Raven

This movie is bad, but in the best possible sense of the word. The dialogue is so terrible that it's hilarious. Interestingly, two of the movie's stars, Matt Battaglia and Krista Allen (who is totally hot), appeared in many scenes together in the NBC daytime soap opera "Days of Our Lives." All I can say about Burt Reynolds is: Thank goodness he redeemed himself with "Boogie Nights." I have one main recommendation about this movie: Rent it, don't buy it. Unless you rent it and truly believe you'll want to watch it multiple times, don't waste any more money than the cost of a rental. It's entertaining, but for me, it certainly doesn't demand multiple viewings the way many of my favorite movies do.

A very tired looking Burt Reynolds plays a mercenary battling his former employers for some gizmo these non-heroes plan to sell to "the Iranians." Low-rent video nonsense by the producers of "Silk Stalkings" offers some decent action footage and a lot of ineptly staged "drama"...a lack of logic and truly dreadful dialogue are the defining aspects, although the final twists and allegiance shifts could've been a nifty end to a better movie. Burt still has presence, although it also means you notice more when he mouths insultingly half-baked "one-liners".

In Humphrey Bogart's style,Burt Reynolds interprets a cinic and malevolent anti-hero.His screen presence helps to elevate the film's landing-place,differing it from the genre's vulgarity.The movie's plot is sufficient simple,and the characters are built in a mediocre way.However,director Russel Solberg bets on the action scenes,and he perfected them .The Burt Reynolds' team disastrous mission,at the beginning of the movie,is filled with supercharged shootings and explosions.The film achieves its principal aim,that is to make people have fun,and Burt Reynolds interprets his character in a delicious form.The public ends up wishing that he will escape with the gizmo and have all the money,even knowing that he doesn't worth nothing.Matt Battaglia also strives to offer a hero with credibility,who finds himself tied into the dilemma of running away from the past or facing his deadly rival from the old times.The final shooting,the helicopter crash and the terrorist attempt to the federal building are worthy of prominence.Stu Segall,a producer with tradition on television series,didn't disappoint,and conducted with efficiency a good action movie that,if suffers for its simple and weak plot,gets right in having chosen Burt Reynolds for the leading role and in not saving efforts by doing the action scenes.

If you loved other Burt Reynolds action flicks like "Malone" or "Stick", which of course you did or you wouldn't be reading this, you'll like this one. Burt plays Jerome Katz, AKA "The Raven", an assassin for the government. When his latest mission busts, he goes underground. He turns up a few years later as a mercenary who plays by his own rules. His newest job is kill Martin Grant (Matt Battaglia) who is a fugitive. As usual, it doesn't go as planned. The best action sequence was in the beginning, so watch out for that. "Boogie Nights" was only a few years away at this point.

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Disjointed action film features an unfunny Burt Reynolds as Raven (hence, the title character), the leader of a team of hotshot mercenaries. This specialized team of hardcore mercenaries serve as government operatives to the United States. On a routine mission in Bosnia, the mercenary fighters must retrieve a "decoder" device which will render the U.S. the most powerful nation in the world. However, when the going gets the tough, the tough turn into a state of foolishness. Each squad member becomes systematically eliminated...and the mission was deemed...a fiasco...

Raven, left for dead due to a helicopter crash...has turned out to be very much alive...and boy...is he having fun eliminating the competition... Raven, after taking a one year hiatus from his enjoyable job as a professional killer, is now self-employed. He feels a necessity to eradicate the "Four Stars," a group comprising of corrupt U.S. Senators who were responsible for selling Raven out during the disastrous mission at Bosnia. One by one, the members of the Four Stars succumb to Raven's various booby traps, and the remaining few must join forces with several ex-mercenaries for Raven is capable of undermining an esoteric government conspiracy. When the odds turn substantially difficult, the hardened feel compelled...to spout out stupid wisecracks!

RAVEN was a bomb of titanic proportions. The film's premise was one extended cliché with every stereotypical characters (i.e. Corrupt government officials, lonesome mercenary, damsel-in-distress, etc.) imaginable. The pyrotechnics were plentiful, and the body count was surprising high, but RAVEN lacked pizzazz and both a credible cast and plot. The humor in RAVEN, granted, was hysterical at times. Still, the humor in RAVEN was undeniably sophomoric...

RAVEN was a numbing experience. The film tried to be a mixture of both a comedy and an action/adventure film. However, this film manages to FAIL on both accounts. The motion picture, RAVEN, like a nomad, wanders around aimlessly with nowhere to go and no direction to seek. This movie had absolutely no ambitions and the ineptitude cages the entire film in, being viewed as no more than a low-rent actioner. Burt Reynolds certainly has done better films in his life...and he definitely has had better experiences.

RAVEN is simply a pitiful, trite, as low as they can get thriller with no suspense that can't be predicted a million miles away. SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT this is not! The only justifiable reason to watch this movie is to check out the fine actress, Krista Allen, who shows plenty of promise. Her dynamic appeal and wonderful personality make this film barely palatable.

RATING: *1/2 out of ****.