Below Utopia

Insipid plot, exquisitely bad acting, and a climax that drags on long after one loses interest. The only redeeming feature of this movie is that it showcases Alyssa Milano's lovely face. In short, the 2 hours required to view this movie could easily be invested in more gainful and rewarding pursuits.

Alyssa gets lots of screen time in this one as the wife to be. She and her fiance go to dinner at the country home of his much "well to do" and I might add disfunctional family only to find that someone has planned to do away with the whole bunch. Only a few of you will figure out who the bad guys really are in advance of the ending. Nice writing and acting however I thought that the direction needed a little attention due to the fact that when hiding in the basement one would think to be a little quieter.

I was pleasantly surprised by this suspense-action-thriller. The movie is about a young, upper-class couple who, during a visit to the in-laws, become victims of cold-blooded art thieves who slaughter most of the family. Don't worry, you look forward to seeing the annoying, upper-crust family members get butchered. And just overlook the fact that these rich folk never bothered to shell out the money for a decent home-security system. As implausible as it may seem, young preppie-boy fights back to single-handedly deal with the bad guys. Surprise ending, too.

This film wasn't horrible, but it was far from great. As long as you don't expect too much from the story, it is fairly passable, in fact. I knew who the ultimate bad guy was about 30 minutes into the film, but sat around for the remainder of the action just to see it confirmed. I actually like Ice-T as an actor, but he could have phoned this performance in. There was no real background given for the characters or the story--heck, I've seen role-playing game modules with more--but if you're looking for a semi-suspenseful way to waste a couple of mindless hours (and you enjoy this kind of film), you probably won't be too disappointed.

One thing that did disappoint me was the lack of light used in shooting any of the scenes. What we could see of the set suggested that it was quite opulent and I would have liked to see more of it. With all of the flaws in this film it seems like a minor complaint, but I guess that is should be expected based on the film's plot

I recently rewatched Body Count (1997) on Tubi. The story follows the son of a wealthy and successful father who returns home for the holidays with his girlfriend. Most of the siblings have taken different paths, failing to meet their father's high expectations. But when two robbers break into the house and begin killing family members, it may be the son's chance to finally prove himself.

Directed by Kurt Voss (Sugar Town), the film stars Ice-T (New Jack City), Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr. (Friday), Alyssa Milano (Commando), and Justin Theroux (Mulholland Drive).

I loved this movie as a kid when it aired on HBO. While the storyline is just okay, what really makes this movie memorable is the chemistry between Ice-T and Tiny Lister Jr. Their banter and ruthless performances are the highlight, blending humor with intimidation. They make for excellent villains, delivering both hilarious dialogue and chilling threats. Alyssa Milano and Justin Theroux also give solid performances, but it's the villains who steal the show, making the movie fun to watch, right up until the big conclusion.

In summary, Body Count isn't groundbreaking but is worth watching for Ice-T and Tiny Lister Jr.'s entertaining performances. I'd rate it 5/10 and recommend seeing it once, with the right expectations.