Very watchable action/drama
922032
No one will accuse this flick of being Academy Award material, but I have to admit that it satisfies on some very basic levels. The acting is superb. The tension and suspense are expertly regulated. The premise is realized w/great intelligence. And, let's face it, the action is great. The proof of the pudding is that I've watched it many times and never gotten bored.
81774
If you like a lot of action, this is the movie for you. Car chases,hand to hand combat,snipers, etc. The acting is excellent. The 2 male lads are 2 of Korea's best. The lot was well thought out. Any time someone comes South the question will always be "Is he a spy?" The plot revolves around this question with the usual results. There are plenty of bad guys and has been the norm for Korean films the bad guys are within the government. I'm a fan of Korean films and dramas so I'm giving it 4 stars, the ending suited me too.
1765737
You know, I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this. I have seen the original ones a LONG time ago and they were entertaining but cheesy. This movie is actually REALLY good for an action movie. Minimal dialogue so it isn't ruined by bad actors. Tons of action, the movie is always going hardly any slow moments. Very good!
1599684
Behind Enemy Lines it's with no doubt a good action movie, but you just can't compare it to "Saving Private Ryan" or other masterpieces of its genre. The director follows Tony Scott's style and has gained quite a successful result; Chris Burnett and the great Gene Hackman proved very suitable to their roles. The sad not is the plot, which lacks of any originality and sometimes seems quite unrealistic (a whole army shoots at Owen Wilson and they all miss the mark?) but the action scenes above the average give it some interest.
On the technical side the Dolby Digital and, especially, the DTS track are very good and they really challenge your home theatre thanks to the big explosions provided by the context. The video quality is faultless too, though sometimes colours tend to be a little bit too washy.
To sum up, I would recommend "Behind Enemy Lines" to all the fans of war-action movies and to every who needs to refresh its patriotism.
699567
Being no particular fan of foreign action films, I was pleasantly surprised by "The Nest," which is both competently done and decently paced, with excellent performances from the cast.  Some characters are perhaps underutilized, particularly the intriguing Pascal Greggory (one of the warehouse security guards, who is formerly a fireman). I also wish we'd gotten to see more of Angelo Infanti, the villain, though when he does get some screen time it's memorable.

French actress Nadia Fars is very believable as Laborie (whose FAMAS assault rifle is never far away; I started to see it as an integral part of her character).  She has an almost hypnotic screen presence and a subtle style that expresses much with little effort.  My favorite character had to be Richard Sammel, however, in his bulletproof steel facemask, toting his Steyr AUG with attitude to spare.  Apparently he appears in Daniel Craig's Casino Royale, though I did not remember him from it.

An impressive array of weapons and tactics are on display, against a backdrop that is essentially just the plot of "Assault on Precinct 13" done with mostly French people.  As you might expect, under pressure the defenders show their true colors, either for good or for ill, and heroic sacrifices abound as the cast is whittled down.  The body count is very high on the part of the villains, too, who seem to have an endless supply of automatic weapons and glowing red night vision goggles -- not to mention cannon fodder troops who fall like bug-sprayed flies in wave after implacable wave.  One wonders how a single crime boss could inspire such loyalty; you would think the contingent of bad guys surrounding the warehouse would get very tired of getting shot dead in each attempt to penetrate the perimeter.

I didn't particularly care for the way the movie wraps up; obviously the filmmakers tried to be clever in showing you who lives and who dies, but I found it less than satisfying and at times a little confusing.  Still, this is a decent action movie that is worth watching, if you don't mind subtitles (the version I've seen was with the origianl predominantly French dialogue and English subtitles, though Richard Sammel's character speaks English a few times).  I was expecting the usually disappointing, low-budget foreign fare and got a much better film instead.
1688986
This film is almost like an Asian 'Dances With Wolves'. Great action sequences, excellent actors, strong story. This movie is easily re-watchable.
2691853
This is one of those great action movies where the hero isn't burdened by doubt, ineptitude, or guilt.  He knows what he has to do and he does it coolly and ruthlessly!  What he does is kill bad guys...  Lots and lots of bad guys of all nationalities, races, and creeds who deserve what they get.  Very efficient and ecumenical...

I lost count, but Liam Neeson must have killed about 50 bad guys in this one.  And they keep on spawning so he has more to kill.  I haven't seen one hero take on so many bad guys who keep on reproducing since Steven Segal made "Hard to Kill"...

