THE PEACEMAKER
Rated R - Running time: 2:03 - Released 9/26/97
Author's Note: This is one of the ten movie reviews
I wrote for the October 30, 1997 issue of The Republican,
the first week my reviews were ever published there. Because of
space and time requirements, these ten reviews had to be especially
brief, some even shorter than this Author's Note. Someday I will
re-view them and re-review them so as to provide a more in-depth
commentary, but for now you'll just have to live with the short
version. Sorry. --JRM
Those darned Rooskies.
They're at it again, only this time they're selling their nuclear
weapons to irate Bosnians bent on blowing up the U.N. Excuse me
a moment. HEY, HOLLYWOOD! THE COLD WAR IS OVER! Think they heard
that? I doubt it. In this first release from the newly formed
Dreamworks SKG production company (a Spielberg/Katzenberg/Geffen
venture), we see nothing different from all the other cookie-cutter
action/adventure movies of the last ten years. George Clooney
does his patented hangdog charm; Nicole Kidman is woman, hear
her roar. A sprinkle of emotion from each is thrown in as a formality,
and is insincere. There is a touching flashback when the Bosnian
terrorist (Marcel Iures) loses his wife and daughter in the war
(thus sparking his desperate acts), but since there is no pre-establishment
of their relationship, we don't feel much. Directed by Mimi Leder,
the film has lots of yelling; lots of indescriminate shooting
in crowds; lots of stuff blowing up. Improbable, but exciting
-- if you're into that. ***
Copyright
1998 by John R. McEwen and The
Republican
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