Boiling Point (1993)

Dennis Hopper with that red hair and swagger is totally memorable in this film. He portrays an older scam artist who hooks up with Viggo Mortensen, quick on the trigger. The two of them are into counterfeit money.Wesley Snipes plays an FBI agent out for revenge when his friend and colleague is killed by the Mortensen character.The beginning is particularly interesting as both the lives of Snipes and Hopper seem to be running parallel. They have the same ups and downs with women.I love that the beginning and end of the film plays the song Dream being sung. ...And when Hopper swaggers along the boulevard, that was entertainment.

Here's another movie that fails to satisfy. When judging by it's bold cover, you'd think this was a sure guarantee for action. You've been mislead again folks. This is basically just a revenge story, with cop, Snipes after an aging scam artist, Hopper, perfect here, who's into money laundering, making his own cash. For those who didn't know, this is sort of a prequel to that 86 hit To Live And Die In L.A. which makes this film look duller than an empty casket. Even a slimy character from that movie is resurrected here. Hopper has good support, not from from Snipes though who's on a revenge driven journey to kill Hopper, who shot down in his partner in an undercover operation. Hopper's protégé, Viggo Morttessen fits the bill of character here. It's great to see him play vulnerable where he hooks up with old ex who assists in his criminal exploits. Watch for Tobin Bell a.k.a Jigsaw as a ex con Snipes questions. He gets information from Bell in return for letting him gets some vitamin C outside in the prison grounds. You don't realize how many films Bell has done before his trademark role in the Saw movies. Boiling Point falls under that "Why bother making this movie category" There's hardly any action. Hopper is funny though in this, a player sort of character, doubling his sexcapades with Lolita Davidich and Valeerie Perrine, a real veteran of film. He kind of partly makes up for the loss of action and suspense that's minute. The gas explosion with the junkie was a surprise though. Filmed in 93, this was Snipes's year as this was one of four four films that came out of his. Never has music at the start, fitted the title so imperfectly, as in that Jennifer Lopez film, Enough. My long lost friend was late returning this flick where he owed 75 dollars. With this movie, the video store clerk should of just let him off. Don't be duped by this one. May'be just copy the video cover and blow it up, as a poster.

Chalk this one up with some of Hopper's other "GREATEST FILMS EVER MADE" like Super Marios Brothers and Waterworld. Wow! is all I can say about this movie, which rivals the excitement of an episode of Mr. Roger's Neighborhood. I have no idea how this movie made it's way into my home but if we should ever have a rolling blackout in America ever again, I have kindling for a fire. I would have rather this movie been about actual boiling points, like a pot of water boiling, then roll credits than have to go through this travesty of bad acting, where lines and movement are isolated. A line is read, then the character makes a movement, stops, reads another line, just awful.

I thought it was a very good movie that was based on a good story with only a few improbable points to it, such as both main characters having a week deadline to find each other.I also thought that the gangster who was owed money would be more likely to give a guy fresh out of prison more time and hence more likelihood of a successful con to get him money. The viciousness of the deadline did not seem to serve the greed that should have been the main motivation of the gangster who was owed 50 thousand. If he had the money and wasn't paying up then the viciousness would have served a purpose.Other than that small plot point I thought Dennis Hopper was brilliant and the relationship between him and the murdering thief kept me on the edge of my seat as I thought that at any moment the hit-man would find out he was being used or conned. But Dennis Hopper laid down a sweet story each time.Leslie Snipes did a fine job as a Cop. And I liked the Duo he had with his partner of ex Cheers Fame.