MURDER AT 1600 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
2 :-( :-( for a rather ordinary corpse in the White House
Cast: Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, Dennis Miller, Daniel Benzali, Alan Alda, Ronny Cox Director: Dwight Little Screenplay: Wayne Beach & David Hodgin
A dead body in the bathroom makes a smelly, blood stained mess on the floor. The mystery gets a little more baffling when the homicide takes place in the White House. The victim is a blonde, Caucasian female in her mid twenties who has had the honour of sleeping with Uncle Sam and the dishonour of also sleeping with his son. Such is the shroud of secrecy and hidden motives behind this slaying, that blame or suspicion falls on anyone having come in contact with the woman, including the janitor. The scene opens with the victim having gratuitous sex on the president's desk, before moments later being bludgeoned to death in a toilet cubicle. This is probably not the most sordid deal to have passed over the polished wood of this most distinguished table, but it does bring to mind that candid question - how many presidents have used this table for recreational purposes other than political?
Wesley Snipes has reprised his role as a tough guy, no-nonsense homicide officer assigned to uncover the layers of truth submerged beneath thicker layers of lies. Teamed with Diane Lane posing as an Olympic sharp shooter turned White House Secret Service Agent, together they strip away the thick coats of mystery to find the President at the bottom of the cake. This otherwise non-inspirational thriller has its moment of pure silliness when we witness a game of ‘murder in the dark' in a maze of secret tunnels beneath the White House. The evil navy seal is about to break Snipes neck in a death grip. Lane points her gun and finds her mark between the Seal's eyes and should perhaps win the award for best sharp shooting in the dark. If finding a target was this easy, give me a blind fold, put an apple on your head and I promise I won't miss.
This is the fifth tale involving the American President this year and takes a rather ordinary fourth place behind the more thrilling AIR FORCE ONE, the more corrupt ABSOLUTE POWER, and the more light hearted MY FELLOW AMERICANS. When access to 1600 gets as easy as opening a couple of metal grates, and roaming a few underground tunnels, I find it surprising that nobody has tried to blow the Institution away with some home made explosive. As for the excitement over a dead body in the White House, well people die every day.
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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