Impact mortel

Silly and unbelievable story line. Wooden acting to a script that is a mish mash of so many other films. The title should be 'deadly cliché'. The biggest crime in this film is that from the first 5 minutes it leaves things unexplained as if key sections had been cut to confuse the audience. There is little or no tension and it becomes so predictable you can leave the film for 20 minutes in the sure and certain knowledge not much of consequence will have happened.

After a horrible incident, police officer Tom Armstrong retires and moves to Mexico. But he is forced to return when the madman who targeted him once has returned, and only Armstrong knows the killer's mind well enough to play his games. But, of course, this only makes him a target.

Director Robert Kurtzman ("Wishmaster"), more generally known as the FX maestro behind scores of films (often in the horror genre), brings his vision to the script of Alex Vesha, who knows something about tense situations, psychotic (but brilliant) killers and bomb scares. There are more than a handful of moments here where lives are on the line -- sometimes hundreds. Eat your heart out, Jack Bauer.

While the lead role of Armstrong (Sean Patrick Flanery) has to be admired, there's no denying that Joe Pantoliano steals the show as The Lion. Menacing, devious, a master of disguise... he's a perfect casting choice for a villain. Despite decades in acting (including "The Goonies", "The Matrix" and "The Sopranos"), he still hasn't really achieved the notoriety he deserves. This probably will not be the film that breaks him into the top tier, but that day is coming. Watch out, Kevin Spacey.

I have to say I'm not really keen on the romantic aspects, and there is some slowness in general where the piano music kicks in. I understand the importance of the romance and relationships in this one, but there is a break in the pace that I think ultimately works against the fast action of the movie. I cannot really offer a solution of how to reconcile the need for romance and the pace, though, so I think the best was done with what they had. I would have replaced the romantic interest with a platonic partner or boss, but that's just me.

While I think the film is mildly flawed, due primarily to the pacing issue, it is worth seeing for anyone who enjoys the police or thriller genres. As stated, The Lion is a worthy villain in a long line of criminal masterminds, and Vesha, Kurtzman and Pantoliano really bring that to the forefront.

Director Robert Kurtzman's first foray into the action/thriller genre certainly won't be his last. While I have always enjoyed Kurtzman's horror flicks and magnificent special and make-up effects, I was anxiously awaiting his directorial debut into another type of film. I was not disappointed, as "Deadly Impact" is a solid thriller. Joe Pantoliano plays an assassin who is wreaking havoc on his victims, and Sean Patrick Flannery plays a cop on the team assigned to stop him. As Flannery's character gets closer to finding the assassin, he becomes the object of the assassin's wrath and the cat-and-mouse game begins. The two characters try to outwit and out-think each other up, right up until the very end. Be sure to grab this on DVD for an entertaining movie night.

In all honesty, I really enjoyed this movie. It was a decent thriller. It reminded me a little of the TV show 24 for some reason, maybe the storyline. Flanery and Pantoliano do a pretty good job and really make this film. I think the movie could have been better with a different female lead, she just didn't seem to suit the part. I must say though, she is a hottie!! Most of the rest of the cast just make up the numbers. One downfall was that I didn't really like how music played through most of the movie, I don't understand why they do this.

If you like movies in the same genre as speed and the like you will enjoy this one.

Police detective Tom Armstrong (Sean Patrick Flanery) gets trapped by a demented killer (Joe Pantoliano). He is forced to kill his own wife to save his men and escape the trap. It sends him into a drunken spiral. FBI agent Isabel (Carmen Serano) tracks him down in Mexico after the killer resurfaces. He is now out for revenge.

This is weakly made B-action thriller. The production is all lower tier filmmaking. Most of the actors are functional and forgettable with the exception of Joe Pantoliano. He seems to be having fun with playing the villain. Other than that, this is mostly a nothing B-movie.