Review of Peacemaker, The

Video

Trains crashing, helecopters buzzing around, missiles, explosions, gunfire and car chases. All of this is in Peacemaker and more, all done to the point where they look realistic. Having scene some recent James Bond movies try all of the above and fall short due to poor model work, its nice to see how it should be done. Basically, the special effects are great and believable.

The transfer quality is okay, although a little bit too contrasty. There isn`t as much detail on the image as you`d expect from such a recent film considering other modern sources moved across to this format, but its in no way bad. Good news for 16x9 TV owners, this baby is anamorphicly enhanced.

Audio

Music is somewhat over used in this film, and the stereotypical cold-war orchestral accompaniment very reminiscent of The Hunt for Red October appears pretty much throughout, and nowhere near as stylish as the aforementioned film. It`s a shame, because a lot of the on screen action is sufficient to provide excitement and tension, with the music blaring out over the top all the time things becomes too busy.

The sound effects are good, some nice use of the rears too, and a fair few subwoofer moments thrown in to boot. Its a shame half of this is drowned out by the music. If you own a decent sound system, then the scenes involving train crashes and helicopters are worth repeating a few times, if only to annoy those neighbors with children.

Features

The stunt footage is quite interesting, presenting you with various cuts which provide an insight into how two particular scenes were shot. After showing these takes, you can then watch the entire scene from the film with a knowing nod as to how various different pieces have been edited together into one flowing longer moment.

There are also interviews with cast and crew, but mainly this is just the director and lead characters giving the usual featurette fodder. There are some outtakes thrown into this section for good measure, giving an idea as to how much of a joker Clooney is on set.

Conclusion

As George Clooney`s first big movie outing, and Dreamworks too, this isn`t a bad film by any means. The plot is pretty much typical of that you`d have expected back in the late eighties, transferred to the nineties with minor alterations. Compared to a lot of other action flicks, this is pretty classy and at least a little more believable.

My first viewing was back in the cinema, and it came as a refreshing change from other fodder around at the time. Seeing it for the second time has coloured my original opinion somewhat, once you know what happens tension tends to fall of rather too much and leaves a less than shiny new experience. Its enjoyable fun, but repeated viewing tarnishes.

Action films usually mean stunts, big explosions, gunfire, and a totally over the top ending. The Peacemaker fulfills all of these Hollywood requirements except the last one, and that alone makes it above the likes of Con Air and The Rock. Clooney is very watchable, and Kidman is standable although not entirely suited to her role. Playing the strong woman for the films entire run and then breaking down in tears at the end seemed a tad inconsistent character wise, a case of movie by the numbers maybe.

All in all, this is a fun romp which tries its best to avoid the cliches, but doesn`t always manage it. If you like Clooney then buy it, if you prefer Kidman there are films which show off her talents much better than this one. For those sick of action films aiming for an ending sillier, bigger and involving more explosions than all those gone before, its quite a nice change.