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A Time to Die (1991)
A mess
This had a lot going for it, but the poor writing totally blew it. The pacing was all wrong and the central conflict of the story was left unexplained (why was Traci Lords' character framed to begin with?).
The first 20 minutes (after the initial opening scene) are an absolute drag. The plot barely advances, while the movie wastes time on irrelevant details. Lords and Roundtree do their best given the material, but can't save it.
Don't get me wrong: I love low-budget movies and I'm not expecting anything elaborate here. But you need a solid foundation: a good story and a screenplay that proceeds logically. Sadly this writer/director failed to deliver.
The 51st State (2001)
Utter waste of time
Gruelling and tiresome. Samuel L. Jackson plays a chemical mastermind who, for reasons unexplained, constantly wears a kilt - and hence provides the subject matter for the movie's one recurring gag.
Writer Stel Pavlou seems to have been aiming at one of those character-driven, high-excitement, unlikely-partnering-of-opposites chase films. Why in God's name he'd want to rehash that sort of formula I cannot explain, but regardless, the movie falls completely flat.
The long and short of it is: everything in "The 51st State" has been done better before, and a bunch of scousers cussing and Sam Jackson without any underwear are not going to change that. 3/10