Lone Hero (2002)

 Lone Hero (2002)- * *

Directed by: Ken Sanzel

Starring: Lou Diamond Phillips, Sean Patrick Flanery, Mark Metcalf, Hugh Dillon, and Robert Forster 

In the small town of Profit, Montana, a group of guys - John (Flanery), Gus (Forster), Harris (Metcalf), and others are actors who put on Wild West shows for the viewing public. Amongst an old-fashioned Western town, they have shootouts and brawls, and the assembled crowds applaud when the no-good varmints fall down in the street. Intruding upon their little world is a gang of biker baddies, led by the evil Bart (LDP). They invade the town and proceed to cause all sorts of havoc. While merely an actor in the live shows, John takes it upon himself to transcend his role as the lawman, and become a LONE HERO in real life. Naturally, the stage is set for the final showdown between John and Bart. Who will be the real quick-draw man when the game is played for keeps?


Lone Hero is a humble, well-meaning throwback to the westerns of yore. It's immediately apparent that it's a low budget, shot-in-Canada affair, which certainly aren't bad things. But it is a bit surprising that with some real names in the cast - Forster, LDP, Flanery, and, to a certain extent, Metcalf - that is has such a cheapjack look to it. But the real problem is that it's all a bit pedestrian - there are moments when it slows to a crawl and becomes quite dull. There are a couple of action scenes peppered throughout, but the ending is pretty lame. It's almost like the movie can't get out of its own way.

If you're going to see one movie directed by Ken Sanzel, see Scarred City (1998), his directorial debut. It has a bit more pep in its step. Just as how he got Chazz Palminteri and Stephen Baldwin fresh off their The Usual Suspects (1995) success for that film, here he got Robert Forster after Jackie Brown (1997). That must be Sanzel's thing: get actors who are just coming off some surprise success to be in his DTV productions. Well, it worked for us.


The box art is pretty misleading. It leads potential renters or owners - or, in any case, viewers - to believe that LDP is going to be the Lone Hero. He's not; Flanery is. It was nice to see Phillips revel in his baddie role, and as much as we are devoted Robert Forster fans, without Phillips's performance, this would be dullsville, man.


That being said, if at any point in the proceedings Mark Metcalf got in Phillips's face and screamed, "What do you want to DO with your life!!??!!!!!", we'd give the movie five stars. And we're only on a four-star ratings system.


Because it's a City Heat production, Lone Hero was likely found languishing on the shelves at Blockbusters across the nation.

Despite everyone's best intentions, Lone Hero never really ignites into anything that inspires the viewer.

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

The Method (1996)

The Method (1996)-* * *

Directed by: Kevin Lewis

Starring: Robert Forster, Sean Patrick Flanery, Tyrin Turner, Natasha Gregson Wagner





The Method is a good movie. It's about four actors who engage in "Method" acting. Their new play is about a bank robbery, and they want to be as realistic as possible and they go commit one. The bank robbery scene is very tense and exciting. Sean Patrick Flannery does a good job as Christian. He plays a jerk very well. Turner does a fine job as an ex-gangbanger trying to escape his past. Robert Forster is in the movie for a minute and does absolutely nothing as Christian's Dad.

Up until the bank robbery, It's just a lot of speeches about life, which can get pretty tedious. Overall, It's a different movie that has it's share of flaws, but it's worth seeing.

Comeuppance review by: Ty

Con Express (2002)

Con Express (2002) -* * *

Directed By: Terry Cunningham

Starring: Sean Patrick Flanery and Arnold Vosloo












Con Express is a fun flick.

The plot goes like this: Alex Brooks (Flanery) is a special agent assigned to bring down Anton Simeonov (Vosloo) who has a nuclear device. Brooks has to team up with another agent (Ursula Karven) when he gets double-crossed. The Cold War is back and it's heating up...

This is one of the last movies produced by PM entertainment. It looks like they spared no expense (except the stock footage of Runaway Train, 1985). The action scenes are well-shot. The stand-out is the gunfight in the cabin. Flanery, Karven, and Vosloo put in good performances for the silly material.



If you're looking for a good couch potato movie, Con Express should fit the bill.


Comeuppance Review by: Ty

Eye See You (2002)

Eye See You (1999) -* * *

Directed By: Jim Gillespie

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Tom Berenger, Charles S. Dutton, Polly Walker, Kris Kristofferson, Jeffrey Wright, Stephen Lang, Robert Patrick, Dina Meyer, Sean Patrick Flanery, Robert Prosky, and Courtney B. Vance







First off: "Eye See You" is a terrible name for a film. An investigation proved that wasn't the real title. It's "D-Tox". Another one for it was "The Outpost". With a title like "Eye See You", no wonder this was on the shelf for almost 4 years. It was supposed to be released in 1999 by Universal, but they dumped it from their schedule and their company all together. They sold it to DEJ Productions and they put it out on video.



Poor Sly. He puts in one of his better performances here.  He plays FBI Agent Jake Malloy. When a serial killer claims his girlfriend, Malloy goes into a drunken stupor. He is sent to a D-Tox program for other alcoholic cops in a remote part of the snowy wilderness. Unfortunately, the killer has followed him there and he's picking off the cops one by one. Can Malloy save the day?



The movie is well-acted, but the writing could've used some work. For example, if you look at the above picture, you can probably hear Sly's voice uttering the words, "Yo, I'm Cold.". The huge supporting cast get their time in the sun, but the best part is the silly ending.

If you like Stallone or the serial killing genre, it's worth watching.


Comeuppance Review by: Ty