Michael O'Keefe
Better than average thriller. FBI Agent Zack Grant(Russell Crowe)has let his job suffer by not dealing well with the his wife's death during childbirth. His career is on the line with a major sting operation involving the mob. His son has been kidnapped by the mob kingpin Serlano(Michael Learner). Grant's son will be swapped when his own prisoner is turned over. There is a major snafu that has Grant trying to rescue his son in spite of the reactions between himself, gangsters and the Feds. Enough action to sustain the mess of a plot. Helen Slater surprising takes care of comic relief. Ian Ziering's role is many miles from being type-cast. Other players include: Etsushi Toyokawa, Christian Keiber, Caroline Lagerfelt and Kelly Hu.
mcginley95
Never heard of this movie but it popped up one night on cable and I sat down to watch it. The movie as a whole is not bad but I get the feeling that the director wasn't sure exactly what type of movie he wanted to make. And after watching it, I still don't know. Is it an action move, a romantic comedy, a 48hr buddy movie... A 1\2 hour into what I thought was a basic action movie, it kinda just started to jump around. One scene it's action movie, next scene it's a romantic comedy, next scene it's an action comedy movie, etc...Besides the whole schizophrenia stuff, the movie is really not that bad. I pretty much like anything with Crowe and everyone with the exception of Slater is pretty good.I recommend this movie as long as there's not a good game.
Addie-7
I find it hard to believe that I could dislike any film starring Russell Crowe, but this one is a complete waste of his talent -- and my time. I'd like to say that his acting job was a "rose among the thorns" but I don't think that even he was convincing. He was a foul-tongued protagonist [with an ugly hair-style that even his character couldn't have thought was becoming] who over-reacted to everything in this tortured and unbelievable plot. In retrospect, I wonder why I even gave it a "3".
medfly81
'No Way Back' reminded me of were the original 'Die Hard' and 'Speed'. A cop who's job gets increasingly personal. A put-upon hero who gets his mettle tested to the limit and loved ones are in harms way. A white-knuckle ride all the way with all kinds of action, twists and turns in the plot. Before I saw it I asked around and read fan reviews. The predominating message was that you could skip it because a particular character is annoying and whiny. I wouldn't allow that to stop you - especially if you are a Crowe fan. In addition to being an action film, it's got a sense of humor and a sense of humanity. There are some wonderful performances by two Japanese actors in the film, and one shocking one by anyone who's seen 'Beverly Hills 90210'.
AD
