Eric Roberts is a popular movie actor. He brings extra dimension to the characters he plays.
In Race Against Time, along with Eric Roberts are many fine actors playing their parts here with all seriousness. The acting is above average and clearly money was spent on the special effects.
However, this movie is sunk by amaturish direction. Time after time, there is no continuity cutting between camera shots. Such a basic direction blunder is unforgivable.
In one camera view, a gun barrel is seen being pressed against the side of a person's head -- the pressure of the metal making the skin of the temple wrinkle. Cut to another camera view and the gun holder's arm is fully stretched and the gun barrel is 4 to 6 inches away from the person's head. Cut once more and it touches again.
One camera view shows Eric Roberts leaning over an 18 inch thick building roof wall with the belt to his pants coming about even to the outer edge. Cut to another camera and his belt is now back even with the inner edge. Back to the first camera and Roberts is again shifted more than a foot. Cut again and ZAP there is another shift back.
All through this movie people's actions don't connect correctly as camera views change. This is very distracting.
Another major problem with this movie is a thing that should have been gone with the 1970's. Recall how often the leading man in a '70's action movie with all the world out to kill him would bare-fistedly defeat the first batch of bad guys. They are unconscious at his feet with all their loaded and unused guns spilled on the ground. The leading man has time to say a few words of dramatic dialog then walks away leaving behind all of the best weapons. This is exactly what happens in Race Against Time! This is certainly not a John Woo movie.
The last major problem is that throughout the first 3/4 of this movie our leading man treats those out to kill him with way too much mercy. Wimpy. Lame.
In Race Against Time, along with Eric Roberts are many fine actors playing their parts here with all seriousness. The acting is above average and clearly money was spent on the special effects.
However, this movie is sunk by amaturish direction. Time after time, there is no continuity cutting between camera shots. Such a basic direction blunder is unforgivable.
In one camera view, a gun barrel is seen being pressed against the side of a person's head -- the pressure of the metal making the skin of the temple wrinkle. Cut to another camera view and the gun holder's arm is fully stretched and the gun barrel is 4 to 6 inches away from the person's head. Cut once more and it touches again.
One camera view shows Eric Roberts leaning over an 18 inch thick building roof wall with the belt to his pants coming about even to the outer edge. Cut to another camera and his belt is now back even with the inner edge. Back to the first camera and Roberts is again shifted more than a foot. Cut again and ZAP there is another shift back.
All through this movie people's actions don't connect correctly as camera views change. This is very distracting.
Another major problem with this movie is a thing that should have been gone with the 1970's. Recall how often the leading man in a '70's action movie with all the world out to kill him would bare-fistedly defeat the first batch of bad guys. They are unconscious at his feet with all their loaded and unused guns spilled on the ground. The leading man has time to say a few words of dramatic dialog then walks away leaving behind all of the best weapons. This is exactly what happens in Race Against Time! This is certainly not a John Woo movie.
The last major problem is that throughout the first 3/4 of this movie our leading man treats those out to kill him with way too much mercy. Wimpy. Lame.