A pair of sociopath killers take on the police and the mob in order to make one last big score. Red is an aging scam-artist who's just been released from prison together with Ronnie, a young and not-so-bright hoodlum who is easily manipulated. Their new business is to organize fake-money sales and then kill the buyer to take his money; but when Ronnie kills an undercover secret service agent, his partner Jimmy Mercer vows revenge and is given one week to catch the killers before being transferred. Those looking for an action hit look elsewhere, because this Wesley Snipes and Dennis Hopper starring vehicle is a lyrically moody and underplayed crime drama driven by characters and circumstances. And Snipes rarely boils over. This does not make it any less, but it's the complexities and performances that really nail this one down. Watching these characters interact or pass each other by without really knowing just how connected they are, explored some interesting directions (like the personal relationships in these character's lives and the baggage that came from it) and this is where the tension arose from. Not the action, although it did probably lack the thrills. But those moments when they occur did hit hard and that possibly can be attributed to the taut, multi-facet script exploring the protagonists. But you could say it relied heavily on these ironic encounters and the plot's knotty arrangement when these character's worlds collide. But it sure does make them open up their eyes to what's going on around them.<br/><br/>Undercover cop Jimmy Mercer goes after the killer of his detective partner and is given a week to track down those who were responsible. Red Diamond is a conman who has just been released from prison along with his former cell-mate Ronnie Royce who planned the hit on the undercover detective. Diamond did it to pay off a $50,000 debt, but that was only part of it and he has got one week to come up with the rest of it. <br/><br/>"Boiling Point" was a nicely atypical surprise by writer / director James B. Harris. It's a slick-looking production with some silky camera-work and a jazzy soundtrack. There's a real humid atmosphere and the Los Angeles' locations are brought to life. The performances are all quite varied with Snipes in dogged mode, Hooper smooth talking his way around and Viggo Mortensen quietly going about his business with brutal intent. Then the extra support sees the likes of Dan Hedaya, Seymour Cassel, Jonathan Banks, Tony Lo Bianco, Lolita Davidovich and Valerie Perrine adding to the fascinating rapport. Showing up in minor parts are James Tolkan, Paul Gleason and Tobin Bell. <br/><br/>"Who am I to tell you how to run your business. " There is not one single good thing that I can say about "Boiling Point". It is slow, and confuses you with an unnecessary complex plot that is more tiresome than entertaining. The problem with most movies is that there's no story, the problem with "Boiling Point" is that there's too much! It doesn't even try to be an action movie, which would have saved it from the never-ending, always-growing pile of over-complicated movies.<br/><br/>The plot mostly circles around a cop (Wesley Snipes) who is after the man who his partner was killed by, a newly free con man (Dennis Hopper). Both actors act so overdramatic and conceited that you'd think they signed on because it was going to be their "Oscar Movie". The dialogue doesn't help much though, at times when Hopper is trying to be romantic with his ex-wife he drags on every word that you can almost see "Give me an Oscar" written on his forehead.<br/><br/>The supporting players, Dan Hedaya and Viggo Mortensen, do an equally bad job. Of course, that is understandable because they were at the beginning points of their careers, where as Hopper started decades earlier and Snipes established himself as an '80s Action Star' (the worst kind).<br/><br/>"Boiling Point" tries everything to be a classic, but, in the end, disappoints, 3/10.
Odecassi replied
295 weeks ago