DAYLIGHT
A film review by Walter Frith
Copyright 1996 Walter Frith
Sylvester Stallone has vowed that 'Daylight' will be the last big booming action picture of his career. Stallone made this decision while his newborn daughter underwent emergency heart surgery earlier this year. As Sly approaches 50 this would be a good move and a chance for him to branch out and search for the true acting ability he has despite what some critics have said about him. His roles in the original 'Rocky,' 'Paradise Alley,' and 'Nighthawks' demonstrate that Stallone can do well at the craft of acting. 'Daylight' takes place in New York City and one late afternoon a horrifying accident takes place in the Lincoln tunnel which connects New York and New Jersey underwater. It was built around World War I and is unstable in many places. Hundreds are killed in the fiery flash of action and the tunnel is sealed at both ends. Stallone is a New York City cab driver who arrives caught on the scene and offers his services. Unusual you say? Perhaps, but Sly is a former EMS (Emergency Medical Service) tactician who was fired by the city after a rescue under his command killed several people. Only a handful of survivors remain and Stallone does his best to rescue them all. This movie immediately put me in mind of 'The Poseidon Adventure' (1972) in which a handful of survivors tried to make it out from a luxury cruise liner which capsized. Combine that with stunts seen in other action/disaster films over the years and you have the makings for a somewhat unoriginal but entertaining film with graphic and stunningly realistic special effects courtesy of ILM. 'Daylight' is from director Rob Cohen ('Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story') who has woven an exciting action film together with somewhat shallow characters but the scenes of rescue and survival are credible and this film is a must for loyal Stallone fans while the rest of us are likely to come out satisfied but will digest it quickly with our fast food treat we like to get after the movie is out. Other cast members are Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Dan Hedaya, Jay O. Sanders, Karen Young, Claire Bloom, Barry Newman and Stan Shaw.
OUT OF 5> * * *
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