Rating of
2/4
Not a great spy movie
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/03/08
"Jonathan" (Anthony Edwards) is a college student with an unusual hobby. He plays an unusual game with classmates where they hunt each other down around campus, and shoot their target with paintball guns.
It's time for vacation, and he and his friend, the womanizing "Manolo" (Nick Corri), go to France for a trip. While there, "Anthony" meets a very beautiful, older woman named "Sasha" (Linda Fiorentino) at a French cafe.
The two become a couple, after she easily seduces the inexperienced college student. After a few days, she takes him to East Berlin after he cancels the rest of his planned trip with "Manolo".
"Sasha" finally tells him that she is a courier who has to take a package to communist Berlin. However, something goes wrong with the delivery and "Jonathan" goes back to East Berlin by himself.
Eventually, "Anthony" learns that things in "Sasha's" job is a heck of a lot more complicated when a group of Russians begin to follow him and even try to kill him in attempt to get an item he has no clue that he is carrying what they want.
Now, he has to ditch the Russians, get the item to the proper authorities, in this case, the CIA, and find out the truth behind "Sasha" and her disappearance.
OK, let me say first that "Anthony" is no "James Bond," and this is certainly not a "Bond" movie. It has a little suspense, some gun action, no car chases and no impressive explosions.
I only felt fair chemistry between Edwards and Fiorentino. They aren't great as an on screen couple before and after you learn that "Sasha" is only using "Anthony" for a reason that isn't too clearly defined unless you see her slip something into his always present backpack. Another thing that isn't really defined well is tho the Russians work for, but "Anthony" believes they are KGB.
The supporting cast is a little weak. "Anthony's" parents are typical 1980's movie parents who always worry that their child has gotten into drugs. And "Marcolo" is only there to pick up a beautiful blond in France, and show up to help his friend when the Russians find him back home in Los Angeles.
For a spy movie movie, the action is quite weak. "Sasha" is never seen with any kind of weapon, which you would think she would have considering her apparent job. The Russians are always one step behind "Anthony", who never gets a chance to even save the woman he thinks he loves from them because she goes missing when they target him for the item he doesn't even know he has. There are no big explosions, no action-packed escapes from the villains and no amazing gun battles. We also never get to find out what information is on the item "Anthony" is carrying.
Even if they only have fair chemistry together, Edwards and Fiorentino are pretty good in their roles. Edwards plays "Anthony" as naive due to his young age, while Fiorentino plays "Sasha," which turns out to a role itself, with mystery -- even when she is meeting with her contacts. Other characters are either not on camera too long to even worth mentioning or are typical villains looking for their item.
I can only recommend this when you see it on television and there really isn't anything else on. It's not perfect, but it's not a disaster either.
