This first film adaptation of a John Grisham novel is a crackerjack popcorn movie that satisfies even though it radically changes the last half of the book. The novel's dynamic setup is intact: Mitch McDeere, a hot law graduate (a well-suited Tom Cruise), finds a dream job in a luxurious Memphis law firm. His superiors (Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook) provide Mitch and his young wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), with a house and plenty of money in exchange for lots of work, and maybe something more. Soon FBI agents (including a bald Ed Harris) encircle Mitch, telling him his firm has a sinister secret, forcing Mitch into a heck of a pickle. How Mitch deals with his situation is where the book and movie differ, yet by the time Mitch is running from bad guys with suitcase in hand, the movie delivers Grisham's goods. For Sydney Pollack's film, Mitch is more confrontational and heroic. Plot aside, the care Pollack put into this fair-weather thriller is unimpeachable, as is his cast. There is hardly a better all-star cast in any 1990s thriller, from Hackman and Harris in key roles to actors in smaller parts, sometimes with only a scene or two. Standouts include David Strathairn as Mitch's wayward brother, Wilford Brimley as the head of security, film producer Jerry Weintraub as an angry client, Gary Busey as a private investigator and Holly Hunter in a delicious, Oscar-nominated supporting role as Busey's most loyal of secretaries. The cast seems to have had as much fun making the film as we do watching it. [+]

This strange, 1985 experiment by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) starred the up-and-coming Tom Cruise in a fairy-tale world of dwarfs and unicorns and demons. After the horn of a unicorn is broken, darkness and winter descend upon the world. Cruise's character, helped along by a magic sprite played by David Bennent (The Tin Drum), descends into hell to save paradise. This movie is almost a classic case of art direction gone amok. The somewhat amorphous Cruise doesn't lend much dramatic focus or artistic definition, but the drama between Tim Curry's satanic majesty and Mia Sara's character, who becomes a sort of princess of the netherworld, is pretty captivating. A mixed experience all around that makes one wish it had been more successful. -Tom Keogh.

Among a plethora of recent Asian "street movies", most of them little more than action sequences with MTV-like backdrops, Bangkok Dangerous stands out. Its harsh amalgam of guns, sex and crime is typical of the genre, but Danny and Oxide Pang have put together more than just a filmed video game. The comradeship between Kong, deaf mute and quick-witted hit man, and Joe, accident-blighted marksman turned mentor, is strong enough to withstand whatever the city can throw at them. The love element, in which Kong falls for the wide-eyed chemist's assistant Fon, hardly detracts from the violence and mayhem, but is enough to make Kong face up to his existence on the margins of society and his inability to choose another course. As high-impact as the visuals are, it's the balance between stasis and dynamism-with virtuoso camera work and editing-that makes for compulsive filmmaking. On the DVD: Bangkok Dangerous has an anamorphic widescreen picture that gives the visuals a garish immediacy. English subtitles are included, as are a selection of promo pictures and filmographies for the Pang brothers and star Pawalit Mongkolpisit. Mark Wyatt's film notes set the background succinctly, but an interview with either or both of the Pangs, or a location feature would have been even more welcome as context. As it is, those drawn to the idea of hard-hitting action with substance will not be disappointed. -Richard Whitehouse.

Originally broadcast in 1980 as a 5-part, 12-hour mini-series, Shogun stood out from the pack of television events at the time with its boldness of action and calculated risks. Based on James Clavell's epic novel, Shogun stars Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne, a 17th-century English pilot commanding a Dutch ship that wrecks off the coast of Japan. Viewed suspiciously by local authorities, Blackthorne is at first in some danger of being executed. But with little hope of returning to Britain anytime soon, he begins to assimilate into the feudal society, befriending a powerful warlord (Toshiro Mifune) and wearing the robes of a samurai. Inevitably, Blackthorne begins to think of himself as Japanese, defending his hosts in battle, learning the language and falling in love with an interpreter (Yoko Shimada). At the same time, his presence there exacerbates a problem with would-be European colonialists gazing at Japan covetously. Directed by journeyman Jerry London, Shogun immediately caught on with its blend of romance, exoticism and compelling myth of an outsider's reinvention-a story that becomes sadder as it becomes clear that Blackthorne may never see his home again. The production deliberately pushed hard against various television taboos and audience expectations, including the extensive use of Japanese dialogue, startling violence, near nudity and profane behaviour. That all looks tamer now, of course, but Shogun is still a unique entry in the phenomenon of prestige miniseries from the late 1970s and early 80s. -Tom Keogh, Amazon. [+]

Pay no attention to the fact that Timecop is an insult to intelligent science fiction, and that it gradually succumbs to an acute case of the sillies. It is a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie, after all, so check your brain at the door and enjoy this action flick set in the year 2004. Van Damme plays an officer in the Time Enforcement Police, assigned to prevent criminals from travelling to the past with the intent of altering the future. Ron Silver plays the evil politician who plots to retrieve a stockpile of gold from the Civil War to finance his latest campaign. The film is clever to a point, and entertaining if you can ignore the dumb jokes and inconsistencies. Best of all, it's an above-average vehicle for Van Damme (relatively speaking), who gets to kick some villainous butt and share a few scenes with Mia Sara, who plays the Timecop's wife. As Van Damme fans can tell you, this is one of the action star's better movies. - Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.

