A passable ‘Peacemaker’ makes it way into the movies

Thursday, Sept. 25, 1997 | 2:10 a.m.

* Grades: Jeff, C; Dave, C+

* Starring: George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, Armin Mueller-Stahl.

* Screenplay: Michael Schiffer.

* Director: Mimi Leder.

* Studio: Dreamworks SKG

* Rated: R. Contains violence, profanity.

* Running Time: 122 minutes.

Jeff: One quiet night, in a remote part of the former Soviet Union, a nuclear blast destroys a train transporting 10 nuclear warheads headed for the scrap pile. The blast was felt all the way to the White House's Nuclear Smuggling Group, headed by Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), who discovers that the other nine nukes were stolen. Enlisted to aid her in finding the missing nukes is Col. Thomas Devoe (George Clooney), a maverick military intelligence officer, whose pals in the former Soviet army may be able to help recover those weapons of mass destruction.

"The Peacemaker," the long-anticipated first motion picture from Dreamworks SKG, Hollywood's newest motion picture studio, unveils a rather formulaic action film that is executed by-the-numbers. Hmmm ... stolen nuclear weapons? Is this the best the Dream Team could come up with?

We are forced to observe our heroes do nothing but engage in an elaborate international manhunt around the globe without the mystique of James Bond or the classy intelligence of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan. Clooney, fresh from the batcave, acts more like a secret agent than a soldier, but seems right at home as an action hero. Kidman is unconvincing as a nuke weapons specialist who seems more concerned with bossing around Clooney than making the tough decisions to capture the stolen cargo. This love/hate relationship becomes tiresome after the first 30 minutes, then disappears entirely.

Then you have the bad guy, Dusan (Marcel Iures). He has to be the wimpiest villain of all time. He wants to level the United Nations building and most of Manhattan. Why? Because his wife and daughter were gunned down by a sniper in Bosnia. Talk about overkill!

The final chase leads Clooney and Kidman back to the United States, where Kelly and Devoe must search all of Manhattan before a nuke levels The Plaza Hotel. This is where the film lacks any kind of suspense. You know the bomb is not going to go off. ... Oops. I spoiled it.

This movie borrows shamelessly from other films like "Octopussy," "Broken Arrow" and "True Lies." Where's Tom Clancy when you need him?

"The Peacemaker" gets a C.

Dave: This film could have just as easily been called "Generic Action Movie." It has all of the necessary elements of a successful action flick, but none of the spark. There are car chases, fisticuffs and cool explosions, but where's the film's core?

I'm not saying "The Peacemaker" is a bad film. It isn't. However, it left me feeling hollow ... like Chinese food after an hour, I found myself hungry for something substantial. Clooney plays, well, George Clooney. Even without bat gear, Clooney gives the same performance, with the same mannerisms and the same emotional range. Sure, it works most of the time, but here it seemed like he was sleepwalking through the whole thing.

Now, Nicole Kidman ... there's another story. What in God's name is she doing in this film? She commands no respect, she holds no authority. I didn't believe for one moment she was calling the shots and giving orders. With the possible exception of "To Die For," has Kidman ever given a really strong performance? She's cute and all, but ... I didn't buy it.

As far as the screenplay goes, there's nothing new here, folks. Director Mimi Leder does a serviceable job of faking testosterone levels where none exist. Maybe I'm just tired of seeing yet another film where post-Cold War Russians are reduced to evil thugs still looking for revenge against the Ugly Americans. Add to that a villain who works as a piano teacher in war-ravaged Bosnia, yet can somehow orchestrate the smuggling of a nuclear device into the heart of New York City.

Oh, no! Not New York! Will the bomb explode in midtown Manhattan? Will millions of people die by nuclear fire? You probably know the answer to that question already -- just see Jeff's review. It's an American film, for goodness sake! "The Peacemaker" isn't a bad film, but it's been done before ... and a lot better.

"The Peacemaker" gets a C+.

