Scar - Ohne Gesetz

I didn't expect "THE USUAL SUSPECTS" but what I found was a film with some GREAT GREAT moments.. funny and caustic... a beautiful song by Tia... some fantastic scenes that made the occasional 2-D plot come alive with the fresh delivery and chemistry between the two stars!

I had the chance to watch this for free and I've got to say it was worth every penny. Seriously, it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. It's a decent if never surprising "action" movie with a bit of cleavage and lingerie thrown in. I felt that a lot of parts seemed thrown together and rushed, but I've seen a whole lot worse.

I had no expectations of this film, but I was thoroughly entertained. We showed it to friends the very next day to see what they thought.

The film's premise is quite outrageous and it is executed in a stylishly outrageous way. There are several Wow! or 'Nice Shot' moments. In fact this film is very close to Grand Theft Auto.

The script is genuinely funny, reminiscent of another Tia Carrere classic, Hollow Point.

For some reason the idea of a Baldwin film is an amusing thing. The South Park movie says, "What sucks about being a Baldwin? Nothing!" I am impressed with Stephen Baldwin's restrained, laconic, dry and heroic performance. We wondered if he were blind, considering the number of disconcerting smiles he issues with his eyes closed.

Chazz Palminteri is the Man. He's given the stupidest role and as usual he makes it seem almost convincing, while he enjoys himself a great deal.

Tia Carrere sings, moves around a lot, looks good, has her moments and kills people. What more can you ask for?

This film scores over many 'better' films by working hard to introduce the opposition. You are half way through the film. You know Stephen Baldwin is up against it, and all the bad guys are still there.

The film is filled with memorable characters. I very much enjoyed the 'fight in the bar' scene because there's no fight. They should use the bouncer in a new series of the Munsters.

'Scar City' aka 'Scarred City' from dtv companies Millennium Films, Nu-Image doesn't do anything fresh with it's b-pic formula, but its another reminder that you don't mind when the action is carried out well. A big cast in Stephen Baldwin, Tia Carrere, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Rispoli and Gary Dourdan doesn't hurt neither.

Officer John Trace (Baldwin) is already on shaky ground after three cop shootings in a year when he gets his fourth fatality. In steps Lt. Devon (Palminteri) who plants evidence and saves his ass on the condition he joins a SCAR unit made up of killers with badges. When this rogue unit with authority all the way from the top goes after a Bolivian drug dealer, John spares the life of callgirl and singer Candy (Carrere) which quickly puts the both of them on the unit's hitlist.

The morality play on display here is super thin and not something to be thought of deeply. John goes from being a slight gung-ho a-hole himself with a disregard for perps rights to thinking this unit pushes it too far in the blink of an eye. Chazz relishes dialog as the head of the unit while Baldwin with his glazed style of acting is sufficient. Carrere provides her beauty and a partner in crime for the second halve rather than just be a stock damsel in distress.

Between having seen other b-movies go over this same territory to it's 'walk the streets' credit sequence opening that had a suspect intro to our main character, I firmly knew where 'Scarred City' stood. If you're willing to look past a story low on believability this has a solid cast, few bursts of good action and doesn't waste time getting down to business.

Given the middle of the road IMDb ratings I didn't expect much from this movie, but after viewing the trailer decided to give it a shot. Was I pleasantly surprised! The story about a cop with issues who joins the corrupt, homicidal, vigilante police unit, then sees the light and fights them is certainly not new, but this movie delivered on what it purports to be--an enjoyable, fast-paced action film.

The three main actors were somewhat deadpan in their delivery, but that made their characters seem all the more...well, scarred. The movie contained all the ingredients for an engaging film: It had action, characters you care about, and even some romance. Hey, it's not "Ben-Hur" but it's a terrific little B film that worth checking out.