Starring: Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu
Directed by: Wych Kaosayananda

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is a good old fashion action flick. What it lacks in plot and acting it more than makes up for in... ummm...

You know what I love about Ballistic? The realism. Lucy Liu goes in and the cops are beatin' on her, right? But she ain't goin down! She ain't goin' down! Next thing you know the whole Vancouver PD is lyin' on the ground, effed up. I love it, it's great!

Seriously though... The entire movie is basically several scenes of extended violence featuring a leather clad Lucy Liu (as agent Sever of course) laying waste to everything she beholds. It's like a video game (apparently it was based on a video game). No matter where she goes there are always guns lying around and when one gun runs out of ammo she quickly discards it only to pick up an even larger gun and do even more damage. The violence just gets more and more intense until she's firing rockets and cars are flying through the air, bodies falling from buildings in slow motion?.. When it's all over you can almost hear the guy from the Halo video game declare, "KILLING SPREE!!!"

In between the action was a very weak plot about some dude's kidnapped son and a ridiculous 'super' weapon that causes heart attacks. Super my butt! Why spend millions of dollars on a machine that does the work of a few Big Macs?

Antonio Banderas (agent Ecks) is an extremely cool character. To further emphasize the video game-like quality of the movie, he starts most action scenes with a shotgun, somehow? It's like his default weapon. There is some drama to Ecks as he has lost his wife but never saw the body. That, combined with Lucy Liu's relationship with the boy she kidnapped, all ties together for some hyper cheese melodrama. There are a few plot twists toward the end of the movie and all in all I would say it was a good effort. As long as lots of people got hurt and lots of public property got destroyed, I consider it a successful action movie.

An interesting thing about the movie is the heroes aren't as glib as in some movies. They're rather morose and generally silent through the whole thing. Some people may think of that as wasted talent, but I on the other hand found it refreshing. Too many movies nowadays try to pump movies full of dialogue between smartass characters making for some very cheesy writing. So I say, if a movie can be developed without the characters spouting out a lot of drivel, props to it! Keep an eye out for Ray Park (Darth Maul from Star Wars: Episode I). He obviously had something to do with the martial arts choreography in this movie because people were twirling through the air like figure skaters just like Darth Maul did in Episode 1. Don't expect any amazing fight scenes. Aside from Park, none of these people are martial artists, but it was an adequate attempt.

I just want to get one thing straight. Did I like the movie? Yes, I loved it! Is it a good movie? No, it is not. The characters are implausible and the plot is laughably ridiculous. But the action is cool and abundant. That?s what I like. So take it or leave it, Ballistic will be fun for some, ridiculous for others.

MastaCSG
Ten