June 8, 2001
By Veronica Mixon
SWORDFISH is the best action/adventure
film to open so far this year. This sleek, high-tech,
fast-paced thriller opens with John Travolta giving
a mini-lecture about Hollywood's cheap morals
in movie making and an eye-catching explosion
that is reminiscent of producer Joel Silver's
Matrix. This is the kind of movie that
I love because you can sit back with a bag of
popcorn and soda and forget your trouble for a
couple of hours.
John Travolta plays a charismatic super spy,
Gabriel Shear, who works on covert operations
with the aid of a U.S. senator (Sam Shepard).
His mission is to fund a new secret organization
that will protect America from terrorists around
the globe. Gabriel makes being a patriot scary!
His partner, Ginger (Halle Berry) recruits computer
nerd, Stanley (Hugh Jackman) to break through
the firewall of a world bank to finance his plans.
Stanley is lured to a meeting by a huge amount
of cash that he needs to regain custody of his
daughter and possibly lift himself out of his
ratty existence. But, he has his doubts, especially
when the cop that arrested him, Agent Roberts
(Don Cheadle) makes his presence known. Nevertheless,
Gabriel is determined to succeed at any cost.
What's intriguing about the super cyber spy
world is that everything is done in plain sight.
Gabriel knows he's being watched but that doesn't
stop him. Nothing seems to be beyond his reach
- money, beautiful women, fast cars, guns, etc.
It's a fantasy where everything looks pretty but
in reality, the women are trashy, crime is part
of the business and death is on every corner.
In fact, Agent Roberts admits that trying to stop
the bad guys has caused him to suffer a nervous
breakdown in the past and once you see Gabriel,
you're certain that he'll probably have another
one in the future. Still, it's the world of the
movie thriller and it's very enjoyable to watch.
SWORDFISH is a riveting, exciting thrill
ride! John Travolta regains his throne as box
office king after last year's unfortunate sci-fi
epic, Battlefield Earth. He's dashing -
with a European goatee and long, flailing hair
like a knight on a crusade -- and worldly and
crazy dangerous. When he's double-crossed, he
retaliates. If he wants you, he lures you in his
net with whatever you need the most.
Hugh Jackman, the Australian actor who made a
big splash as Wolverine in X-Men, is handsome,
funny and vulnerable as Stanley. His hunky appeal
and dazzling charm shines here as it did in the
comedy, Some Like You which was released
earlier this year. Plus Jackman and his X-Men
co-star, Halle Berry have tremendous chemistry
as they flirt threw out the film.
Of course, the big news is that audiences are
treated to Berry's bare breasts but I think the
actress is celebrating her own new found confidence
in the usual Hollywood way. The rest of the supporting
performances by Don Cheadle, fresh off of the
Oscar winning film, Traffic, Vinnie Jones
(Snatch) and Sam Shepard (Snowing Falling
on Cedars) rounds out an excellent cast.
SWORDFISH is a wonderful escapist entertainment.
