Fate

Fate is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It is nothing but a tired cliché, complimented by bad acting, bad writing, and bad direction. The writers are obviously casual fans of 80's cop shows, and their knowledge of police procedure would apparently go no farther.

The movie follows the basic plot for Se7en, with two cops tracking down a fanatically religious serial killer, who leaves various clues as to his identity, because he wants to be caught, to prove his point. It also borrows liberally from such other films as Silence of the Lambs and The Empire Strikes Back. In fact, if there's an original idea in this movie, I missed it.

Michael Pare is apparently the worst actor I've ever seen. He could not have been more wooden, and delivered his lines more poorly. The fact that he is so awful is the only reason I'm not laying into Philip Michael Thomas, who has been M.I.A. for several years, apparently with good reason. And frankly, it's really sad to see Lee Majors reduced to this garbage. He's the freakin' Fall Guy! The dialogue in this film is so bad, that I can only assume the writers are dyslexic. Characters often say things that no one, no matter how stupid, would ever say. It's like they director wanted to stop the film at times, so that he could explain to the audience what was happening. Of course, you'd have to be a complete idiot not to understand (especially if you've already seen Se7en), so it just seems painful.

I don't remember the last time I groaned as much as I did watching this movie. I can only hope that the director and writers are forever banned from even borrowing a video camera again. These guys aren't even competent to make music videos.

Actors Pare and Phillips portrayed police detectives with an authentic feel.

There were no cop movie clichés to tire you out like so many of the police films you see. I picture this is how an actual police department and it's homicide investigations are conducted...with professionalism and seriousness. I enjoyed this consistent feel the director kept throughout the film. The casting was very good and effective at keeping this feel of realism. I hope to see Pare and Phillips together in another film!

Lee Majors is a popular actor and it was fun seeing him in the rare antagonist role. I would like to see Majors in more films. As well as Pare and Phillips. At one time or another I have wondered what happened to each of these larger than life actors?

Armed with no particular viewing agenda when I arrived at the video store the other night, I decided to rent this handsome thriller of a film. The result was one of those happy accidents where you inadvertently discover a film that turns out to be quite enjoyable, and you think, "Man, I'm glad I got to see this." It's certainly worth the watch.

The story was compelling and I really did not expect the surprise ending. I've seen plenty of bad b-movies whose plots (if you want to call them that) are flat and boring, where you know exactly how things are going to turn out in the first five minutes. "Fate" kept me interested until the end with its compelling premise and storytelling.

The film also looked great...in a league similar to some of the Hollywood studios' more moderate budget action fare. And, the make up effects were cool, too.

The acting also held up as well. I pretty much expected Phillip Michael Thomas to be washed up, but he surprised me with his subtle and smoldering performance. And while he wasn't part of the main name cast, there was something about director Ace Cruz's performance that made his detective colleague character enjoyable to watch.

What else can I say? I think it's worth checking out, and I look forward to more from Ace Cruz and the gang.

Well, everyone else has already said it. You know the plot. So I'll just stick with what I have to say about it.

Me, my girlfriend, and my friend-who-is-said-girlfriend's-sister watched this movie. Even the title felt needlessly appended, only making sense in the context of a single highly forced conversation toward the end. There is nothing that makes this movie good or worth watching, except the basic idea. And if you can imagine what could have been with this idea...who knows? IT'll probably be painful.

Aside from that, it's just...blah. Not terrible, but in no way stellar. Lackluster performances and an ending that just...doesn't do anything for me.

I'd recommend AGAINST renting this one. Even if you're looking for just something bad to make fun of...this will wear you down.

I rented this from Blockbuster last week, out of curiosity... Especially since I had not seen Lee Majors in anything for such a long time.

I have to say, this was a solid film. It had a completely original take on the serial killer genre... making it more personal then anything I've seen. Michael Pare' plays a former FED who has now taken a job as a Police Detective. He is joined by Philip Michael Thomas (where has this guy been) who plays his new partner. They have a history as they were both Federal Agents. While Pare' does a solid job, it's Thomas' weird (almost creepy) performance that gives their partnership spice. Add this to Lee Majors spectacularly creepy and messed up performance, and you have a whole lot of things to keep your interest.

While the film is far from perfect... some sound issues and a cliché or two... it is a fresh enough take on the serial killer genre to make it worth a rental. I think the director Ace Cruz has something to be proud of, and it would be nice to see what the guy could do with a real budget. I watch a ton of films every week (and pay a lot in rental fees), and many of the filmmakers / directors of the films I see are just going through the motions to get the film done... where Ace seems to have an actual vision.

Check it out!