Ricochet (1991)

Ricochet is a terrific and entertaining Action-Thriller that combines amazing direction,a great cast,intense Action and a memorable score. All of those elements make Ricochet an effective Action-Thriller that Denzel Washington and John Lithgow at their best.Set in Loos Angeles,California,Ricochet tells the story of criminal Earl Talbot Blake(John Lithgow)who wants revenge and payback against Cop and Assistant District Attorney Nick Styles(Denzel Washington)who busted Blake years before.During the 1970s,80s and early 90s there were a bunch of Action and Thriller films that weren't huge Blockbusters or Box Office hits in the movie theaters but still managed to find a a second life and audience on Cable Television and Home Video one of the prime examples of this would be the release in 1991's Ricochet,a fantastic and underrated Action-Thriller that wasn't a huge Box Office hit but is one of those films when you see you never forget it. From start to finish grabs you by the throat with white hot Suspense and thrills that just never stops and you will be glued to the screen at what you see. Ricochet is also the kind of movie that on;y would come from the 1970s,80s and early 90s and would not be done by a major studio today within your face style a style that's so over the top,bizarre and mean-spirited but it really sticks with you. Not an easy film to watch but still fascinating and interesting. This is a movie that wears it's Political Incorrectness on it's sleeve and it's the kind of film that has an brutal edge While Ricochet is still a Popcorn movie with good guys,bad guys and plenty of thrills this is also a movie that takes you on a dangerous journey dealing with various themes such as revenge,obsession and violence told in a wild and dark way. It's not a very deep and thought-provoking movie but it does have a great mixture of substance and style that works for the film. The Action and violence in Ricochet is amazing with shootouts and a couple explosions and some of the violence is pretty vicious and at times give the movie a dark senses of Humor that is funny at times and I have to admit there were at times I laughed. One of the things I like about the movie is how we see how the characters are before and after Nick busts Earl Talbot Blake. We see Nick Styles go from rookie Cop to Assistant Distrjct Attorney and media sensation becoming a star over night while Earl Talbot Blake is a prisoner plotting his revenge following Nick's career and becoming more and more obsessed with getting back at Nick. When Blake gets revenge on Nick Blake does it in a sick and diabolical way going not just after Styles but people around him playing a cat and mouse game making Nick's friends question his sanity and mental stability. What Blake puts Nick through is what the audience is going through from a mental and physical standpoint and Ricochet becomes much more gripping and intense with dread and terror as we the viewer wonder who we be the last man standing in the end in this dangerous battle between good and evil. The ending of Ricochet is outstanding with thrills and surprises that is a great cap-off to the film. An outstanding conclusion.The cast is great. Denzel Washington is excellent as Nick Styles,with Washington bringing charisma and intensity to the role. John Lithgow is brilliant and intense as Earl Talbot Blake,with Lithgow being creepy n the role. Ice-T is great as Odessa,Nick's gangster best friend. Kevin Pollock is terrific as Larry,Nick's partner. Lindsay Wagner(DA Brimleigh),Mary Ellen Trainor(Gail Wallens),,Victoria Dillard(Alice Styles),Josh Evans(Kim),John Amos(Reverand Styles),Linda Dona(Wanda),John Cothran(Councilman Farris),Jesse Ventura(Chewalski)and Rick Cramer(Jesse)give good performances as well.The direction by Russell Mulcahy is fantastic,with Mulcahy keeping the camera moving and bringing an atmospheric visual style to the film. Great direction,Mulcahy.The score by Alan Silvestri is amazing,intense and eerie and elevates the film. Fine score,Silvestri. There is also a terrific Hip-Hop title track Ricochet by Ice-T.In final word,if you love Action-Thrillers,Denzel Washington or John Lithgow,I highly suggest you see Ricochet,a terrific and entertaining Action-Thriller that will be worth your time. Highly Recommended. 9.5/10.

Smart and ambitious rookie cop Nick Styles (an excellent and engaging performance by Denzel Washington) launches his career and rises all the way to assistant district attorney after he arrests vicious and cunning psycho Earl Talbot Blake (splendidly played with deliciously wicked lip-smacking relish by John Lithgow). Blake breaks out of jail so he can exact a harsh and clever revenge on Styles. Director Russell Mulcahy, working from a tight and nasty script by Steven E. de Souza, relates the absorbing plot at a constant brisk pace, stages the savage action scenes with real flashy style and energy, maintains a properly hard and gritty tone throughout, builds a considerable amount of tension, and tosses in plenty of startling moments of brutal violence. This film further benefits from fine acting by an able cast: Washington and Lithgow do top-notch work in the leads (Lithgow in particular makes for a marvelously mean and ruthless villain), with sturdy support from Ice T as tough, but good-hearted drug kingpin Odessa, Kevin Pollack as Styles' affable partner Larry, Lindsay Wagner as cagey, hard-nosed district attorney Blimleigh, Mary Ellen Trainor as eager TV reporter Gail Wallens, Josh Evans as Blake's obsequious lackey Kim, and Victoria Dillard as Styles' loving wife Alice. Jesse Ventura has a cool bit as Chewalski, an antagonistic prison inmate who mixes it up with Blake in a fierce to-the-death fight. Peter Levy's glossy and agile cinematography gives the picture an attractive slick look. Alan Silvestri's stirring and dynamic score hits the rousing spot. The tense and exciting mano-a-mano climactic confrontation between Styles and Blake on a high tower seriously smokes in no uncertain terms. Granted, the story is pretty implausible, but overall this bang-up flick rates as a great deal of lively and entertaining over-the-top fun.