The action is non-stop and the retribution is very satisfying.  There is a lot of violence, but this is not an explicit blood and gore film.  Just good old Hollywood movie violence that hits you at the gut level.  "Taken" is a nice vicarious vigilante thrill for all the rest of us who must play by the rules.  Liam Neeson does an excellent job!  Highly recommended for action fans...
2715021
Perfect for what it is. Outstanding fight choreography and excellent camera work make every action sequence actually exciting to watch. No super close-ups, shaky cam, or quick editing to be found here, you can clearly follow every single brutal move and counter-move. Like I mentioned above, the choreography is very well done and much better than the hand-to-hand combat typically seen in western action movies. It reminded me a little of The Raid, though these fights don't drag on the way those did.
Plot is nothing special, though I will give credit for not making everything crystal clear through heavy handed exposition. The viewer is expected to be competent enough to follow the plot though jumps in time/place as well as a double cross or two.
Gina Carano is a fine lead for this movie. Her physical abilities are incredible and obviously the reason she was cast. Her acting tends to be pretty subdued, but in all fairness she is paired up with folk like Michael Fassbender, Ewan Macgregor, Michael Douglas and other long time actors and she holds her own ok.
If you want to watch a series of great fights (including ass kickings of some pretty big stars) held together by the glue of an impressive cast and a better-than-average spy thriller plot, look no further.
3300008
If you are looking for a Jacky Chan style constant fight scene, then look elsewhere. But if you want some humor, subtlety, and brains with your brawn, then you might want to consider this unusual action movie. While some call the pacing slow, I actually very much like how the story unfolded and built up momentum. There was some very good character development and real tension between Elektra's old life, and where she might go next. Jennifer Garner's acting is nothing short of amazing. There are only a few negative things I found about the DVD, and they didn't really hurt my viewing enjoyment much. First, there seems to be way too much material to make a plausible single movie about Elektra.  I would rather have seen them do a trilogy. In particular, I think it would have been very interesting to see more of the earlier Elektra in action, rather than have some character describe what she was like. Given that they could only make one DVD instead of three, then I think they did a pretty good job. Second, some of the editing on the fight scenes is a little choppy.  I understand what the editor and/or director were trying to achieve with this approach, but I would have rather seen them use different speeds rather than lots of cuts. As a DVD viewer you can overcome this problem as I did by playing the big fight scenes at half speed after watching the whole DVD at full speed.  At half speed you can really appreciate the wonderful fight choreography and the skills of those performing the fights. Aside from these minor problems, I found this DVD very entertaining, even more so than Dare Devil, which had some flawed computer animation which broke the otherwise cool feel of the movie, because I think Jennifer Garner makes a better lead character, and because I actually like this script better. That being said, I wish they would make more Dare Devil and Elektra movies as it would be fun to see more of these interesting and complex characters.
1625491
"The Siege" attempts on numerous occasions to be provocative in its ideas, but it doesn't quite cover all its bases. There are some very powerful and intense action sequences, and some of the best actors on the market giving wonderful performances. When you add all of this together, what you get is a combination of good action, a few thrills, and a story that supplies enough of both for you to forgive its shortcomings.
The film's action centers around various terrorist attacks in New York City, beginning with a hoax paint bomb on a city bus, and a real explosion aboard another afterwards. Under the leadership of special agent Anthony Hubbard (Denzel Washington), the FBI begins investigating possible leads as to the people responsible for the bombings, crossing paths with CIA spy Elise Kraft (Annette Bening), who has some personal ties to a local Arab.
And since the Arabs are in the hot seat of suspicion, Hubbard and Elise form a team of sorts to track down the remaining cells of terrorists. But an attack on the FBI headquarters pushes the President over the edge, and he orders military forces into New York City to contain those under suspicion (including any and all citizens of Middle East descent), causing an uproar among the city's population and forcing Hubbard and a small band of FBI agents to take matters into their own hands.
Throughout the film, there are some very spectacular action sequences that are effective in delivering edge-of-your-seat thrills. A scene involving Hubbard's attempts at negotiation with the terrorists aboard the second bus is tightly wound, while the mayhem and that ensues throughout the city in the face of each attack can be chilling at times.
The story makes good use of social unrest, undoubtedly recalling Japanese-Americans treatment during World War II. This tactic comes close to feeling detached, but Arab-American agent Frank Haddad's search for his detained son provides an emotional outlet for the audience to connect with.
Yet, with all of these thrills, the overall effect falls a fraction short. The material is intelligent and well-crafted, but place it in the same light as such thrillers as "The Negotiator" or "Outbreak," and this film pales in comparison. I can't, in all honesty, say that the story's central message was completely compelling, but while I wasn't fully moved by that, I wasn't put off by it, either.
But the action alone is worth watching, and so are the involving performances from the star-studded cast. Denzel Washington employs a great deal of leadership qualities into his character, and carries much of the movie's force on his shoulders. Annette Bening is subtly mysterious as Elise, who knows more about the terrorist attacks than she's willing to reveal. Bruce Willis is a knockout as General William Devereaux, who verbally objects to the involvement of the armed forces in the city, yet seems quite comfortable once in control.
There's enough action and suspense throughout "The Siege" to keep you entertained, and just enough plot twists to keep you guessing. The overall effect you may feel after the last frame may be a bit less than what you expected, but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying this tightly-knit thriller.
3672716
*Lots* of action, even by furious standards. Some stuff is hilariously silly. But if you're more into action than plot - it's a great movie :)
4134514
I came for a big flashy action movie and got just that. The choreography of the fight scenes is wonderful, if not over-the-top. It's a movie that knows exactly what it is, and plays to those strengths perfectly without trying to be anything more or less.

The "They call him Baba Yaga" monologue is one of the best I've watched in a while.
694019
This was an excellent drama and kept my interest for the whole 1 hour 39 minutes. I think one reviewer said the plot was a bit confusing, which on occasion it was, but it still pulled it off -  I'm a big fan of the British series, MI-5, so this one fit in with my viewing tastes.
4606592
A very good midieval action flick starring Orlando Bloom as a tough guy, a change of pace at the time. Ridley Scott directed so it isn't all bad, but it's no "Gladiator". Pretty strong action stuff for a PG-13 rated film and some of the blood is obviously added later.

As far as historical accuracy, I don't know,  but it is hard to believe Bloom's character (Balian) somehow absorbs all the fighting techniques which makes him the toughest guy out there in what seems to be a very short time. How does he know all these military strategies and tactics? Scott does provide a balanced view, actually showing great respect for the Muslims and how they took back Jerusalem.
3096813
If you like action, comedy you will like this.
1569298
Great acting an beautifully shot!  One of the better action films I've seen in the past 5 years.
185900
I went into this hearing good things, and I have to day that this is one of the best action movies I've seen. The special effects are great, the minimal plot fits the setting, and there's no forced love story.