Review of Slipstream

Slipstream (1989)
Underrated
6 September 2004
Slipstream is, in my opinion, a very under-rated movie, with an excellent cast. Bill Paxton is entertaining in his role as the unlikely hero, Bob Peck is superb in his role as Byron, the fugitive -- Even F. Murray Abraham and the great Ben Kingsley make appearances in this unlikely post-apocalyptic action film. But the best performance of all, in my opinion, came from Mark Hamill, playing a very nasty cop. I've never seen Mark Hamill play the "bad guy," and he did an EXCELLENT job convincing me that he was not only a sociopathic jerk, but that he was not Mark Hamill. In fact, I didn't even realize who he was until the third time I saw this film - his performance is excellent, and different than anything else I've seen him do.

Unfortunately, the film has its problems. The plot suffers from some cheesy moments, the music is overbearingly loud, and while it is well orchestrated and very majestic, it's often a bit too majestic for what's going on. There are also some long scenes that could have been shortened or even cut to the benefit of the film. The ending is disappointing - abrupt and more than a bit ridiculous. Add to this that nearly every copy I've seen is on low-grade VHS, recorded at a slow speed.

This said, overall, the movie is entertaining, and interesting. If it was based on a book, I'd love to read it. I came away from the movie wishing I knew more about the characters involved, and curious about what would come next for the main characters. The movie kept my interest, and I did watch it again - several times.
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