Whispers in the Dark:

* Things that make you go hmmmmm: "The Peacemaker" was shot before this past summer's "Batman & Robin," but it's still hilariously appropriate that, in an early scene, George Clooney savagely beats a character who shares the same last name as "B&R" director Joel Schumacher. We're sure it's a coincidence ... or is it?

* Batman 5: Speaking of everyone's favorite flying rodent, Aftonbladet (Sweden's largest evening paper) printed a small article last week about the next installment of the Batman franchise. According to the article, Clint Eastwood (!) has been offered the part of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the fifth Batman feature, with the rumored title "The Dark Knight Returns," in which the 60-something-millionaire is forced out of retirement and once again dons the cape and cowl. Do we believe this rumor? Do we look that stupid? (Don't answer that.)

* "Titanic": Director James Cameron may have placed a few old friends in cameo roles. According to a recent rumor, several stars of Cameron films past agreed to be seen in the long-delayed movie's elaborate ballroom dance sequence. In a nod to their scene at the conclusion at "True Lies," Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis are supposed to be seen dancing on the ballroom floor. But the rumor also mentions that other celebrity couples -- Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn from "Aliens," Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio from "The Abyss" and Cameron and real-life love Linda Hamilton -- can also be seen. So far, no one has confirmed that this scene exists ... but it would be pretty cool to see!

* Final Exam: Last week, 20th Century Fox held a test screening of the long-awaited film "Alien Resurrection" here in Las Vegas. Needless to say, The Movie Guys were not informed of this event (and even if we were, we couldn't get in ... (no persnickety critics allowed). So, we want to know what you thought of the movie. Drop us a line and give us a review!

Rent 'n Vent

* Jeff: "Volcano" (20th Century Fox Video, rated PG, VHS/ Laserdisc.) Los Angeles faces its worst disaster since the Rams left town. A vent in the Earth's crust unleashes an erupting Volcano at the famed La Brea Tar pits, in the middle of rush hour -- as if traffic wasn't bad enough.

Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones stars as the city's emergency chief who must figure out how to divert a river of flowing lava away from one of L.A.'s most populated neighborhoods. Also starring with Jones is actress/celebrity lesbian Anne Heche (Ellen DeGeneres' significant other) as the seismologist whose knowledge of volcanos comes in handy as 2,000-degree lava pours towards Beverly Hills' famous Rodeo Drive. Somebody save Gucci!

The disaster genre is back with a vengeance with the aid of state-of-the-art digital computer effects: Deadly lava creeps across traffic-jammed highways and 200-pound lava bombs project into the air like missiles and bombard office buildings, showering glass on pedestrians below ... Marvelous! Volcano has a high body count, cars that melt before your very eyes, people vaporized by molten magma and unsurpassable suspense! What more could you ask from Hollywood? This is as real as it gets!

"Volcano" gets an A.

* Dave: "Liar, Liar" (Universal Home Video, rated PG, VHS/ Laserdisc.) Anyone who says "Jim Carrey has never made me laugh" needs to be slapped silly. True, a little Carrey may go along way for some folks, but what more does one expect from a comedy that stars the "Jerry Lewis of the '90s"?

In this, his latest feature, Carrey plays unscrupulous lawyer Fletcher Reede, who has a habit of lying to everyone -- including his son Max (Justin Cooper). Finally, after missing his son's birthday party, Max blows out the candles and wishes that his father tell the truth for just one day. Suddenly, Fletcher finds himself telling nothing but the truth against his own will.

The film recalls the classic Carrey that we (almost) all fell in love with in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (also helmed by "Liar, Liar" director Tom Shadyac). And though the humor does become repetitious, Carrey mixes the comedy with sincerity and heart.

"Liar, Liar" gets a B+.

Personal Pix

* Jeff: "The Poseidon Adventure" (20th Century Fox Video, rated PG, THX-Widscreen Special Edition; VHS/Laserdisc.) The Father of the disaster movie, Irwin Allen, gave us the movie that started it all.

