Monday, November 25, 2013

The Rage (1997)

A crazy Vietnam vet goes on a killing spree, prompting the best ten minutes of the film where the FBI pursue a van driven by said killer who drives through anything the writers could throw at the screen: a dressage competition; a playground; a park; a race track; a crowd filled bleacher, etc.  And all the while guns are blazing, cars are launching, and the FBI thoughtfully yell, "Watch out for children!"

Lorenzo Lamas is Nick Travis, a detective whose boss (played by Roy Scheider) has it out for him after receiving an official reprimand for a Waco type incident which he believes is Travis's fault. Consequently, his boss pairs him with green agent Kelly McCord who appears to have cornered the market on collagen and is supposed to be pretty damn awesome.

But when trying to drive to safety and protect Kelly from villain Art Dacy's crazy disgruntled Vet army, Travis doesn't notice a board filled with nails in the middle of the road. The flat tires cause them to stop and fall into a trap where McCord is kidnapped, assaulted, and barely escapes with her life. Hmmm, if he's thrown by something in plain sight perhaps his boss has a point.

The movie spends the rest of it's time in cliche mode while the FBI tries to catch Dacy, all the while proving that they are the worst agents ever. Not only is there the incident where essentially Travis drives over a nail mat, but the agents unload tons of fire power and can't even hit the tires on the killers jeep.  Plus McCord shoots up some poor families car, sending multiple shots through the windshield which results in the occupants screaming in terror while the car plows right through a camper.  Then at the gangs hideout, there is a VHS tape left for the FBI to watch, which they do, never thinking it could be a trap.  And most importantly, the killers keep getting away. What the hell, FBI?

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