THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 15, 1994 TAG: 9407140065
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRENT A. BOWLES, TEENOLOGY MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
IT'S SUMMER Movie Season Regulation No. 1: There must be one or more pure action movies per season; they must be entertaining but originality is not required.
Fresh on the heels of Keanu Reeves's first all-out action flick, ``Speed,'' Jeff Bridges makes his action debut in ``Blown Away.''
Bridges, an actor who has never seemed to succumb to overindulgence in the roles he chooses, dives headfirst into the narrow action genre as Dove, an expert on the Boston PD Bomb Squad. Dove is the usual, risk-taking hero, but there's more than meets the eye. It seems that he used to be involved with some Irish revolutionary group and is still wanted by the authorities. Funny thing is, nobody, including his wife and co-workers, knows anything about that. Everybody following so far?
The bad guy, a former Irish colleague of Bridges named Gaerity, is played deliciously by Tommy Lee Jones. With the Oscar for ``The Fugitive'' still hot, Jones tackles one of three roles this summer, this one being a crazed killer who can ``make bombs out of Bisquick.'' It appears that Dove turned on Gaerity back in the good ol' days, and now Gaerity's hopping mad. Jones delivers a dynamite performance, and while mouthing the usual bad guy cliches, manages to entertain in spite of himself.
Rounding out the cast is Suzy Amis as Dove's unsuspecting wife, and Forrest Whitaker as a fellow bomb squad member who eventually discovers Dove's past. And Lloyd Bridges (yes, we know you're Jeff's daddy) plays some old Irish guy who doesn't seem to have much of a reason to be here.
And while so far it may not sound like ``Blown Away'' is anything worthwhile, here's the surprise: It is. The plot is relatively routine, but placed in the hands of director Stephen Hopkins, it becomes mildly entertaining fare.
Hopkins, who has directed such headache-inducing thrillers as ``Predator 2'' and ``Judgment Night,'' has a unique eye for the camera, filling the screen with textured close-ups and an outstanding sense of pacing. He has a wonderful sense of how a good action scene should run and knows exactly when to drop into slow motion and when to blow things up. And, boy, can they blow things up! The last 20 minutes of this movie are maximum excitement, packed full of nail-biting thrills with a final explosion to knock your socks off. The photography is outstanding, reflective of Hopkins' unique style and eye.
The only complaint about Hopkins' directing is that he sets up bogus thrills each time he wants the audience to think there's a bomb planted somewhere. And it seems everyone involved takes this film a little more seriously than it needs to be taken. The cast, most notably Jeff Bridges, over-acts and Alan Silvestri's blasting music is overbearing and too dramatic for the script.
If you're in the mood for action, and you've already seen ``Speed,'' check out ``Blown Away.''
Don't expect to be totally blown away, but expect to be entertained. MEMO: ``Blown Away'' is rated R, those under 17 not admitted without parent or
guardian. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Brent Bowles is a '94 graduate of Princess Anne High.
by CNB