Brent's Two Cents

Worst (Russell Crowe) Movie Ever?

We watched No Way Back last night. I've generally liked Russell Crowe's films, but this thing was a real stinker, perhaps not as bad as Soldier (which I actually kinda liked), but basically just boring and predictable, sometimes verging on the ridiculous. The film's got a pretty great opening where this hot Japanese undercover cop takes out a whole apartmentful of tattooed skinhead gangsters, but that's pretty much the highlight of the film as it degenerates into sappy stereotypes (gruff single-dad cop/dad trying to save his son), bewildering extraneous characters (ditzy airline stewardess who's somehow along for the ride even though any sane villan would have put a bullet between her eyes the first time she opened her mouth) and ridiculous events (747 landing on an airstrip more suitable for a Cessna). After about 45 minutes or so, I realized that I didn't care about anything that was going on in the film, but I persisted nonetheless to witness the highly-improbable shootout between the cop, his formerly-captive-but-now-buddy Yakuza, and the L.A. mafia, with the day being saved by the ditzy flight attendant who manages to subdue something like six mafioso guys using only a radio tracking device, and manages to shoot the last bad guy straight through the heart with one try.

This film was made in 1995, before any of Crowe's big roles, so I won't hold it against him, but if this thing had come after the Insider or Gladiator, I'd feel ripped off. Actually, I do feel a little cheated: during the movie Crowe's character never assumes the gangsta sideways-gun pose featured on the movie poster.