Fled (1996)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The unlikeliest of partners, Laurence Fishburne and Stephen Baldwin are chained together and make a jail break together from a Georgia road gang. It's now the Nineties and objections about a black and white convict being chained together are now passé. Even with race not a really big issue with these two guys as it was in The Defiant Ones, they've still got a lot of other problems.The most curious thing about this is the interest the Feds have in this jailbreak. They're keeping the Atlanta PD cop who busted Baldwin in the loop, but at a distance and this arouses Will Patton's curiosity no end. US Marshal Robert John Burke is playing things way too close to the vest to suit Patton.Baldwin's who they're after. He's a computer hacker who hacked into a holding company that the Cuban Mafia owns and ripped off 25 million dollars. The local Cuban don, Michael Nader, wants him real bad. The wild thing in this film is that he's the only one in the cast who is what he says he is.A couple of current beauties, Selma Hayek and Brittany Powell, decorate this film as love interests for both Fisburne and Baldwin. Hayek is introduced rather clumsily into the situation that our escapees find themselves in.In fact the film, enjoyable though it is in many places, could have been a lot better with a much tighter script. Director Kevin Hooks did a good job with what he was given. In fact Kevin Hooks got to cast his dad Robert Hooks in a role as the Atlanta PD supervisor for Patton.Fled is not a bad film, it could have used a lot of improvement though in the writing.

Will Patton is one of our finest actors, having blessed the screen with a variety of memorable characters. Unfortunately, most of his performances seem to be in movies like this: generic action films which nobody has any need to remember. Sure, he gets to show up in great movies (NO WAY OUT), good movies (REMEMBER THE TITANS), and popular movies (ARMAGEDDON), but the man is a working actor who ain't embraced by the masses, so he also has to make movies like this. Not that this is a painfully bad movie... it's just so darn generic. And the testament to the man's performance is that there is nothing on paper that should make this a particularly great role. But darn it if he isn't the moral center of the movie. If you don't know who this guy is, you can skip the movie with a clear conscience. But if you are a fan of the man, this performance is one of his best.

Mindless chasing and shooting. This one leaves plenty of your mind unoccupied to wonder such things as: How can a guy shoot a three-quarter inch rope with a handgun and miss everything with a shotgun? Why is RuPaul in this movie for 15 seconds? Would the feds really honour a verbal agreement to let you off after you've shot up a lot of folks and a lot of Atlanta? Could a limo really keep up with a Ducatti? Is it true that all you've got to do to get a semi out of your way is to lean on the horn?

As average a film as you'll se. Not much to say on it. Starts off very well with much promise but once they unchain themselves turns into a run of the mill action film, nothing different. One or two of the subplots, the romances especially, seemed trivial. It may even of been a better story had Fishburne not been a copper and a different plot. Quite why they didn't shoot the chain apart when they had the gun I don't know either, but they chose to drive, still attached. No character is especially warming, but there's a good cast, nothing wrong with the acting & great to see old Dex Dexter, Michael Nader in a role, as he was brilliant in Dynasty & never looked even slightly out of place here.Better than it's 4.9 rating, but not by much.6/10.