Wizard-8
The premise of this movie - a lone ex-soldier unraveling a plan to take over New York's Central Park singlehanded and managing to keep the police at bay over several days - does seem kind of hard to swallow. However, with the way the movie is executed, you'll almost believe it could happen. The movie does have a good amount of merit to it. While it's a mid-'80s Canadian movie, the production values are surprisingly good; this movie obviously had a budget. Tommy Lee Jones gives a fairly commanding performance at the Vietnam vet with a plan, and there are other good performances by Helen Shaver as the curious news reporter, and Yaphet Kotto as a chief police officer (though he's given little to do until near the ending.) Director Steven Hilliard Stern creates some good action sequences and keeps things moving at a rapid rate. Though maybe the movie is a little bit too swift; we hardly learn anything about Jones' character at the beginning, and before the twenty minute mark he's already taken over the park. Some people may be offended that Jones' Vietnam vet character is yet another cinematic Vietnam vet who is a "loser" (unemployed, estranged from his wife, etc.), despite surveys that show that most Vietnam vets in real life are adjusted and happy. But if you can look over this "loser" portrayal, chances are you'll find some enjoyment with this movie.
Brakathor
The whole premise of this movie is really pretty stupid. Not so much the simple idea of holding a park illegally for a time as some sort of social statement, which to me seems only stupid, insane and pointless from the characters point of view, but especially the idea that the place was able to be so perfectly trapped without the guy getting caught over the length of a year. Firstly most of the traps are right out in the open, and there's no way these would have gone undetected in this time: roadside bombs, bombs in car trunks, dug out pits for people to fall into, bombs all over the forrested areas. To put that in perspective, he would have to be carrying hundreds of detonators with him; prety laughbale and hard to keep track of. Secondly, half of them are just so conveniently at the right place at the right time as is Mitch in order to defend himself.If not the worst aspect though, then at least no less damning to the film, is the reaction of the police. They don't even TRY to reason with him. He doesn't even have any hostages, has made no threats, and has asked for no ransom, and the police forces recklessly break into the park and launch assault after assault on him, risking many lives, clearly for cheap entertainment value, because honestly if this film was even slightly realistic, it would be pretty damn boring from THIS director, who I doubt could really capture much emotional depth which this movie for the mostpart fails to do aside from a few little contrived moments.I decided to check this movie out just to see what they came up with, but in the end it really was not worth it. Don't bother with this film unless you're a Tommy Lee Jones fan who in fact does act the part fairly well. Instead, watch a REAL hostage type film like "Dog Day Afternoon", you'll likely be much less disappointed.
Geoffrey Maher
I saw this on HBO in the mid '80s and I loved it. Tommy Lee Jones was so cool and I had no problem buying the premise. It was kind of like Assault on Precinct 13 or The Warriors in its cartoonish depiction of violence. I remember especially the part where he's in full military garb and grease paint on his face with an arsenal of weapons around his body and he tells a woman to leave the park because its filled with "thugs and perverts and weirdos." Check it out if you can, it won't change your life, but it's good.
Bayjohn
Tommy Lee Jones does his part to hold this movie together, and that's about the only thing going for it. The plot about one man taking over Central Park (!) is highly improbable, but makes for a good Saturday afternoon action flick. Don't put a lot of thought into this movie, just enjoy it for what it is!
AD
