Joe's (Michael Biehn) dad is killed in a sting gone wrong. His dying words mention something a bout a cake. Joe must piece together what he means by this.
Christopher Coppola proved that he isn't much of a director or writer with this box office bomb. This is a fairly bog-standard Neo Noir which suffers from corny acting and bad dialogue. To be honest I'm not sure if the acting is intentionally over the top or its bad direction. Nicholas Cage has a fairly minor role where he looks like he could have stepped off the set of a 70s skin flick with Ron Jeremy. He doesn't appear to be channelling Elvis in this film, but there is a perverse pleasure in watching act like a madman shouting profanities at every opportunity. Despite what people say about his acting abilities he has proved his worth in films like 'Leaving Las Vegas' and 'Wild At Heart'. In films like 'Wild At Heart' and 'Vampire's Kiss' I couldn't imagine anyone else playing his role. With Deadfall it could have been played by someone like James Woods.
Michael Biehn is a fine actor and he is OK as the lead role, but he really chews the scenery in this one. The voice over should be profound, but it is really flat and not necessary. In other scenes it feels like the actors are trying to see who can ham it up the most. I know this film is about larger than life characters, but it gets a bit silly.
I'm a fan of Neo Noirs and this is on the mediocre scale. For me it is more fun than 'Romeo Is Bleeding', but nowhere near as good on a technical level. I wasn't that invested in the story and I found myself losing interest half way through. The end scene takes place in a funfair. We've seen that one before in 'Brighton Rock' and 'Mona Lisa'.
The film is as violent as you would expect. The action scenes as well as the photography in general are quite plain. I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking this is a lower budget TV Movie. Some critics said this is one of Nic Cage's worst performances, I think they missed the point. This film is silly, camp and tongue in cheek - I'm not sure how much of that is intentional. It is worth a watch for fans of the genre, but don't expect 'The Usual Suspects'.
Christopher Coppola proved that he isn't much of a director or writer with this box office bomb. This is a fairly bog-standard Neo Noir which suffers from corny acting and bad dialogue. To be honest I'm not sure if the acting is intentionally over the top or its bad direction. Nicholas Cage has a fairly minor role where he looks like he could have stepped off the set of a 70s skin flick with Ron Jeremy. He doesn't appear to be channelling Elvis in this film, but there is a perverse pleasure in watching act like a madman shouting profanities at every opportunity. Despite what people say about his acting abilities he has proved his worth in films like 'Leaving Las Vegas' and 'Wild At Heart'. In films like 'Wild At Heart' and 'Vampire's Kiss' I couldn't imagine anyone else playing his role. With Deadfall it could have been played by someone like James Woods.
Michael Biehn is a fine actor and he is OK as the lead role, but he really chews the scenery in this one. The voice over should be profound, but it is really flat and not necessary. In other scenes it feels like the actors are trying to see who can ham it up the most. I know this film is about larger than life characters, but it gets a bit silly.
I'm a fan of Neo Noirs and this is on the mediocre scale. For me it is more fun than 'Romeo Is Bleeding', but nowhere near as good on a technical level. I wasn't that invested in the story and I found myself losing interest half way through. The end scene takes place in a funfair. We've seen that one before in 'Brighton Rock' and 'Mona Lisa'.
The film is as violent as you would expect. The action scenes as well as the photography in general are quite plain. I wouldn't blame anyone for thinking this is a lower budget TV Movie. Some critics said this is one of Nic Cage's worst performances, I think they missed the point. This film is silly, camp and tongue in cheek - I'm not sure how much of that is intentional. It is worth a watch for fans of the genre, but don't expect 'The Usual Suspects'.