U.S. Marshals

U.S. Marshals is vaguely touted to be a sequel to The Fugitive but without an obviously innocent fugitive (this time played by Wesley Snipes) and without any meaningful link between the Marshal and his prey. U.S. Marshals then becomes just another of those action films which are only an excuse for a series of stunts and chases.

And the stunts and chases, with the exception of a pretty snazzy plane crash, are pretty ho hum.

The shorts would have us believe differently. We have Tommy Lee Jones saying "We have a fugitive" just as in the first film and again taking over the chase from the dumb local cops, but don't be deceived, U.S. Marshals is as disappointing as most sequels.

The very beautiful Irene Jacob has been written in to the script as a girl friend for Snipes, and she looks stunning in her few scenes, but will that sell you your ticket?

Part of the chase takes place in an old peoples' home which interestingly is in a multi-storeyed inner city building unlike our ground hugging, people friendly, suburban, Aussie versions.

This gives director Stuart Baird and writer John Pogue plenty of opportunities for the Marshal to chase his fugitive around, past and about an assortment of elderly, frame carrying, toilet bound, squealing and surprised elderly people. That was a bit different.

One of the conventions of chase scenes through cities is that the fugitive, if he's a bad bloke, will knock down people as he runs past them, especially on escalators and stairs.

Then the good bloke follows yelling "excuse me" and "get down, Police!"

If there's a fruit cart, and there nearly always is and the chase is happening by car, the car will always mount the pavement and send the fruit flying.

If the chase is on foot, often there's someone carrying a basket of fruit (how often does anyone ever carry a basket of fruit?) and the fugitive, never the policeman, will knock the lot about. Fruit merchants must love chase films.

But in U.S. Marshals I don't think that any of the old dears in the old peoples' home are knocked to the ground out of their walking frames! Just goes to show that there is after all some decorum in Hollywood.