On New Year's Eve, a luxury ocean liner heading from New York to Athens is capsized by a massive tidal wave. Ten passengers must struggle to freedom in a world turned upside-down or be trapped in a watery grave. The passengers of the Titanic had it easy -- they went down in seconds. Imagine struggling to escape a ship the size of the Queen Mary when it's upside-down!

Gene Hackman leads an all star cast: Ernest Borgnine, Shelly Winters, Red Buttons, Jack Albertson, Roddy McDowall and a pre-"Airplane" Leslie Nielsen as the captain. This is the first film in which you could sit back and guess which star was going to buy the farm next, either by falling in a vat of boiling water, drowning, burning or the ever-popular falling to one's death.

With Oscar-winning special effects and an exuberant score by John Williams, this is the movie that started an all-new genre -- the big-budget, all-star disaster flick. It's now available for the first time in a THX-Widescreen format, and home video buffs will finally get to see all of Shelly Winters swimming underwater -- a graceful image only the Widescreen format could deliver! No wonder Winters was nominated for an Oscar.

"The Poseidon Adventure" gets an A.

* Dave: "All of Me" (Universal Home Video, rated PG, VHS/ Laserdisc.) If you look at the path Jim Carrey's career is taking, one can't help noticing the parallels between Carrey and comedian Steve Martin. They both started as stand-up comics, moved to TV, then took their talents to the big screen.

The parallels are especially clear between Carrey's "Liar, Liar" and Martin's "All of Me" (directed by Carl Reiner). Steve Martin plays an attorney whose life is turned upside-down after half of his body is taken over by the spirit of a dying millionairess (Lily Tomlin). The clever story and refreshing dialogue combined with the hilarious slapstick talents of Martin and Tomlin create sheer movie magic. In addition, there is no other movie that showcases Martin's physical comedy better, save for his first starring feature "The Jerk" (also from director Reiner).

"All of Me" gets an A.

Cine-cism

"Who are The Movie Guys?" you may be asking yourself.

Well, once upon a time, deep in the bowels of UNLV's Greenspun School of Communications, an idea was born. A man named Frank Barnas had the idea to take a TV production class and have them produce a weekly, half-hour movie review show. Thus, "The Movie Show" was born.

That first semester, the show was hosted by Boddy Scallion and Sean O'Hare, two students. The pair left after one semester, so auditions were held for replacements. Two students named David Neil and Jeff Howard were chosen as the new hosts of "The Movie Show." More than 300 film reviews and 100 episodes later, we were riding high on the show's success.

"The Movie Show" became a local favorite, airing on UNLV-TV Cable 4. The show had also become the most popular college TV show in history, thanks to the University Network, reaching more than 100 colleges and universities all over the United States. Our popularity was at an all-time high until ... graduation.

No more show ... unless ... we take the show commercial! Why not? Two months after the last "Movie Show" aired this past March, "The Movie Guys with Jeff and Dave" debuted on KVVU Channel 5 for several airings. Shortly thereafter, "Quiet on the Set" changed the face of local radio (well, sort of) when it began airing on KVBC 105.1-FM. With the TV and radio worlds conquered (more or less), we turned our attention to the last medium left unsullied: print. First, we blackmailed the folks at Scope magazine into letting us do reviews for them.

Now -- The Las Vegas SUN.

We couldn't be more proud. Really. No, we mean it. Honest.

Ask the Guys

Got questions about the movies for The Movie Guys? Ask away. Just e-mail your questions to Jeff & Dave at movieguys5@aol.com, or snail-mail your queries to Ask the Movie Guys, 3430 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV., 89102. Be sure to include your name, address and a daytime phone number.

And, of course, the question.

Coming Attractions

* Next week on The Movie Guys: Jeff and Dave speak out on movie theater etiquette. Plus: Why "Showgirls" is the best film of the decade.

Just kidding about that last one.

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THE MOVIE GUYS now appear every Friday in the SUN. You can also find their capsule reviews of movies in Scope magazine, and listen to their reviews and commentary every Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. on their radio show "Quiet on the Set" on KVBC 105.1-FM.

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