ENTRAPMENT RATING: 6.5 / 10 --> So-so
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The trailer worked. I would bet dollars to donuts that the infamous "money shot" of Catherine Zeta-Jones curving her precious bottom under a laser beam, pulled in at least half of this film's opening weekend box-office numbers all on its own. That being said, ol' man Connery probably didn't hurt the numbers with his Scottish charm and rugged good looks. And what about the story, you say? Well, two out of three ain't bad.
PLOT: Rich old guy/career criminal hooks with a beautiful young insurance agent/undercover thief, to pull a couple of huge international heist jobs. They train together, look good together, and mistrust each other together.
CRITIQUE: Entrapment is well, okay...I guess. Its plot is paper thin and packed with implausibilities, its style is so-so, its acting is so-so, its action scenes are so-so, in fact, the only thing that makes this film graze the mark of mediocrity is its two great looking and charming leads, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sean Connery. Allright, so we don't really buy the supposed attraction between Cathy and her 40-year senior Connery, but both actors are so filled with conviction and charisma, that we don't seem to mind it all that much, or the fact that the story itself offers very little in originality, action or suspense. In fact, I'm even afraid to refer to this film as an actual thriller, seeing that barely a thrill crossed my path until the film's ultimate finale sequence.
Looking back, I suppose I was never really bored during this film, but never really impressed by anything either. There were actually a couple of twists and turns that I didn't foresee, but all of the action in this film was based on so many preposterous ideas, that it was hard to care about the story at all. And while the two leads were used effectively in this film, Ving Rhames and Will Patton were side-players in roles that could've easily been juiced up to the levels of each talented actor. The film did lack a certain amount of style, but offered a good international feel, charming leads and an easy-to-follow, despite being filled with holes, storyline. All in all, a so-so kind of a movie.
PS: Someone please confirm to me that I did not see a razor-thin mustache gracing Catherine Zeta-Jones' lovely upper lip throughout this movie...the horror, the horror.... :)
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: Despite her Latin look, Catherine Zeta-Jones is actually Welsh and born in Swansea, Wales, UK. She stands 5'8". She was apparently handpicked for this role by actor and producer on this film Sean Connery. In 1953, Sean Connery entered the Mr. Universe contest, finishing third in the tall man's division. According to his friend and fellow actor, Michael Caine, he is a bit of a hypochondriac. He stands 6'3". THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS (6.5/10) director Antoine Fuqua was originally set to direct this film. He was eventually replaced by Jon Amiel. Screenwriter Ron Bass won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for 1989's RAIN MAN (8/10), starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Among many other screenplays, he's also written MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING (7.5/10), STEPMOM (6/10) and WAITING TO EXHALE.
Review Date: May 2, 1999 Director: Jon Amiel Writers: Ron Bass and William Broyles Jr. Producers: Sean Connery, Michael Hertzberg and Rhonda Tollefson Actors: Sean Connery as Robert MacDougal, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Gin Baker Genre: Thriller Year of Release: 1999 --------------------------------------- JoBlo's Movie Emporium http://www.joblo.com --------------------------------------- (c) 1999 Berge Garabedian
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