Freefall (1994)

I had the feeling before I saw 'Freefall' that it was destined to be a turkey, but I should've expected the type of movie it was. These are a grade of action movies that started in about the late 70s and really haven't died out. They're cheesy and the mounting inattention to details can be ridiculous, but these movies were made with the purpose of one thing: action non-stop. Granted, despite the extreme cheesiness and idiocy of much of this film, the story was at least somewhat more interesting than most.Dex Dellum (Jeff Fahey, making an ill attempt to play a former agent/CEO of a wilderness magazine with a southern drawl) sends his fiancée, Katy (Pam Gidley) to some remote island country to track down and photograph a species of hawk that was rumored to be extinct. When she gets there, she meets the mysterious but rather intriguing Grant Orion (played by Eric Roberts, hubba hubba!) After a misunderstanding about Grant dying (he's a former stuntman who likes free-falling in his spare time) and some steamy (and awkward) sex scenes, Katy has found herself in the middle of an inter-agency dispute among Interpol who are all after her to track down a registry containing names of terrorists.Katy, too, becomes the victim of some rather predictable double- and triple-crossing as everyone tries to either kill her and Grant for the registry or just dupe her to handing it over to some corrupt member of Interpol. Don't expect a great movie, and this one, in large part thanks to Jeff Fahey's out-of-place character, is full of cheesy character development. But, if you are in the mood for just loads of mindless action, it can at least satisfy viewers looking for that much. It knows its purpose and it delivers.

Watching this movie I had to wonder if the writer of the screenplay had anything to do with the filming. A wildlife photographer is sent to Africa on assignment by her fiancée, a nature magazine publisher,to get pics of some rare (ficticious) falcon in its natural habitat.Only problem is, she ends up at Angel Falls, in Venezuela, where she happens to bump into Eric Roberts, engaged in his favorite sport, free fall skydiving, off the Angel Falls Tepui, no less! So instead of Africa, we find ourselves at the most recognizable landmark in South America! It's like sending her to Paris, and have the Statue of Liberty in the background! They COULD have said South America. It's like they were going to film in Africa, but changed their minds, without changing the script! Then when she realizes someone is jumping, she stops clicking away on her Nikon, proving she's really a bad actress, rather than a good photographer. She meets this guy later that day at what is apparently the only hotel in Venezuela, and, of course, they have sex. She later bemoans the idea of spilling the beans to the fiancée. Hey, I got some great shots of the bird, and no, I didn't miss you, I had plenty of entertainment...At this point, you can stop watching the movie. Save the rest for another day, because they truly each stand alone, one having very little to do with the other. Like, who's the strange "blond Doctor" who keeps appearing but has no impact on the plot, or speaking part, for that matter.For some added enjoyment, watch the movie, and THEN read the preamble on the DVD box, and you'll discover that even whoever wrote THAT didn't bother to see the movie!! So other than the bad acting, bad writing, bad continuity, and thin but convoluted plot, we have about 10 minutes of nice scenery, and Eric's muscles for the girls. '5' for escapism if there's nothing on PBS.

It could be said that America is now an imbecile society: because this movie exemplifies a mature theme with mature actors that participate in a mature story, and the film has been overlooked at being good entertainment. It is underrated, and that's surprising because of its romance and exotic locations: two of the basic and desirable necessities in entertainment - (along with an attractive actress and actor; which this does have) - (no bimbo representations to tantalize the teenies). Though it may be true that there are uncommon events that take place to provide the story, (one being that the drug induced Gidley gets hypnotized to carry a list of people in her mind, in order to get passed customs), this movie is not dull or slow; which makes me want to say that it's a shame that way too many American viewers are lacking style! Come on people, watch this movie with patience, and rate it higher.

I don't like John Irvin's movies very much. Such movies as "Robin Hood", "City of Industry" and "Dogs of war". But there were also ones that I liked. This is "Raw deal" and "Freefall". I can't say that "Freefall" is the great movie, but I watched this one with a big interest. It's little unusual when Eric Roberts acts a good guy and Jeff Fahey is the bad guy. But they are both acted well. There's also strong sexual episode between Eric Roberts and Pamela Gidley. So I think the people who will like a good action will like this movie also.