BAD COMPANY
A Touchstone Pictures release 

review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: CIA operative Gaylord Oakes losses his best friend and agent, Kevin Pope, when he outbids a rival group of buyers for a nuclear weapon and they attempt to eliminate their competition. Oakes only hope of obtaining this compact device is to transform Popes sarcastic, streetwise punk identical-twin brother into a sophisticated spy. He has nine days in which to accomplish this "mission: impossible" or he will have to negotiate this rather sensitive deal solo. 

REVIEW: Okay, so Joel Schumacher almost single-handedly killed the Batman franchise. But does that make him a "bad" director? You might expect better from a native New Yorker, but what can you really expect form a filmmaker who studied design and display at Parsons School of Design? He's a window dresser for goodness sake! When he takes a step back from the action, as he's proved with his Grisham cinematic adaptations, to concentrate on characters he does a fine job. But then he'll try something like a Kevin Andrew Walker (Seven) screenplay, "8mm," and what should be an intense, edgy film simply doesn't work.

So, does working with a producer like Jerry Bruckheimer make a difference? It certainly does. Bruckheimer is a "hands-on" producer, and from the production information you sense that he was never out of earshot of Schumacher. The film has a bit more interaction then actual action, but no Bruckheimer is without a few big explosions. The simplicity of the plot gives the filmmakers room to let their actors work, and how could you go wrong with a cinematic duo like Hopkins and Rock. It's a winning formula Bruckheimer employees constantly: "The Rock," "Enemy of the State," "Crimson Tide," etc.

Bruckheimer brings a signature look to all his projects. The BAD COMPANY cinematography is a combination of that typical Bruckheimer look ö the coldness of his film "Enemy of the State" ö with the directorial style Schumacher established in his films where he worked with Richard Donner ö "The Lost Boys" and "Flatliners." Still it's not surprising to learn that cinematographer Dariusz Wolski worked with the producer before on the Tony Scott/Jerry Bruckheimer action thriller "Crimson Tide." So when you consider the basic plot elements of BAD COMPANY and "Enemy of the State," you would be polite in suggesting that COMPANY could possibly be a sequel/spin-off.

Okay, enough said. After all, McDonald's would not have served all those billions of hamburgers if folks didn't find some comfort in finding that Big Mac being served exactly the same way no matter where in the world they are. What makes BAD COMPANY a new addition to the menu is the seasoning of this tale by the talented actors, Rock and Hopkins. The situation might be similar ö young gun and stoic veteran ö but they bring their unique character traits that make the film entertaining. Still, it seems that chemistry suffers a bit to screen presence as Rock's "in-your-face" performance unsuccessfully tries to mug Hopkins' of his screen time.

There were rumors that the filmmakers had problems with the climax. There are, but it's not so much a matter of story, but in the execution. Everything prior to them running through the streets of Manhattan is fine. However, once they had towards the bomb's location the suspension of belief hits a wall. There are too many people standing around watching them work. What should be a moment of crisis has people standing around with smirks on their faces that say, "Hey, is that Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins! We must be in a movie!" Also, there are folks in the shots with headsets that are obviously production assistants, not police officers.

BAD COMPANY is a film that probably looked better on the page then it comes off in the execution. Fine performances, spy game action sequences and special effect sequences simply don't elevate the material that level of Bruckheimer summer blockbuster. Still, it's fine enough as a bargain matinee to escape the heat on a hot summers day. 

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
 http://www.badcompany.movies.com

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