U.S. Marshals (1998)

Directed by Stuart Baird. Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr., Joe Pantoliano, Irène Jacob, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, Kate Nelligan, LaTanya Richardson, Patrick Malahide, Michael Paul Chan. [PG-13]

This spinoff sequel to The Fugitive brings back Jones in the role that previously won him an Oscar: US Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard. Here, he and his crew (also returning) are tracking down federal fugitive Snipes, accused of killing a couple of Diplomatic Security Service agents; their team is joined by a DSS special agent played by Downey Jr., who must be involved in some shady personal or professional business with the escapee (why else would the script have him around?). Longtime film editor Baird knows how to handle the action elements in his second directorial effort, and keeps things moving at a fairly steady clip, but his efforts are undermined by faulty writing, which pretends the conspiracy elements are more complicated than they actually are, and loads up on contrivances to get all the pieces in place every step of the way. Jones is in fine form, and his fellow deputies have the same easy rapport they established five years prior, but Snipes gets a thankless assignment with his underwritten runner and Downey’s talents are altogether wasted. Tries to re-do (or even top) the famed train derailment from The Fugitive with a plane crash, but there’s just something missing that doesn’t make it work nearly as well. Same goes for the movie as a whole.

54/100