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Great Film overall

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

They make everything too easy in this film. It sort of reminded me of Indiana Jones where he hides on the outside of a submarine during an ocean crossing. Everybody knows everything that's going on, it's just real easy to get anyplace you want in the White House. I don't even know why I watched half of it. Because I like Charlie Sheen and Donald Sutherland. I expect the usual ability to dodge bullets from every angle, and be able to run faster than a motorcycle (usually it's faster than a car in a garage or a allyway). It was silly, mostly, and I didn't even know then had a ten-story elevator in the White House. Anyway, anything conspiratorial is always interesting.

Familiar plot. Familiar reaction. Just maybe, the casting pushes this action/drama through to the end. Bobby Bishop(Charlie Sheen)is a major player in Washington D.C. for he is a special assistant to the President(Sam Waterston). Bobby is given a tip that there is a covert action being put into place to overthrow the government. To find out more details he is to meet Professor Yuri Pochenko(Theodore Bikel)only to watch him be gunned down by a sniper. Bobby's mentor, Jacob Conrad(Donald Sutherland), thinks he is just over reacting. Bishop's former girlfriend Amanda Givens(Linda Hamilton)is known as a sharp investigative reporter and is more than willing to help ferret out this much rumored activity. Bishop finds himself running for his life in a chain of chaos and confusion. A Special Agent(Stephen Lang)is hell-bent on killing him before he can blow the whistle on the attack on the existing government.Ben Gazzara plays Vice President Saxon and Gore Vidal has the role of Congressman Page. Nicholas Turturro is an expert technician in surveillance. The plot does reach a fever pitch and the action is heavy and exciting. The most believable of the cast is Lang, who seems to have unlimited lives. Sutherland's talents are wasted. Sheen may be taxing his abilities. This movie is better than you may think.

A large part of this film strongly resembled Three Days of the Condor: the group of researchers killed but one escapes, the concept of a government employee on the run urged to "come in" in face of an internal spook conspiracy, the female "accomplice" Linda Hamilton/Faye Dunaway, etc.. Even some of the dialogue was remarkably similar -the group of government high-ups suggesting that Sheen/Redford might have "been turned". Obviously there were differences (Turner/Redford was part of the "reading group" while Bishop/Sheen was a presidential aide; Hamilton/Givens was a reporter while Dunaway/Hale was an innocent bystander) but overall I would guess the script was prompted by Three Days of the Condor (a far superior film).

If one realizes that George Cosmatos meant this story to be told as a '70s style "B" thriller, you will enjoy this movie for its acurate portrayal. When I first tuned to this movie I assumed I was watching somthing from 1977. Only when I saw the age of the famous actors (and the cell phone) did I realize it was set in 1997. The details of style are depicted perfectly, from the split screen focus for foreground and back, to the assasin having 2 different color eyes. The acting is said to be poor, but instead I say it was edited with poorer takes to remain true to the "B" movie genre. If you enjoyed "Patriot Games" or "Pelican Brief" you may feel this story is shallow and weak. I was rivited to this story front to back.