Terminal Velocity (1994)

(no, not the Beach Boys song) ... Here I go again (no, not the Whitesnake song) defending certain Hollywood actors ... I *like* Charlie Sheen and I like him in this movie ...

Here Charlie plays his I'm-just-an-ordinary-guy-caught-up-in-this-thing yet again, and while it's not "Platoon", it's midway between that and "Hot Shots". Kinski is good and there's a pristine white Dodge Challenger here that meets an unfortunate end (I *hope* they used a double for the car!) ... Sheen has to "borrow" a beautiful yellow Corvette to catch the bad guys (at least he has style) ... And a Cadillac Allante' that takes flying lessons ...

Sheen is a skydiver down on his luck who accidently lands at what he thinks is a bachelorette party only to find out it's for children ... The Russian mafia wants to steal gold and eliminates anybody in their way ... there's a Chuck-Yeager-lookin' barnstormer pilot who helps Charlie catch the Russians in mid-air ...

The story will keep you guessing for a bit ... and I think Charlie *wants* his character to struggle ... he starts to put it together so he's not a total airhead here ... but he's *supposed* to be confused ... that's part of the story ... ummm, if he figured it out right off the movie would be over in 15 minutes, right? ...

"Drop Zone" is a skydiving flick too, and who can't help but like Yancy Butler? The story is a little more complex there, but it's a bit of a stretch too in places ... I have both movies and I like both movies ... I'd recommend both ...

I last saw this film when it first came out in theatres. It left a powerful impression in my mind that has haunted me for years now. I speak, of course, about the daringly experimental and enigmatic conclusion to this film, which is really the only part I remember. The whole film, the protagonists are trying to stop Russians (the antagonists) from reaching somewhere in a colossal aircraft with bombs or something. At the climax of the movie, they are forced to jump from this aircraft. Through some air craftiness of their own, the protagonists survive to continue fighting on the ground with russians that have, for some reason, parachuted after them. After throwing the bad guys into windmills (yeah you know, the ones that move at about four miles per hour) and watching them be cut to shreds, they give each other five. Then it cuts to the ceremony where they're receiving medals for their bravery in outwitting the Russians. This may sound like a typical hollywood ending but oh do look closer. Because the climactic battle took place on the ground, the commie aircraft was never stopped. Unless the people that parachuted after them were the entire rest of the aircraft'd crew, it arrived safely at its destination. So, upon close inspection, it becomes clear that the award ceremony at the desneumont of the film is ironic. Little do the characters in the film realize that they have, in all actuality, lost the "war" and that they're about to be bombed by russians or something simply because they forgot about the aircraft! As you might expect, this incredibly subtle and powerful satire was over the heads of most viewers. It even somehow escaped Leonard Maltin's review and Leonard Maltin is a particular brilliant man in my opinion. In conclusion, if you've ever felt that film these days is just too straightforward, that ends wrap up a little too tightly, heroes are worshipped too wholeheartedly, and that governments are put together too shabbily, this is the film for you.

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This was a generally fun film that is considered an action movie, and rightly so, but has its share of good comedy, too. Charlie Sheen showed he was well on his way to being successful playing comedic roles, as he's doing on television right now.

Nastassja Kinski plays the typical new young macho-female role that introduced on screen in the past generation in which females beat up males. Give me a break! Anyway, I still liked her. James Gandolfini was the best of the villains, and also demonstrated how he was about ready to hit the big time, which he did on TV with The Sopranos. Christopher McDonald was another villain in here but was stupid, not fun to watch. He was angry all the time and his bleached hair looked ludicrous.

There are a couple of outrageous action scenes in this film, most notably when an automobile with Sheen and Kinski still in it is dropped from an airplane! Yes, to enjoy this film don't take any of it seriously! It's simply fast-paced entertainment. For that, it gets a good rating.

Read Best Reviews of Terminal Velocity (1994) Here

TERMINAL VELOCITY, released in 1994, is a movie that has aged

extremely well, except maybe for the KGB and end-of-Cold War

mood that was reminiscent of the era after the Berlin Wall

fell, and a new era was unveiled in the former one-party USSR.

The thrill and action aspects of this film, are as good as any

that the best Bond 007 movies had to offer, no doubt.

The 5.1 audio is phenomenal, as are the crisp, crystal clear

digital sequences on the DVD release.

Probably, it will mostly be the below 21 viewers who will

especially appreciate the extensive aerodrome and airplane

settings and sequences, considering that airplanes, even today

in 2007, are still somewhat exotic, as almost nobody has a

pilot's license, or has a parachute jumping training, for that

matter.

For the movie to show Charlie Sheen and Nastassja Kinski at

their best, in those sequences, brings a valuable commodity to

the finished product, which is its entire dream-like

atmosphere. This is what makes believable the otherwise

impossible turn of events, that favor the 2 protagonists against

failure, and against all odds, at each turn and moment during

the course of the movie.

The musical score is also exceptional, for a movie of this

genre, and is a pleasure througout the 90 minutes.

A last note, is the presence of James Gandolfini, early in his

career, presented as a "bad guy" obviously, yet ... this actor,

despite his later similar role in the Sopranos, is perhaps not

that much of a natural as a bad guy this being one person's

opinion.

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I liked this movie. Even though one of the villans was a little over acted. I've seen it several times and enjoyed it a lot. Charlie Sheen is great. Nastassja Kinski is great also and absolute gorgeous. James Gandolfini is excellent.

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