Rarely have I seen a suspense film with such a wonderful premise but with such a lousy execution. This is because there were a bazillion plot holes in a film with a great plot--so many that the plot is essentially ruined. It's a shame, as the film, with a few changes, could have been wonderful. My wife and uncle were a bit more forgiving. As for me, it made me mad that such a great idea sucked me in and,...well....it just sucked!
The film begins with the highest ranking living Nazi in custody inexplicably requesting a meeting with an American reporter (Ron Silver). The reporter has no idea what it's all about--and EVERYONE seems to go nuts because the Nazi supposedly knows about the whereabouts of one of the largest diamonds in the world! And, through the course of the film, one group after another chases the reporter after he meets with the Nazi. The problem is with all these folks trying to capture him, he can't help them because the Nazi's message is so vague he has no idea what it meant!
I loved this idea. And, when you finally learn how his uncle is THE key--this was brilliant!! But, in the meantime, yuck! Ron Silver was a good actor--but here he is totally miscast. The film called for a man who was a combination of James Bond and the Rock--but Silver was all wrong. A middle-aged paunchy guy who chain-smokes cannot possibly out-shoot secret agents, neo-Nazis and the US military!!! Yet, inexplicably, Silver's character won't accept help from anyone and yet he manages to come out unscathed by the end of the movie!!! In between, there are some other insane moments such as sneaking him into the embassy in a VW trunk when the place is surrounded by police who are told to allow NO ONE inside as well as the women who throw themselves at this very ordinary looking man....and MANY, MANY other insane moments. With a bit of a re-write (such as making the reporter an ex-CIA agent or a god would have helped) and plugging up holes, it would have made a dandy film--perhaps capable of earning an 8 or more. Instead, it's a dumb film with a few great moments.
I should repeat that my wife and uncle were far more charitable than I was. When they asked me what I thought of the film, I found I was becoming angry--angry because the film SHOULD have been better and sucked me in--only to disappoint again and again. My wife felt it was fun schlock. My uncle thought he could have used his time better sleeping in his hammock. I felt it was a waste of my life and I felt stupider as a result of having seen it. As for my aunt, who really didn't pay total attention to the film, she was glad she missed it.
