Double Tap

Stars Stephen Rea, oscar nominated for Crying Game. Does a lot of vampire, underworld stuff. Heather Locklear, model and star of Dynasty, TJ Hooker. Locklear is agent Hanson, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. When her meeting with some shady characters is interrupted, she is hauled in to figure out what's going on. Rea is Cypher, assassin for hire. But when she finally tracks him down, things are MUCH more complicated than they seem. Who are the good guys anyway? It's barely okay. Like a dog chasing its own tail. Gets weird towards the end. It deserved better. Directed by Greg Yaitanes, who does a LOT of television series work.

"Double Tap" asks the question: Can a beautiful deep cover FBI agent (Locklear) fall for a shadowy hitman (Rea) with scruples? This, the film's premise, has potential which is mostly lost in a morass of Hollyweird window dressing including jerky jump cuts, unnecessary blends, strange music, over acting, cheap atmospherics, etc. with little attention paid to story coherence and character development. Bottom line: "Double Tap" is little more than an fodder for those in the mood for some noirish crime drama on late night TV.

Double Tap was a film relegated to HBO's cheesy Friday night premieres and that's a shame because it deserved so much more. It stars Heather Locklear (!), no I did not stutter, as a FBI agent involved in a sting operation who gets caught in the middle of a hitman's grocery list, seemingly he's taking down all the drug dealers in town. Along for the ride is Kevin Gage and Mykelti Williamson from Heat and the great Peter Greene. What distinguishes this effort is its terse dialogue, vivid characterizations, and stylish camera moves (loved the score by Moby). Double Tap should be held as a model for what a B movie low on cash but high on content can do. And Premiere magazine liked Montana, ha! This is the real deal folks.

DOUBLE TAP features Heather Locklear in a much grittier than usual role. As FBI agent, Katherine Hanson, she finds herself up against a mysterious hitman whose signature is that of the title.

Hanson and her team must track this person, before every other criminal in town winds up dead! This gets complicated when Hanson gets a bit too close to her quarry.

This is a surprisingly effective thriller, and Ms. Locklear is far better than one might, at first, expect.

Actually, the only complaint is due to the lighting. The late 1990's ushered in the whole every-scene-must-be-dark phenomenon. This film is no exception. So, unless the characters are outside, in full sunlight, they're always cloaked in smoky, shadowy dimness! Even in the daytime! Ugh!

In spite of this, the movie is recommended...

So I came back after a fulfilling Thursday night, only to sit down for one of the best movies I've seen (regardless of the budget) in quite some time. Locklear fits the role to a tee...and this is coming from a guy whose mother tortured him by watching General Hospital after baseball practice EVERY SINGLE time! Rae demonstrates a keen role that made me shiver and relate at the same time. Even the cinematography was exceptional. A little over the edge at times with the one-liners, this mind-game of a flick still let's you laugh at the dark-humored, though deeply plotted, script. If you're going to watch this, watch it for the dialogue as much as you watch it for the action...and Heather, that's a really neat tatoo... <3