A husband / father (Gene Hackman) and his estranged son (Matt Dillon) team up during an eventful trip to Europe. The wife / mom (Gayle Hunnicutt) has disappeared during a solo vacation, and they're determined to find out what has happened and why. They must dodge attempts on their lives as they work to solve this mystery.
A large part of the problem is a not-so-hot script, with its fair share of bad lines. "Don't get funny, get good." But it improves as it progresses, with a stronger second half, and some decent action sequences. (The third and final teaming of Hackman and filmmaker Arthur Penn, after "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Night Moves", certainly promised something more special than this.) Particularly effective are scenes with Hackman and the antagonist once they are revealed. It turns out, they don't have an unsympathetic motivation. Still, the twists here are plenty predictable, which works against whatever fun factor that Penn is able to generate.
Making the difference are the international settings (Germany, France) and the location usage, as well as a typically fine performance by Hackman. The star once again demonstrates his ability to be consistently engaging, whether playing a hero or villain. He and Dillon may not be the most believable father-son duo ever assembled for the movies, but they work together well enough. The supporting cast is just fine, although it must be said that Hunnicutt, as the victim who sets the plot in motion, is by nature of her role largely wasted. Providing able support are character actors Josef Sommer ("Witness"), Guy Boyd ("Body Double"), Herbert Berghof ("Cleopatra"), in his final film role, and Richard Munch ("Patton"), as well as an enchanting Viktoriya Fyodorova as Hackmans' old comrade; she and he do have good moments together.
One can do better than this if they're looking for an intrigue-thriller, but it's certainly not a total waste of time, either.
Six out of 10.
A large part of the problem is a not-so-hot script, with its fair share of bad lines. "Don't get funny, get good." But it improves as it progresses, with a stronger second half, and some decent action sequences. (The third and final teaming of Hackman and filmmaker Arthur Penn, after "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Night Moves", certainly promised something more special than this.) Particularly effective are scenes with Hackman and the antagonist once they are revealed. It turns out, they don't have an unsympathetic motivation. Still, the twists here are plenty predictable, which works against whatever fun factor that Penn is able to generate.
Making the difference are the international settings (Germany, France) and the location usage, as well as a typically fine performance by Hackman. The star once again demonstrates his ability to be consistently engaging, whether playing a hero or villain. He and Dillon may not be the most believable father-son duo ever assembled for the movies, but they work together well enough. The supporting cast is just fine, although it must be said that Hunnicutt, as the victim who sets the plot in motion, is by nature of her role largely wasted. Providing able support are character actors Josef Sommer ("Witness"), Guy Boyd ("Body Double"), Herbert Berghof ("Cleopatra"), in his final film role, and Richard Munch ("Patton"), as well as an enchanting Viktoriya Fyodorova as Hackmans' old comrade; she and he do have good moments together.
One can do better than this if they're looking for an intrigue-thriller, but it's certainly not a total waste of time, either.
Six out of 10.