SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
StyleSk8r
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
PiraBit
if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Jackson Booth-Millard
I knew the leading star of this film, and had a vague idea of the second name in the cast, so I was looking forward to trying it, from director Roger Donaldson (Dante's Peak, The World's Fastest Indian). Basically Joey 'Joe' O'Brien (Robin Williams) - who talks to the audience a little - is a sleazy car salesman trying to sell a car in almost any situation he can find, even something like a funeral will do. He is having troubles, his ex-wife Tina (Bean's Pamela Reed) is demanding cash for maintenance, his daughter is missing and he has married Joy Munchack (Fran Drescher) and single Lila (Lori Petty) as two mistresses wanting him. But he also has work problems, he has two days left to sell twelve cars, or lose his job, oh, and apparently there's a Mob boss he owes or he'll lose his life (but I didn't hear that mentioned much). On the day of Joe's deadline, a big dealership car sale, the dealership is crashed into and off the motorbike comes Larry (The Shawshank Redemption's Tim Robbins) with an AK-47 and some bad marital issues. Larry believes his wife Donna (Annabella Sciorra) is having an affair, and Joe manages to convince him that he is the one doing it, and not to harm any of the other hostages. Then the police show up outside, guns pointing, and Larry being a pretty petrified assailant has no idea of what to say or do to get out of this situation he has put himself in. Joe however is reluctant to help him get him out of it, possibly for his own sake as well, but never mind, he is managing to keep Captain Mason (Anthony Powers) and the cops calm. Joe is starting to bond with Larry knowing he was pressured himself by so many problems, and slowly his persuasion gets the other hostages let out. Eventually, all the hostages are out of the dealership until just Joe and Larry are left, but the police believe the gun Larry has is still loaded, and they mistakenly wound him. In the end, Larry is fine and on his way to hospital, and Joe reunites with his wife and daughter, and drives away as the hero of the day, job intact, and passing his business card to Captain Mason. Also starring Zack Norman as Harry Munchack, Paul Guilfoyle as Little Jack Turgeon, Bill Nelson as Big Jack Turgeon, Eddie Jones as Benny, Mimi Cecchini as Ma, Tristine Skyler as Lisa and Judith Hoag as Molly. Williams with his comedic and acting skills manages to make his somewhat sly character very appealing in the situation he is placed, Robbins is also very good at being the inexperienced gunman, while this isn't hilarious, it's certainly a film with some good giggles. Worth watching!
lil_shmunk_25
this movie wasted my time. i saw only part of it and i was crying about the wasted time that i could of spent doing something productive and useful towards this earth. for everyone that has watched this movie more than once, i am blaming them for global warming as the the amount of black balloons that got entered into the earth from this piece of crap were not needed and if they came from a different movie, i would have forgiven them. robin Williams lowered his standards to actually participate for more than 10 seconds in this film and Tim Robbins, how he went from this film to the shawhsank redemption, i have no idea. please do not watch this movie for the safety of the earth. stop releasing black balloons into the earth from a film that they should have never funded or released. please burn all copies before anyone else has to watch this crap.
vranger
This movie is worth a watch, but only if you are willing to pay attention to the myriad subtle jokes in it.Those who think it only occasionally funny just weren't paying attention to EVERY scene with the hostage negotiation team in the restaurant, and lots of subtle jokes in the dialog between Williams and Robbins, and the phone calls out of the car dealership.This movie took a chance with 'intelligent humor'. Not that the humor is that intelligent, it just doesn't hit you over the head with obvious jokes. It is a take off on the 'real' 'cookie cutter' hostage dramas, and the fun it makes of them is subtle. (For example, the cops' reaction, after disbelieving that Larry has brought explosives taped to his bike, when it is 'revealed' to them that he obtained them in Jersey. There is no over the top joke, but it is VERY funny if you are paying attention and have enough common knowledge to get it).Unfortunately, there probably just aren't enough 'intelligent viewers' out there for this film to get its due. There certainly weren't among the others leaving comments about it! LOL
casey_choas66
Robbin Williams stars in this wickedly amusing and ocassionally hilarious film about a car salesman having the worst few days of his life. Williams plays Joey, a car salesman who is juggling 2 girlfriends, had to deal with his wife wanting more money, a ganster wanting payment on a gambling debt and a boss who wants him to seel 12 cars in two days or he will loose his job. On top of that We have Tom Robbins as the husband of an employee who breakes into the dealership with an automatic weapon demanding to know who has been sleeping with his wife. The film suffers from a boring first half that seems to be going nowhere fast and only has a few scattered laughs but then begins to succeed due to the great chemestry between Williams and Robbins. It may not be perfection but because of great performances from the two leads, many laughs and a heart felt ending this one is a winner in my books.