The Chase (1994)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

I'm giving it 8 stars for reasons other than Kristy Swanson. Yes, obviously this movie isn't a masterpiece nor was it made to be. It was made to be a fun action movie that wouldn't disappoint. I watch this movie ALL the time and it never gets old (premium channels seem to LOVE it). The plot is so simple that it leaves so much room for climax and twists...if that makes any sense. I mean, how could you go wrong with Ron Jeremy filming news coverage of Charlie Sheen being chased down by Henry Rollins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers while falling in love with Buffy the Vampire Slayer at 120 mph?! You can't. This one's a classic in my book (which also includes Weekend at Bernie's, Home Alone, and Bandits).

How many times did we hear that Jackson "wished things were different?" Probably one too many times. We get it Jackson, life screwed you and the system is flawed, it must be since you got the blame for something you didn't do. With all that in mind, The Chase is still a light fun car chase movie, with enough action to hold you over.I remember awhile back watching this Charlie Sheen movie and liking it a lot for what it was. A fun little action flick that can provide great entertainment if you don't take it very seriously.In The Chase we are provided with some action as Jackson (Charlie Sheen) is speeding along the freeway. We got some typical type-casted characters in the two guys in the big green monster truck. You know, the ordinary, dumb, pot-smoking surfer like dudes, except with a little twist of being extremely patriotic to the point of stupidity. Maybe they aren't too patriotic, it could be that they just want television time, which is definitely apparent during the interview scene after the crash.All in all, The Chase has its moments. The scene where Jackson kidnapped Natalie Voss (A daughter of a billionaire man) is pretty hilarious merely because of its ridiculousness. The image Jackson gets before giving himself up of pulling out a gun on the many officers and getting shot down is hilarious in that sort of unintentional way. The stereotyping that cops are egocentric and power hungry is pretty funny and apparent in the final scene, and also during the part where one of the cops claims to "Be a street prophecy." Now with all the positives I've covered you would think I love the movie. Well, I do like it, for what it's worth. It certainly has little to work with. It's just a guy kidnapping a girl, and then the rest of the 80 minutes is him driving away from the cops on a freeway. There's a little comic relief, and some action here and there, but it's all the same and it just becomes a bit too much. It just becomes too repetitive, because those humorous moments and action sequenced parts are few and far between. I'm being repetitive by talking about it this long. In the end, it's a light, somewhat entertaining comedy. Charlie Sheen is the only thing memorable, and the only thing that really makes this movie watchable. 6/10

I don't know why this movie is so underrated. I never hear anything about it, as if it's a bad secret that no one wants to get out. I don't see why. This movie was fun to watch. I know, its kind of simple and not very "edgy" or anything like that, but who cares really. It's still good. Charlie Sheen gave a great performance as Jackson Hammond, an escaped convict who is the cause of the chase. Kirsty Swanson was also very well cast as the spoiled, kidnapped, rich daughter; Natalie Voss. Henry Rollins was also very well cast as the cocky Officer Dobbs, and Josh Mostel was good as Dobbs' partner, Officer Figus. Marshall Bell was actually not the type of person to play Ari Josephson, Hammond's lawyer. But he managed to pull it off well I see. Everyone else was well cast for the most part, no flawed performances to speak of. The story was kind of shallow but still enjoyable. There were twists and turns here and there but it all worked out. The soundtrack was GREAT. The Offspring, NOFX, Rancid, and Bad Religion are some of my favorite bands and I was surprised that their songs were played in this movie. I rate this an 8/10, see this movie, it is somehow very good.

The writer needs an editor. At one point, it's suggested that there was blood at the murder which didn't correspond with Sheen's character's blood type, and would have exonerated him had it not been thrown out by poor police investigative work. Huh? Any one with a modicum of legal knowledge (like watching TV, for crying out loud) would realise that faulty police work only results in evidence being excluded for the prosecution's case. The defense wouldn't ever object to evidence which was exculpatory in nature, rather than inculpatory.Perhaps they just sent him to jail for poor acting and serial abuse of girlfriends and intoxicants?