Blast

DIE HARD rip-offs are a staple of the direct-to-video market. There have been so many direct-to-video films that have followed the DIE HARD formula that one can not blame me for being less than excited about seeing BLAST. The cover art and the description on the DVD box made it seem like just about every other direct-to-video action flick that has come out in the past five years or so. However, unlike most direct-to-video action flicks, BLAST has a decent cast, a reasonably good screenwriter, and a fair share of laughs. That doesn't mean BLAST is necessarily a good movie. It isn't. In fact, if it were released theatrically, I would have been mad to pay the ticket price. Direct-to-video was the right choice for the film. It's better than most direct-to-video fare due to the charm of Eddie Griffin and his chemistry with Breckin Meyer. If it weren't for Griffin and Meyer, BLAST would truly be a waste of time. 5/10

I thought i was going to be watching a comedy when i saw this, BUT...... OH NO! This is one serious hardcore movie. A tour de force. Stretching all my emotional muscles.

Its easy to cast this film off as another under siege or,if you like, passenger 58 (i missed the first 56 films) I laughed - I cried (mainly from laughing so hard) In the end a B+ Eddie griffin is cool.

ALSO That scene where he thinks back - classic - you just have to watch it.

Quite high budget as well.

Vinnie jones is quite funny.

I liked "Blast". You don't take an action film seriously with Eddie Griffin and Vinnie Jones. The plot is about Lamont Dixon (Griffin) who is an ex-fireman\tugboat captain. He is working on an oil rig at Christmas time when terrorists led by Michael Kittredge (Jones)hijack the crew. Kittredge has a electronic device that can destroy California. Now it's up to Dixon to save the day. Eddie Griffin was a pretty good action hero. Vivica A.Fox goes through the motions as the head FBI agent. Vinnie Jones plays the evil villain role well. No one should care that "Blast" is going direct-to-video. If you want an exciting and funny action\comedy, this is it.

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If you have watched a lot of B movies as I have, you have probably watched your share of "Die Hard" rip-offs. So you might be wondering how the "Die Hard" rip-off "Blast" differentiates itself from others. Well, for one thing, it's the rare rip-off to cast a minority in the hero role. And the screenplay was written by Steven E. de Souza, the screenwriter of "Die Hard"! Maybe de Souza thought that since everyone was ripping him off, he might as well rip himself off.

However, this rip-off falls far short of de Souza's previous glory. For one thing, parts of the script are really inadequately written. Both the heroic lead and the prime villain are pretty thin. The actors don't get enough to aid them, so their characters end up being very uninteresting.

Actually, most of the faults found in "Blast" are not due to de Souza. The movie has one of the most grossly miscast leads I have seen in a movie for a long time. While Eddie Griffin can be funny in comedic roles, seeing him trying to act like an ex Navy SEAL is ludicrous. Another problem is with the look of the movie. While this movie had a budget much higher than many rip-offs of "Die Hard", only a few brief moments look slick and expensive; most of the movie looks like it was done with a television budget. As for action, the action goes wrong in every way you can think of, from its editing to its direction. There's absolutely no excitement to be experienced. The entire movie has a ho- hum feeling to it.

If you want to see a *good* rip-off of "Die Hard", I suggest you watch the Dolph Lundgren movie "Command Performance".

It's like a pretty well written action movie, but ruined by miscasting and baaad music. I watched it to the end and I wasn't bored a bit; the writing and production value are the best you could have if you're not Renny Harlin & Shane Black. It has helicopters being smashed with rams, pretty good plot twists etc. The bad guys are stereotypes based on Die Hard etc., but Vinnie Jones is always believable as a tough guy. But come on, Eddie Griffin in a role written for Bruce Willis or Jason Statham?! I like Griffin, he is funny as hell, but as a macho fighter... no, I don't buy it. Breckin Meyer, same thing. Good, good actor, but he laughed too much here. I understand he was supposed to be the comic relief - but wait, wasn't Eddie Griffin the comic relief?! See what I mean? Confusing miscasting. But all in all, beyond the casting and the absurd music, it was surprisingly enjoyable. A decent effort the kind that Steven Seagal never managed to pull.