ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608050129
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
In a summer filled with senseless action movies, "Chain Reaction" is a strong contender for Most Logically Impaired.
Some will say that the coveted Alternative Oscar should go to that moment in "Mission: Impossible" when the helicopter flies into the train tunnel. But in "Chain Reaction," heroes Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz are magically transported from snowy Wisconsin to Washington, D.C., in the blink of an eye.
Why? To keep the plot moving.
How? Don't ask.
With such popular thrillers as "The Package," "Under Siege" and "The Fugitive," director Andrew Davis has shown that he knows how to push the right buttons. This time, however, he's stuck with a poorly defined premise and a cast that seems to have recognized the weakness of the material.
As machinist Eddie Kasalivich, Reeves, on the run from various law enforcement agencies and bad guys, is curiously listless and distant. The intensity he brought to "Speed" is notably absent, and writers J.F. Lawton and Michael Burtman don't even bother with a romantic subplot. As his boss, Shannon, Morgan Freeman mostly stands around looking wise and maybe villainous, maybe not.
They're involved in a project to create cheap, clean energy from water using a particularly silly prop that looks like a supercharged washing machine. But as soon as they succeed, something terrible happens, and the menacing FBI Agent Ford (Fred Ward) shows up. The rest of the plot is a formula chase that's built around familiar cliches - the rising drawbridge, the secret lab, etc.
There's nothing in "Chain Reaction" that hasn't been done much more enjoyably in many other films.
Chain Reaction ** 1/2
A 20th Century Fox release playing at the Salem Valley 8 and Valley View 6. 103 min. Rated PG-13 for violence, strong language.
``Chain Reaction'' stars Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves.
LENGTH: Short : 47 linesby CNB