Not wearing quite as well as some of Rutger's other 80's outings, e.g. The Hitcher, though the idea of an Arab terrorist preparing for a chemical weapon assault in the US is eerily prescient. [I note we've heard nary a squeak about movies stereotyping Arabs as villains since September 11...] Hauer is a bounty-hunter hired to catch the villain, not realising that he's merely bait for the CIA, who have forgotten, yet again, that they're not allowed to operate on America Soil. Sherman directs everything without much energy; for an action movie, there's not enough action, yet neither is it particularly cerebral.
Hauer is as watchable as ever, however, and his final line - after he has lost everything dear to him - is far too good to be spoiled here. It's a revamp, based on a 50's TV series starring Steve McQueen, and Hauer brings much the same sense of self-confidence and charm to his role. The terrorist is played by Gene Simmons of Kiss, largely unrecognisable, in part because he keeps his tongue in, and the rest of the supporting cast are fine. Indeed, the actors largely deserve a better movie than this, and the occasional highlights mentioned above make you wonder how good this could have been with some fine tuning of the script and more enthusiastic direction.
C
