Load of rubbish!!

Fantastic!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Liberty Wallace(Linda Fiorentino)and her husband(Oliver Platt)are partners in the business of weapons manufacturing. A mysterious gunman calling himself Joe(Wesley Snipes)calls Liberty on her cell phone luring her to a hot dog stand to which she is coerced into chaining herself. Joe tells her that if she hangs up her cell phone or it runs out of power a bomb strapped to the hot dog stand will go off. Joe is trying to make a point telling her that his daughter was killed in a school shooting with the same model high power rifle that is being targeted on her. Liberty is given the chance to actually die a hero if she is willing to make public dirty dealings her husband has made with political implications. When Mr. Wallace is informed of his wife's hostage situation; he must decide to protect himself, save his company or keep his wife from being killed. Also in the cast: Martin Cummins, Steve Pascal and Jonathan Scarfe.

Enjoyable film showing that Wesley Snipes can, indeed, act when given a good script.Losing a daughter to a punk with a gun, he decides to hold the wife of a gun dealer as hostage. Linda Fiorentino gives a credible performance as the wife who knows she is going to die.Oliver Platt is the husband that we only see a couple of times. He is really not interested in putting himself in harm's way, even for his wife.At the same time, the wife's lover is hooked to a bomb, and we wonder if he will make it.Not for action fans, but for those who like suspense and reflection.

Linda Fiorentino really steals the screen in this film. She holds her own with Wesley Snipes. The film has political message about guns, gun control, and violence. Of course, it must be written from a leftist liberal point of view. Wesley Snipes' character has a grudge against guns. Along the film, we learn his motives and why he is so angry and vengeful but we never really know the whole story. There are lot more questions that go unanswered. I found the ending scene to be more confusing. I get the message that guns are bad. For the beginning part of the film until the television stations begin with K that I knew it was West Coast. I thought it was set in New York City but it turns out to be in Los Angeles and I later learned that the film was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which is often substituted for other cities. Anyway, Oliver Platt has a supporting role as Liberty's husband. Although we rarely see Liberty interact physically with Snipes or Platt's characters except on cell phones. This film was probably in production long before the events on September 11, 2001 and I can see why it was not promoted. Anyway, I wish Linda Fiorentino would come back to acting. She can hold her own against anybody.

Kari Skogland's "Liberty Stands Still" kept reminding us of a similar film, Joel Schumacher's "Phone Booth". The clue for understanding what the director's message seems to be, is seen in the opening credits. We are shown part of the US Constitution. Ms. Skogland is preparing us for what will follow.The only thing that doesn't make the film as suspenseful, as it could be, is the fact we know from the start who is behind the power rifle in a building overlooking the square where much of the action will take place. We don't believe, for one second, that Joe, could have prepared this caper that has placed two exploding devices in the theater, as well as in the hot dog stand. Wesley Snipes is only seen in closeups.The other thing that doesn't make sense is to watch a cool Liberty Wallace, a woman who can die at any moment if Joe decides to put a bullet right smack in the red spot over her heart. The way Ms. Fiorentino plays this woman doesn't seem to add anything to the tense situation Ms. Skogland has prepared for us to see.It's clear to see why this film went to video without showing in theaters, or if it did, it might have lasted a week, the most. As a video, or in cable, one is willing to take the chance. The film is not horrible, by any means, it shows a director who will do better in the future.