| The Debt (AKA Back To Even) (1998) Cast:Lorenzo Lamas,Michael Pare Lorenzo Lamas stars as a nerdy gambler who loses a bet and is forced into a heist when he owes money to Pare however the heist is front by mobsters which now mark Pare and Lamas for death. Lorenzo Lamas gives one of his best performances in this better then average Lamas vehicle which surprisingly is a lot more compelling then one would think, Michael Pare lends solid support as the stern collector who seems uncompromising and brutal, it's a well written part and the movie benefits from the performance, however Lamas is the real surprise here, he is incredibly nerdy, If one wants to see Lorenzo Lamas as a nerd your in luck for this movie features him as a geek, seriously. However I think it's fair to say that if your expecting a classic Lamas actionflick such as Snakeeater II:The Drug Buster or Mask Of Death will find this to be a disappointment because the real excitement here comes from the robbery scenes and character development from Pare and Lamas' chemistry, their scenes make this rise above the standard redemption tale, although this is probably best catching on TV rather than a rental, sure Lamas and Pare are effective but there is no action and really the movie itself is pretty silly at times, indeed the way Lamas is involved defies belief and overall the movie is bogged down by a mediocre script that gets in the way of any real momentum the film manages to build. The Debt is basicly a standard film-noir movie but really the movie just doesn't work well enough to really hit it's point home. What makes this movie rise above mediocrity are the performances, unfortunately it's a losing battle. ..D.Don Hewitt **1/2 |