Elewis1195
The trouble with making a mafia film is that you either want to get it right and accurate or, you can go over the top and just make it a shoot-out. The biggest flaw with this film, in my humble opinion, was that it's simply not accurate. Legalization of drugs is an interesting social and political argument, but that's not really relevant to the movie. A man gets elected Mayor, he says "legalizing drugs will improve things" his life is threatened. That's basically the whole movie, but what's effective about it, is that the Mafia truly comes across as menacing and immensely difficult to cross. I liked that aspect of the film very much.Where the film fails is, legalizing drugs isn't so simple as a mayor saying "this is what we will do", often the laws are federal and the way he was shot at the end, right after giving a speech that right there could make a martyr out of him and do more harm for their cause to keep drugs illegal than him staying alive. I still found the pace of the movie, slow, but steady and the tension was real. I was engaged while watching it, but looking back, the inaccuracy of the way it played out bothered me.
erinecfl-1
Great film. Okay, I do have to admit it has been almost twenty years since I saw the film, but it has always stayed with me and I've actually referenced it from time to time when discussing the worlds drug issues. Although not a film you'd expect to see James Belushi in, I thought it was well acted and well written and Belushi fans will appreciate the fact that there is more to Belushi than just comedy. It gave an interesting take in "the war on drugs". As the audience identifies with the main character, thinking as he that the best way to fight drugs is the classic; don't legalize, get rehab centers for drug abusers etc..., the movie educates the main character and you as to why this may not be the best solution and who is really profiting. It is a smart movie, but you certainly do not need to be a genius to follow it, as I was only 17 when I watched it and followed it just fine. So maybe they don't blow something up every five minutes, but there is lots of intrigue and conspiracy to capture and retain the attention of your average movie-goer. Give this movie a chance! I think many will be entertained as well as educated! Has anyone else noticed that this movie has seemed to disappear, at least in the US? Even IMDb does not list a US release date. Perhaps this movie is too close to the truth. If anyone finds an English version out there please share!
mercysweb
i think James Belushi really needed some quick cash because while he's not exactly an a-list actor he certainly has done better work than this . i mean who actually thought that anyone would or could sit through this burnt turd.i just want to warn all my fellow movie buffs. some movies although slow can be appreciated but not this snot stain. so if your in the mood for an older movie that maybe you haven't seen then try FLASHPOINT with Kris Kristopherson. but to fair don't give up on Jim Belushi just yet, just look at this as #1 he needed the money, #2 he didn't think anyone would see it anyway, and #3 he forgot to read the script but that doesn't matter because it doesn't make sense anyway.
phora-1
It depicts why drugs will never be legalized as the problem extends far beyond the casual users and addicts and deals with the big money behind the problem and the bureaucracies built to deal with the problem. The DEA, banks, organized crime etc.
AD
