TERMINAL VELOCITY
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros
Directed by Deran Sarafain (GUNMEN, DEATH WARRANT) Written by David Twohy (THE FUGITIVE, CRITTERS 2) Cast Charlie Sheen, Nastassja Kinski, and Christopher McDonald MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time Approx. 100 minutes.
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"Genuine dead people!"
- Sheen to Kinski
QUIZ SHOW's Christopher McDonald in a blond wig as a bad-guy!? That's just one of the guilty pleasures of TERMINAL VELOCITY, a harmless thriller starring Charlie Sheen as a thinks-with-his-ahem skydiving instructor who gets wind of a conspiracy after his student (Kinski) plays Wiley Coyote and lives. Though slower than SPEED, the last action sleeper, TERMINAL VELOCITY enough falling bodies and semi-spectacular stunts to make this trip (almost) worth taking.
The story is the weakest link, a silly mix of international intrigue and airborne action. David Twohy's script has more liabilities than U.S. Air, but that doesn't deter director Deran Sarafain. He thinks he's Renny Harlin and pulls out all the stops, from a gonzo mother-of-all-jumps jump to a gag stolen from DIE HARD 2.
The scowling Sheen is always easy to watch, but his female co-star could use some practice in self-parody. The Arizona locales are good, too. Complementing the mise en scene are a windmill farm and a nifty jet junkyard. Too bad the plot poops so soon. And what's with that awful music direction? Imitation Herrman and heavy-metal don't mix.
Next up: Wesley Snipes in DROP ZONE.
BOTTOM LINE: Better than THE CHASE, but still several thousand feet
below the skyjacking sequence in CLIFFHANGER.
Grade: C+
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