Something of a throwback in De Palma's
career this, with hero Cage fighting as much against himself as the villains while he investigates the
assassination of the Secretary of Defence at a boxing match in Atlantic
City. It's typically flashy in style, though for the first 20 minutes,
you're too busy trying to keep on top of the plot to really notice. Once
things settle down, it becomes a taut enough little thriller, as
good-but-corrupt cop Cage tries to keep his key witness out of the clutches
of good-but-loony soldier Sinise. However, it's hard to care very
much about the characters; Cage is not exactly sympathetic, and De Palma
seems to be buried too deep in the various hi-tech plot devices to notice.
This is a film that's not as clever as it thinks; it's a straight-to-video
effort with, for no apparent reason, Industrial Light and Magic effects.
D+
