BOILING POINT
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Rating: 6.7 out of 10 (C, ** out of ****)
Date Released: 4/16/93 Running Length: 1:32 Rated: R (Violence, language, mature themes)
Starring: Wesley Snipes, Dennis Hopper, Lolita Davidovich, Viggo Mortensen, Dan Hedaya Director: James B. Harris Producers: Marc Frydman and Leonardo De La Fuente Screenplay: James B. Harris based on the novel MONEY MEN by Gerald Petievich Music: Cory Lerios and John D'Andrea Released by Warner Brothers
Jimmy (Wesley Snipes) is a Federal Agent who doesn't always play things by the book. When a bust goes bad and one of his colleagues is killed as a result, the department decides to ship him off to Newark, New Jersey. He has seven days to avenge the dead officer and find the men responsible for his death. The killer, a man named Ronnie (Viggo Mortensen) is actually the flunkey of Red (Dennis Hopper). Red has Ronnie believing that he's a big-time crook while, in reality, he's no more than a two-bit con artist. Together, the two start on a rarely-successful crime spree with Jimmy in hot pursuit.
BOILING POINT is basically an average police thriller (although, surprisingly, there are no high-speed car chases) with little that's new or original to offer to its audience. It tries to be more intelligent than most movies of the genre, but what passes for a "higher quality" script is just a story that's a little less exciting. One of BOILING POINT's main problems is that there isn't a great deal of action and the ending is never in doubt. The few clever plot twists (none of which are substantial) don't make up for general lack of energy evident throughout most of the movie. I doubt action fans will enjoy this film much, and those looking for a dramatic picture will be put off by the stock characters and predictable situations.
There are a few characters that seem completely irrelevant to the overall plot. Many of these are in supporting roles, but one main character, Lolita Davidovich's Vikki, serves no purpose other than to provide a few moments of subtle irony and an opportunity to see other facets of the personalities of Jimmy and Red. Unfortunately, these "character-building" moments don't work well. In fact, in a movie with so many scenes designed to show the human sides of both heros and villains, it's surprising that no one attains any great depth.
Unlike many films that focus on con artists and their scams, BOILING POINT only presents a few run-of-the mill capers. We keep expecting Red to come up with something brilliant, but the "card up his sleeve" is one that we learn about early--that he's leading Ronnie on while training him to be his assassin. For his part, Red detests killing. He doesn't even like carrying a gun.
BOILING POINT is based on the novel MONEY MEN, which in turn is based on a true story. While this naturally limits the scope of the plot, the manner in which the story has been converted to the screen lacks style. It appears that an attempt was made to correct matters in the editing room (even a casual look reveals that the movie has been heavily edited), but there's only so much that can be done in post-production.
Simply put, BOILING POINT is an unspectacular movie that will vanish as quickly from theaters as it will from the memories of those who see it. It's as mediocre a movie as there ever has been, with very little to like or despise. It certainly isn't the best work done by either Wesley Snipes or Dennis Hopper, but neither of them need hang their heads in shame because of it. At least they got a paycheck.
- James Berardinelli (blake7@cc.bellcore.com)
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