High-Powered Action 6 Pack [2 Discs] [Blu-ray]

Editorial Reviews

For action movie fans, it's rare to find a film that has anything on it's mind other than trying to out-explode the biggest and latest brainless romp in the theaters. With director Kurt Wimmer's Equilibrium, audiences were given a little more to chew on, deliberately echoing Orwell's 1984, with touches of Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 just to be safe. While some scoured at the heavy-handedness of the science fiction material and the lack of originality in the ideas, those who stayed were treated to one of the freshest films in a now-tired genre. By inventing a fighting technique known as "Gun-Kata," the filmmakers created an excuse for filmgoers to buy into some of the most stylish, fun, and kinetic gun battles this side of Hong Kong cinema. Far too easily compared with The Matrix, this low-budgeter relies on virtually no wire-work and instead turns the focus onto the play of light, well-staged choreography, and fierce editing as its main filmmaking allies. It's surprising then that some of the film's best moments are the most quiet ones. Christian Bale's awakening to the senses he's been taught and bred to ignore is note-perfect and the most memorable of the film. With equally strong performances from the rest of the cast and gorgeous art design surrounding them, Equilibrium deserved more of a chance than its studio, Dimension, originally gave it upon release. And while the ideas it embraced admittedly weren't the most original, they are timeless and strong enough to be reexamined and interpreted every so often by artists such as these. Exciting, beautiful, and filled with probably more intelligence than it should have, Equilibrium is the thing that cult classics are made of. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi Far superior -- in terms of plot and action -- to Rumble in the Bronx, Supercop can be considered Jackie Chan's breakout film in the United States -- even though it didn't really make it to western shores until three years after its release. The dubbing on this version is hilarious, but, as is usual for Chan films, the dialogue isn't really the point. The semi-serious plot, which involves Chan as the titular Supercop going undercover to infiltrate a major southeast Asian heroin operation. He's joined by Michelle Yeoh (billed as Khan in what turned out to be her major breakout role), and as the two of them embark on a kung-fu-and-explosions-laden odyssey that takes them, eventually, to Malaysia, the chemistry between the pair makes the film. A half hour in, Yeoh, who until this point is a buttoned-down Chinese security chief, leaps into the action, and from this point on the film doesn't really let up. There are occasional forays into comedy, as when the two of them run into Chan's girlfriend (played by Maggie Cheung) in Kuala Lampur, where she manages to blow their cover, but the final half-hour of Supercop is essentially one long chase scene, involving helicopters, motorcycles, and the obligatory fight atop a moving train. Supercop may be a Chan vehicle, but Yeoh steals the show, so effectively that she got her own installment in the Police Story series, Supercop 2. ~ Genevieve Williams, Rovi Like its thematic cousin, Memento, Scott Frank's The Lookout places memory loss in the context of a crime thriller, exploring how a damaged mind might construct (or fail to construct) the sequential reasoning needed to commit a crime -- or solve one. The two films are vastly different in structure, however. And while the ostentatious reverse narrative of Memento makes it more memorable, as it were, The Lookout earns big points for seeming like something that might actually happen. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is the key to that. He hits all the right notes as a twentysomething whose boundless promise was eradicated by a stunt he pulled while considering himself invincible: turning off the headlights when speeding down a country road. Chris Pratt's guilt and frustration -- the resulting wreck killed two people -- are omnipresent, but so are remnants of the confidence that used to define him. The mix makes for a fascinating character, whose recent introduction to modesty may actually make him a better person. But there's that little problem of the brain damage that makes him unable to process simple tasks, and the kitchen he wrecks in the wake of failing to open a can of soup is a powerful reminder of that. The directing debut of this accomplished screenwriter -- Frank also wrote Out of Sight, Minority Report, and Get Shorty -- is a writer's movie as much as it's an actor's. For a story in which event sequencing plays a key role, The Lookout has the exquisite sense of revealing its many lovely touches in just the right order. It's a tight, meaty, rewarding package. The Lookout also features strong supporting performances from Matthew Goode, who goes just under the top as the small-time hood trying to manipulate Chris, and Jeff Daniels as Chris' blind roommate, who exudes a devilish playfulness. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi