I was reluctant to rent this, thinking it would be like one of those Chuck Norris action flicks with cheesy titles and even worse cover art. And in some ways, this was like one of them, but really, it wasn't too bad, and proved to be an entertaining feature.
Stephen McHattie plays Erik, a mercenary in Central America who is still haunted by his 'Nam days. Yet now he's working to get rid of those who are drug smuggling, hiding something, or just know too much. (About what does not matter.) Then one day, Erik meets Liliana (Deborah Van Valkenburgh), an American journalist doing a story on the dying rainforests. As she and Erik get to know each other, Liliana begins to delve into her topic, and Erik goes along with his assignments. Eventually, their lives intertwine not only through friendship, but through murder, when Erik is asked to kill the man Liliana is interviewing primarily for her story. But then it's realized Liliana knows too much, and Erik is ordered to kill her, too. In a struggle between honor and love, Erik and Liliana go on the run, and now both of them are to be found and killed. And thus, the chase begins.
The movie really isn't that bad. The acting was impressive by the two leads, with the tough Erik and the endearing but capable Liliana. And the action is quite impressive, without going overboard and losing the story. Most of the movie is build-up to the last half-hour or so when the chase really begins, but first hour isn't boring, and sets everything up quite well. Also, the movie is able to generate a good amount of suspense, especially in the scenes when the killer is trying to break into the summer house where Liliana is hiding (scenes reminiscent to "Straw Dogs") and then the subsequent chase. The ending is a bit cheesy with the suitcase bomb, but the idea is utilized well, and manages to add some thrills. One gripe is that the bomb is supposed too explode in fifteen minutes, yet indicated by the time of day change, at least a few hours pass. If you can look past that, you can look past any other faults of the movie.
I recommend this for action movie fans that still want to have to pay attention somewhat, and for those who like a good thrill.
