[18] At last, a big action picture that isn't mindless entertainment; unfortunately, it does this by avoiding the "entertainment" part of the equation rather than the "mindless". The second film in a row to prove that big isn't necessarily better: expanded to this scale, the word is bloated. While Costner's character has the makings of a great antihero, you just know he's going to get all soppy and New Man-ish by the end. And that blessed relief is a very long way off, it's another 135 minute film, at least an hour of which is superfluous. Even the action scenes go on too long, which is perhaps a first, and managing to make Hopper look flat and uninteresting is also something of a feat. I fell asleep. Twice. Combined with a plot so flawed you could sail an oil tanker through the holes, this is probably the worst big-budget movie since Alien 3.
E+
