METRO
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.0 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997 Release date: 1/17/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:57 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, violence, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Michael Rapaport, Michael Wincott, Carmen Ejogo,
Denis Arndt, Art Evans
Director: Thomas Carter
Producer: Roger Birnbaum
Screenplay: Randy Feldman
Cinematography: Fred Murphy
Music: Steve Porcaro
U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures
METRO is about as generic as action pictures come. All the staples are in place: the maverick cop out for revenge, the psycho villain with more than one life, the girlfriend-in-danger, and the mismatched partner. There are also numerous, assorted shoot outs, car chases, and explosions. Yet, despite the familiar nature of all this material, it somehow manages to rise above its cliche-riddled origins and ascend to a watchable -- and, at times, even enjoyable -- level. This is due in no small part to the charisma of star Eddie Murphy and the sure-handed direction of Thomas Carter.
For Eddie Murphy, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR was a good career move. It revived his reputation as a top-money funny man, and proved that, under the right circumstances, he can still generate a healthy box office return. It remains to be seen whether METRO will continue the revival or plunge the actor back into the murky pit from which he so recently emerged. While METRO isn't nearly as bad as either BEVERLY HILLS COP 3 or ANOTHER 48 HOURS, one wonders if movie-goers, who stayed away from those features in droves, will avoid this one too.
Murphy plays Detective Scott Roper, a hostage negotiations expert with a gambling addiction. When a strung-out druggie takes prisoners following a botched bank robbery, Roper uses his charm and unorthodox methods to diffuse the situation. Afterwards, his captain (Denis Arndt) cheerfully informs him that he has a new partner, McCall (Michael Rapaport), a sharpshooter who scored well on all his police aptitude tests. Soon, Roper and McCall are involved in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a sociopath named Korda (Michael Wincott), who raises the stakes to include the life of Roper's girlfriend, Ronnie (Carmen Ejogo).
Somehow, almost against the odds, Murphy manages to make Roper interesting. He's cut from the mold of dozens of motion picture cops, but, through sheer force of personality, Murphy makes him unique and likable. The same cannot be said of Michael Rapaport, who sleepwalks his way through another wooden performance. It continues to baffle me what film makers see in him. Michael Wincott, who seemingly never plays a good guy, does a perfectly adequate job as the piece's villain. And, even though I thought METRO's love story was lame, I enjoyed the work of British newcomer Carmen Ejogo, despite her lack of chemistry with Murphy.
Carter evidences a great deal of aptitude in directing the action sequences. They are well-paced and tightly-edited (although there are times when it's obvious that Murphy is using the services of a stunt double), and keep the viewer from thinking too much about the flawed, episodic plotline. Even the film's most obvious steal -- the chase through San Francisco's streets immortalized in BULLITT -- adds enough new twists, including a thrilling runaway cable car skid -- to make it entertaining in its own right.
Ultimately, however, owing to too many derivative elements and an erratic story that runs out of steam about halfway through, METRO is only partially-satisfying. I suppose any viewer's reaction will depend on whether they choose to see this particular glass as half-full or half-empty. Murphy fans and action junkies will probably find enough here to keep them involved and upbeat. Everyone else will likely see this material as disappointingly over-familiar. In the wasteland of early-1997 releases, you could do worse than METRO, but, by year's end, few people are likely to remember the title, let alone the premise.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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