Following Val Kilmer's portrayal of the caped crusader in Batman Forever, the fourth Batman feature stars George Clooney under the pointy-eared cowl, with Chris O'Donnell returning as Robin the Boy Wonder. This time the dynamic duo is up against the nefarious Mr Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), who is bent on turning the world into an iceberg, and the slyly seductive but highly toxic Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), who wants to eliminate all animal life and turn the Earth into a gigantic greenhouse. Alicia Silverstone lends a hand as Batgirl, and Elle McPherson plays the thankless role of Batman/Bruce Wayne's fiancèe. A sensory assault of dazzling colours, senseless action and lavish sets run amok, this Batman & Robin offers an overdose of eye candy, but it is strictly for devoted Bat-o-philes. -Jeff Shannon, Amazon. com.

Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito are reunited for a third time to fabulous effect in The War of the Roses. This is a dark, disturbing comedy of marital trauma and revenge, which couldn't be more different from their sunnier outings in Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile. Douglas and Turner, in career-best performances, are the materialistic, consumer-driven Roses of the title (Oliver and Barbara) whose seemingly perfect marriage has soured beyond repair; their only point of contact is their meticulously maintained dream house, which Douglas bought and Turner decorated to perfection. When Turner gets a taste of financial independence, she asks Douglas for a divorce-all she wants is the house and everything in it (aside from his clothes and shaving kit). He laughs at her and she punches him in the face. Things only get worse from there, as nasty divorce proceedings (with DeVito as Douglas's lawyer) give way to insults, threats, ruined dinner parties and pet abuse. And through it all, the Roses begin destroying their beloved home and its contents, just to spite each other. DeVito, who also directed, takes Michael Leeson's blacker-than-black screenplay and gives it a hyper-stylised spin, complete with skewed camera angles and wonderfully expressionistic cinematography (by Stephen Burum) as Douglas and Turner barricade themselves in their house, both refusing to give an inch. Shocking for a mainstream studio picture, with its unsympathetic protagonists, escalating bitterness and disturbing finale, Roses is a poisonously funny valentine to both marriage and 1980s materialism, tempered only by its framing device as a cautionary tale. -Mark Englehart, Amazon. [+]

Quentin Tarantino came out of nowhere (i. e. a video store in Manhattan Beach, California) and turned Hollywood on its ear in 1992 with his explosive first feature, Reservoir Dogs. Like Tarantino's mainstream breakthrough Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs has an unconventional structure, cleverly shuffling back and forth in time to reveal details about the characters, experienced criminals who know next to nothing about each other. Joe (Lawrence Tierney) has assembled them to pull off a simple heist, and has gruffly assigned them colour-coded aliases (Mr Orange, Mr Pink, Mr White) to conceal their identities even from each other. But something has gone wrong, and the plan has blown up in their faces. One by one, the surviving robbers find their way back to their prearranged warehouse hideout. There, they try to piece together the chronology of this bloody fiasco-and to identify the traitor among them who tipped off the police. Pressure mounts, blood flows, accusations and bullets fly. In the combustible atmosphere these men are forced to confront life-and-death questions of trust, loyalty, professionalism, deception and betrayal. [+]

One explanation for the enduring appeal of George Lucas' "space opera" might be that the Star Wars universe is a clever synthesis of a multitude of filmic, cultural and folkloric references, from Robin Hood (the Errol Flynn incarnation of course) to Tolkien to Samurai legends and Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress in particular (the inspiration for R2D2 and C3PO). As a result, audiences of almost all ages can find something to identify with. Luke Skywalker's journey from disaffected teenager dreaming of adventure beyond the narrow confines of home life to Jedi Knight and saviour of the galaxy is the very stuff of fairy-tale: he not only rescues a Princess, but discovers she's a close relative (one explanation for the relatively cool reception accorded to The Phantom Menace might be that it sacrifices the fairy-tale theme for political machination). If there's a lesson to be gleaned from the Skywalker clan it's that no matter how bad things get in the average dysfunctional family, it's never too late for reconciliation. Little wonder, then, that Star Wars continues to grip our collective imagination. This box contains, among other delights, the digitally remastered "Special Edition" versions of the movies, restored and enhanced (some would say "tinkered with") by George Lucas in 1997. Star Wars has the most drastic changes, the best of which are the improved effects sequences; the worst the Cantina showdown where Han Solo near-suicidally now allows Greedo to get off a shot before firing back (since he misses at point-blank range, Greedo must be a very poor assassin indeed). The restoration of the Jabba-Solo scene is interesting although the CGI isn't completely convincing. The Empire Strikes Back also has touched-up effects shots, most spectacularly the expanded vistas of Cloud City; Return of the Jedi has a new song-and-dance number in Jabba's Palace (which is just as excruciating as the original) and a revised ending that looks forward (or should that be backwards?) to Episode I. -Mark Walker.