Timebomb (1991)

Directed by Avi Nesher. Starring Michael Biehn, Patsy Kensit, Richard Jordan, Tracy Scroggins, Raymond St. Jacques, Jim Maniaci, Billy Blanks, Robert Culp. [R]

Heavily-armed goons come gunning for balmy watchmaker Biehn, and he has no idea why (or, for that matter, why he’s skilled and resourceful enough to fend off the attacks). Forgettable, poorly-made action-thriller, offering up a derivative storyline (written by director Nesher) and only routine fights and shoot-outs. Jordan hams it up as the heavy, and too-young-for-her-role Kensit only has to look vaguely concerned and/or scared on cue as a psychoanalyst that Biehn drags along for the ride; the reasoning behind the kidnapping is even thinner than the film’s credulity as it ventures into the murky waters of brainwashing, sleeper cells, and science fiction. As for Biehn, he looks lost when he’s called on to emote (or to be a “regular Joe” in his early scenes), but when push comes to shove, he’s at least able to recapture some of the intensity he put to good use in The Terminator and The Abyss. One scene verifies the dedication of porno theater perverts, who can’t be urged to get out of their seats even when the machine-gun fire in the lobby transitions to the screening room.

32/100