Aside from being adept flick with so intense elements, it's most of all important. Whereas it's a climax for all the chain of the blockbusters that (Steven E. de Souza) wrote at the whole 1980s : (48 Hrs. - 1982), (Commando - 1985), (The Running Man - 1987), (Die Hard - 1988), (Die Hard 2 - 1990), and further than that it sets, in the same time, a new character for the action, thriller movies in Hollywood during more than 10 years ahead.Look closer. Why the need for seeing (Denzel Washington) stripping to his underwear or setting nude among his buddies at the locker room in the police station (let me put the !! before the ??). The answer is : simply to attract the ladies. Millions of them. Add to that one adventurous noble hero, one so smart so maniac criminal who kills only in uniquely fierce ways (a character that the whole decade will be very fond of), plus the horrible language, the continuous action, the unstoppable killings, and the truly explosive pace, then you'll have the main keys for lots and lots of big and loud movies during the 1990s. It's like a novel (Dirty Harry) of the 1970s, yet Post-(Die Hard) of the 1980s; with endless breathtaking cliffhangers. But this one in specific managed brilliantly to be satirical as well.The smartest point in (de Souza)'s script is that it has among all of this highly commercial goods a commentary about the media that can raise a man or destroy him just like that as a powerful magical mirror that, unfortunately, doesn't always tell the truth. Being an attractive movie and handling a case also is a great formula, it could be the greatest at all; it made (The Running Man) 4 years ago also for the same gifted screenwriter.Director (Russell Mulcahy) who came, naturally, from the music video world mobilizes here all the elements through what seemed eventually like naked electric wire. This raw feel, eerie atmosphere, and bundle of nerves weren't made as chintzy or dully. Actually the acute cuttings with never-immobile camera, plus strong presence for hot colors all the time-made it as so condensed, absorbing and snazzy music video. Good cinematic one, yet not brainless and it didn't lose the actors' performance in the way. This fresh directing and this kind of intelligent scripts will be both missed in (Mulcahy)'s next works during the 1990s, from half bad (The Real McCoy - 1993), to simply bad (Resurrection - 1999) he unfortunately ended up sinking in bottomless TV or V works in the 2000s.As for the character of the evil man; in the same year of (1991) there were some original milestones : a ritual serial killer (The Silence of the Lambs), a genius psycho (Ricochet), or a metallic undefeatable one (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), amazingly the 3 were produced in the same year marking or rather defining a new generation of evil men in the American action movies, as frantic, inhuman, and cartoonish. So ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 1990s, the bloody, showy, crazily violent 1990s. However in a good, somehow enjoyable, way this time. Because (Ricochet) is surely one of the sanest crazy violent movies that stroked the decade.

If there is an adult reading this particular comment please be advised though adults we are,it can be assumed that the ability to determine right from wrong is as well the difference in being able to determine how suitable this motion picture is for viewing.This film is not for a young audience and even more so it is so impure in its address of issues it may very well deserve a stricter consideration other than merely "R" as in Restricted.The wording of such a rated film says the following,"May contain very strong or sexual language,strong explicit nudity,strong violence and gore,or strong drug content".I would of preferred that this film was given a NC-17 rating due to the very disturbing assumptions placing children in harms way.It is a very perverse offering and should not be viewed by younger persons at least any younger than 17 years of age.Though the controversy here is not in the rated category,that category being"Restricted", The contoversy here is that perhaps there is to much of a certain element present whereby this type of consideration is encouraged.There should not be any attempt expressed or otherwise that would allow this perverse intent to breathe,a NC-17 rating would of accomplished that.It is that there is too often politics that make for the allowances of such as this particular motion picture provides for in both its content as well as in its not being more strictly defined.That being said it is only rated "Restricted".If there was a "0" value available I would of given this particular motion picture a zero value as it represents a worthless offering.I would rather not know of its existence however as I suggested I think there was some Hollywood politics that allowed this kind of assault to occur.The assault is that this film was rated "R" and not NC-17.The following is being provided as a reference as it pertains to the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system.There are two web sites that I will provide there URL addresses so that a better perhaps understanding of the Rating System can occur. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPAA_film_rating_system and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motion_picture_rating_system There is but one final note. This is not in any way to be assumed that these referred to web sites nor in fact is this review itself to be so construed as providing any consent nor any willfil participation in this motion picture, in its meaning,value or intent.This is a hands off motion picture.It may very well serve notice as to be a threat.