Beeper (2002)
Richard Avery, whose young son is kidnapped while they travel in India. Embarking on a desperate quest to rescue him, and with a beeper providing his only lead, Avery seeks help from unlikely sources, including a drug lord and a beautiful but dangerous woman named Julia.
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Disapointment
Absolutely Fantastic
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
When Dr. Richard Avery's son is kidnapped while attending a professional convention in India, he must endure a 24 hour nightmare. Supplied with a beeper containing a text display through which instructions are sent, a desperate Avery is ordered on a wild and dangerous journey in a foreign land. This is the basic set up of Beeper, but get ready for a jet ride because Beeper is non stop thrills and action. Just think, what would you do if someone you loved was kidnapped? Scary as heck, but it happens all the time in foreign countries. And all people can do is hope and pray, unless you're brave like Dr. Avery. He's a kick ass hero! Check this film out!
This movie starts downhill the moment we fly with our protagonist to India, which is a montage of canned footage and poor set designs. The enciting scene where Ed Quinn's son is kidnapped is shot in a gaudy rendition of an Indian convention center, with stereotypical Hindi designs and gold plating covering every wall and pillar. Quinn runs outside to see if he can find his son, and we cut to yet another canned shot of Delhi street life. The film says it was shot in India. I cannot believe that anyone with a budget to shoot overseas would create such atrocious sets rather than shoot on-location. I cannot believe that any native Indian would take part in such a grotesque representation of the nation and its people. The script is predictable, and while Joey Laruen Adams and Harvey Keitel aren't bad actors, this story does their respective careers no favors. I hate to be rude, because it is an accomplishment that this film went through production and distribution, but the best moment in the film is the fade to black. This film shows no respect to the nation of India or its people, nor to the tenents of a good script or good acting.
I think that last review was pretty harsh, although he/she did say it was just their opinion. While Beeper isn't a great movie, it did the two things that I beg of a movie: (1) I didn't know what was going to happen next, and (2) I WANTED to know what was going to happen next. I agree that Harvey Keitel seemed to be looking a little long in the tooth in this film. It was a low budget movie, so I place the bar accordingly. I also agree that the kid wasn't the best actor (to say the least). But I thought the story itself...which is most important to me...was solid and engaging. It also seemed to avoid cliches; thank you for that. I think this is the same guy who did "The Hidden", and while it's not as good as that classic, I have to say I really did enjoy "Beeper".
...about what exactly it takes for a film to get made. This may be the worst picture I've ever seen. If you like poor acting, especially poor child acting, wait for this to make its TBS world premiere and set your VCR's. The film quality was horrendous as well. I kept thinking to myself, "So, when's Shannon Tweed's character gonna be introduced?" If you've got 6 bucks in your pocket, treat yourself to a good sandwich and count the days 'til that TBS premiere. I feel sorry for Harvey and Joey Lauren Adams, because I think they're solid actors. But even they couldn't save this from sinking into a bottomless pit. Just my opinion.