Steve Murphy

This is a superior thriller and suspense film from iconic director John Sturges who had a history of making many classic westerns. The story, while labeled science fiction, is plausible and could possibly happen. In a secret laboratory somewhere in the dessert, a team of scientists, working on chemical warfare, develope a toxic virus which, if released, has the potential to kill all life on Earth. The virus is stolen by a madman who holds the world hostage. Cast is uniformly excellent, headed by George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis and Dana Andrews. Veteran character actor John Anderson also makes an appearance as does "Star Trek" legend James Dohann. Filmed in wide-screen and color, it also is benefitted by a great music score by Jerry Goldsmith.

Just caught this one on cable and, being a fan of the first two, was tremendously disappointed. Stephen King's work was conspicuously absent. The stories are far from horrorifying, the acting is absurdly stilted and the gore is galore without any reason or purpose. Do yourself a favor and don't waste your time on this travesty.

I just caught this on cable and was severely disappointed. I thought better of Coppola. I struggled to stay awake as the meandering plot developed. The late Gene Hackman was good, otherwise forget it, except for a brief portrayal of iconic actor Robert Duvall towards the very welcome conclusion. Coppola, other than "Godfather", did his best work with the 60s cheapie "Battle Beyond the Sun."

This is an extraordinary film with an outstanding performance by British actor Ralph Fiennes ("M" in the newer James Bond films). Fiennes portrays the Dean of the College of Cardinals who is charged with the management of a Conclave, a gathering of Cardinals from all over the world who must elect a new Pope. I was impressed by the attention to detail of the formalities of the proceedings and rituals. The plot is intriguing as Fiennes struggles to deal with numerous political maneuvers and the emergence of secrets which expose the past wrong doings of certain of the leading candidates for the Papacy. The suspense mounts towards an unexpected climax. The supporting cast is also uniformly excellent. I strongly recommend this film to people of all faiths or none.

This crime mystery, set in the year 1928, was originally produced as a three night miniseries on a major television network. The complete movie runs for three hours and eight minutes. My advice is to hang in there because the performance of James Coburn as the investigating private detective is magnificent and the plot finally reaches a startling climax.

Way back in the 1940s an author named Raymond Chandler created a fictional private detective named Philip Marlowe, who has been portrayed in many film adaptations over the years. In this recent rendition, iconic actor Liam Neeson takes on the role and does a noteworthy performance. Supporting cast also does very well in the telling of a story of mystery, deception and intrigue. I did find that the plot was somewhat intricate and some scenes seemed to drag on forever.

This is a truly superior suspense thriller. The plot is unique and intriguing. The acting by the two principals, Siguerney Weaver and Holly Hunter, is outstanding and they really bring you in with them as they confront terror. I only wish they would make more films of this caliber.

From the description, I was looking forward to a really enjoyable sci-fi flick. Wow! What a disappointment and waste of time. The plot, if you can call it one, moves at a snails pace while they attempt character development that is incredibly boring. The much anticipated climax, finally occurring at the last minute of the film, is also lackluster and without merit. I can't believe I forced myself to sit through this bomb.

Steven Seagal is virtually irrelevant today and I guess most of the current generation have never heard of him. Nevertheless, this is an exciting and enjoyable sequel to the first "Under Siege" film. There's a lot of action and suspense even though the plot is a bit unbelievable. The setting of a train ride through the Colorado Rockies is totally cool.

This is a superior action film with a lot of suspense. Denzel Washington and Chris Pine ("Star Trek") both do a credible job as two railroad engineers attempting to overtake and stop another runaway freight train on a course through several towns and loaded with extremely toxic chemicals. There's a lot of moments when you wonder how they did that. Thank goodness for brave stuntman! The only thing bogging down the action is the interjection of the primary characters' personal stories which are irrelevant.