film – and not a good one at all beyond all the pyrotechnics.

The Specialist is everything that action was about in the 90's, and simply one of the most exhilarating Stallone flicks out there. This is the type of early career stuff he tried to infuse into his meta action extravaganza The Expendables, and while fun, those films always seemed like a mimicry of original gold like this, trying a little too hard to recreate feelings from a bygone era. This one is right up there with Nighthawks and Rambo as one of his best, despite a lukewarm reputation that has long since settled. You can't even find a decent DVD of it, which is kind of sad. Sly plays Ray Quick, an ex explosives special ops tough guy who turned in his talents after a falling out with former livewire partner Ned Trent (a rabid James Woods) resulted in needless bloodshed. He spends his days moping around Miami until his services are once more required, by a woman in trouble. Sharon Stone is mysterious May Munro, whose entire family were slaughtered when she was but a young'n hiding in the closet. The mustache twirlers responsible are Cuban mafia don Joe Leon (Rod Steiger juggles his accent like three filing cabinets) and his brash, violent son Tomas (Eric Roberts, never scummier). They have anticipated Ray's involvement though, and as soon as bombs start decimating their lovely beachfront nightclubs, they hire none other than (guess who) James Woods, now a berserker of a freelance mercenery, to hunt our hero down. It's big, bold and full of explosions, machismo, gunfights and old school bad boys doing what they do best. Woods nearly walks off with the whole film in a performance so robust it almost outshines the pyrotechnics themselves. Stallone dispatches hordes of baddies using both fists and fancy C-4 gadgetry, bringing home the action bacon enough to sate the fans. Using the sweaty, neon spattered locales of Miami as a playground for these heightened characters to leer at one another and blow everything to smithereens, the filmmakers have forged what I consider to be one of the best in the genre for the decade.

This is one of those movies I know I shouldn't like but (secretly) really do. Its a revenge thriller from the early nineties and watches like a sexy, slightly crazy mob movie with over the top bad guys, lots of (unique) explosions and one hell of a sexy shower scene after we've finished with all the foreplay over the phone.Sylvester Stallone plays Ray Quick, an ex-bomb specialist who works for hire. Ray is tortured about his past, living off the grid and riding the bus. After several breathy phone calls he agrees to take that one last job before retiring. He's been contacted by May Munro (Sharon Stone), a woman seeking revenge against the Leon crime family who murdered her parents when she was a girl. For some reason she still finds it necessary to sleep with the head mobster's son, (Eric Roberts) which in turn makes her character pretty annoying throughout, as she slinks around showing side boob, acting bitchy and looking miserable.There are a few twists, lots of big explosions, -the one with the front part of the hotel falling into the water is great and of course the scene in the shower which showcases Stallone in his prime and yeah, he looks fantastic, Stone does too.I enjoyed the entire cast; Eric Roberts is also perfect as the spoilt, privileged and brutal son of mob boss Rod Steiger who I also enjoyed and James "get a better shirt" Woods is awesome, manically over the top as the bad guy. His character really grew on me by the end, kinda fun in his increasingly frustrating mission to hunt Ray down. This one is definitely a guilty favourite.One question: why doesn't Ray ever drive? He rides the bus even takes out some hooligans in a ultra cheesy scene. He manages to navigate a speed a boat fine.

The Specialist is one of those underrated movies, and I'm talking from a critic's point of view. It's a super exciting flick, cause it's different from a lot of other sorts around that time, the thrilling climax almost bringing shades of the finale in The Professional. Stone, a woman controlled by a mafia family, responsible for killing her parents, enlists the help of CIA bomb specialist, Stallone to take them out one by one, Steiger saved for last. This is perfect for Stallone, playing another loner type character who's methods of assassination are dangerously impressive, Roberts demise for one. Woods who used to work alongside Stallone in the bomb disposal business had a falling out, when Woods went AWOL on a job. Woods, sacked from the agency is now working for Steiger as well as the police department recognizes the work where the scene is set for the re acquaintance of two arch rivals. Featuring some nice broads in lingerie, The Specialist is fun all the way, where it's great to Stone as a revenge driven woman, who falls for Stallone, the chemistry between em, almost void. Stallone, might as well been a mummy in that briefly erotic sex scene. The baddies are great, Roberts almost mirroring that scene in Final Analysis, when he confronts Stallone, only he isn't smiling. God knows why this film got so much flack. Director Luisa followed this up, with the blockbuster Anaconda.