Metro (1997)

Directed by Thomas Carter. Starring Eddie Murphy, Michael Wincott, Michael Rapaport, Carmen Ejogo, Denis Arndt, Paul Ben-Victor, Art Evans, Donal Logue, Kim Miyori. [R]

San Francisco hostage negotiator Murphy has a score to settle with vicious jewel thief Wincott in this clichéd cop movie. Trashed by most critics upon its release and largely forgotten today, but it’s (slightly) better than the suggested reputation—it’s simply a routine action picture beholden to far too many tired formulas (good cop with a gambling vice, a chief always breathing down his neck, an old partner killed in the line of duty, a new partner needs breaking in, a supporting female character solely on hand to be romanced and rescued, a wily and sophisticated psycho that needs to be stopped, and so on). Solid stuntwork, especially in a sequence involving a runaway cable car, and a few brief moments of amusing rapidfire patter from Murphy elevate it from the slagheap, but not by much. Not one of Wincott’s more inspired baddies, but his malevolent charisma and raspy voice are always welcome in an action movie.

49/100