Raven (1996)

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

If you loved other Burt Reynolds action flicks like "Malone" or "Stick", which of course you did or you wouldn't be reading this, you'll like this one. Burt plays Jerome Katz, AKA "The Raven", an assassin for the government. When his latest mission busts, he goes underground. He turns up a few years later as a mercenary who plays by his own rules. His newest job is kill Martin Grant (Matt Battaglia) who is a fugitive. As usual, it doesn't go as planned. The best action sequence was in the beginning, so watch out for that. "Boogie Nights" was only a few years away at this point.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

About three minutes into this thing I started fast-forwarding, pausing only during the nudity (why is it that bad movies always include such good looking women?). In ten minutes I was done, and wishing I could get my money back from the rental store. The people who write these movies should be sanctioned by the MPAA. Come on writers - the bad guys ALWAYS get into the car with the bomb activated by the good guy's remote control! That's the way its been done since the days of the Ottoman Empire! Also, to add insult to injury, the "twist" at the end was so formulaic, that it could have come from any action movie written in the past 25 years. Burt Reynolds was fine, but he should concentrate on real movies.This movie is just a waste of time - Run away! Run away!

Disjointed action film features an unfunny Burt Reynolds as Raven (hence, the title character), the leader of a team of hotshot mercenaries. This specialized team of hardcore mercenaries serve as government operatives to the United States. On a routine mission in Bosnia, the mercenary fighters must retrieve a "decoder" device which will render the U.S. the most powerful nation in the world. However, when the going gets the tough, the tough turn into a state of foolishness. Each squad member becomes systematically eliminated...and the mission was deemed...a fiasco...Raven, left for dead due to a helicopter crash...has turned out to be very much alive...and boy...is he having fun eliminating the competition... Raven, after taking a one year hiatus from his enjoyable job as a professional killer, is now self-employed. He feels a necessity to eradicate the "Four Stars," a group comprising of corrupt U.S. Senators who were responsible for selling Raven out during the disastrous mission at Bosnia. One by one, the members of the Four Stars succumb to Raven's various booby traps, and the remaining few must join forces with several ex-mercenaries for Raven is capable of undermining an esoteric government conspiracy. When the odds turn substantially difficult, the hardened feel compelled...to spout out stupid wisecracks!RAVEN was a bomb of titanic proportions. The film's premise was one extended cliché with every stereotypical characters (i.e. Corrupt government officials, lonesome mercenary, damsel-in-distress, etc.) imaginable. The pyrotechnics were plentiful, and the body count was surprising high, but RAVEN lacked pizzazz and both a credible cast and plot. The humor in RAVEN, granted, was hysterical at times. Still, the humor in RAVEN was undeniably sophomoric...RAVEN was a numbing experience. The film tried to be a mixture of both a comedy and an action/adventure film. However, this film manages to FAIL on both accounts. The motion picture, RAVEN, like a nomad, wanders around aimlessly with nowhere to go and no direction to seek. This movie had absolutely no ambitions and the ineptitude cages the entire film in, being viewed as no more than a low-rent actioner. Burt Reynolds certainly has done better films in his life...and he definitely has had better experiences.RAVEN is simply a pitiful, trite, as low as they can get thriller with no suspense that can't be predicted a million miles away. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT this is not! The only justifiable reason to watch this movie is to check out the fine actress, Krista Allen, who shows plenty of promise. Her dynamic appeal and wonderful personality make this film barely palatable.RATING: *1/2 out of ****.

I am definitely a Burt Reynolds fan, but sorry, this one really stinks. Most of the dialogue is laughable and the only interesting plot twist is in the last five minutes of the movie. I can't believe he even made this one. Is he actually that hard up for money?