Broken Arrow

Starring: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo, Frank Whaley, Howie Long
Directed by: John Woo
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Summary: Two air force pilots find themselves pitted against each other when one (John Travolta) steals two nuclear weapons in an attempt to sell them back to the government. The other (Christian Slater) teams with a park ranger (Samantha Mathis) to try and stop him.

Review:

Tim: Broken Arrow might be a guilty pleasure, but a pleasure it certainly is. I know that on some level, I probably shouldn't like this movie, but I honestly cannot help it- I just love this movie. I love the action, the plot, the crazy one-liners, the music, and everything else. This movie is pure popcorn entertainment, but it delivers. I was wildly entertained from start to finish, and I just had so much fun with this movie.

The cast is one of the strongest aspects (which is not always the case in action thrillers). John Travolta is not often a great bad guy, but he is superb here. He is unflappable, charismatic, and hilarious. He has some terrific lines (as long as you don't think about them too hard). I loved Travolta as the villain here. Surprisingly, I also loved Christian Slater. Slater often disappoints, but I wonder if he's ever been better than here? He is exactly the type of protagonist we needed for this film. He makes a good hero (even if he's not particularly memorable) and works especially well with Samantha Mathis. I have never seen Mathis make an impact in her other roles, but I absolutely loved her here. She was believable as a park ranger, and also believable as an action heroine. Slater and Mathis just have so much chemistry together- and this really helps out the movie. I also loved the chemistry between Travolta and Slater. Their love-hate relationship was one of the highlights of the film.

I also really enjoyed the film's plot. Stealing two nuclear weapons might not be the most plausible storyline, but it works here. As long as you are willing to suspend a little disbelief, this movie just works. I love the desolate Utah landscape as the setting, and the action sequences are all quite good- as you would expect from director John Woo. The other aspect of this film I loved was the music. I can't remember the last time music played such a huge role in my enjoyment of an action movie, but it almost gave me chills here.

As I mentioned, I am well aware of why people might not be a huge fan of this movie. I think action films are far too easy to hate and criticize. This isn't a perfect movie, but it is incredibly entertaining, loads of fun, and just one of those movies you can sit back and enjoy. I could watch this movie over and over again. I firmly believe this movie is endlessly watchable. It might not be for everyone, but I love Broken Arrow.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



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