Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Too much of everything

the audience applauded

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It's 2008. Laws have been passed allowing suicide. A corporation named Lifecorps pays people to surrender their bodies to science. Someone goes there, is paid a given big amount of money and time later, he/she will have her body parts and organs delivered to whom may need it.In that context, James Gabriel is a worker whose son is in serious condition in a hospital. With mounting debts, Gabriel is faced with the painful truth: his son has a supposedly already eradicated virus. The vaccines are too expensive and he has less than a day to get the money for them. Cornered by circumstances, he goes to Lifecorps. He is paid the money he needs and in a year he will be property of the corporation. However, when he returns, his son has already died and his body incinerated to prevent the disease from spreading.The doctor tells him that the vaccine was refused by the providers... Lifecorps. He returns there to give the money back and is nicely told that the deal remains. He tosses the money around like confetti and walks away, cursing everyone. The head of Lifecorps, considering this an open statement that Gabriel won't fulfill the contract (anticipatory breach of contract, they call it), sends his "seekers", lead by a Mr. Burke after Gabriel. So Gabriel must escape, helped by a bounty hunter who first tries to get him but later helps him.TV aired this one and I had nothing better to do. The movie has interesting action scenes and does not depict a highly technological future. Being TNT-produced, I'm bound to believe it's a TV release, what goes in favor of this film, and a not-big budget film, which allows to see actors out of the dreadful Hollywood mainstream. Eric Roberts is a good actor and does well, though his time has passed, and all he can apparently do now is appear in videos of Mariah Carey or The Killers. As for Cary Elwes, it's the first time I see him playing a real bad guy, and he has what it takes for that. Sarah Wynter is believable as Alex, the bounty hunter.It's no masterpiece, but an interesting movie worth watching. 6

This is a TNT original made for TV movie. Like "Stiletto Dance" - also starring Roberts, it was filmed in Quebec.This is a cool idea, sort of a "Die Hard" meets "The Running Man." Of course, it's not perfect. There are dialogue problems, there are continuity problems, there are acting problems. But hey, it was made for TV.It looks futuristic as it is set in 2008. In some ways, I would think it might be a bit advanced for 2008 and in other ways the CHEESY computer graphics and such look right out of the early 1980's. So you have some exceptional work and some that is not good.In one case, our main character busts the controls off of an elevator and instantly uses a wire touching a resistor to control the movements of the elevator. A bit too far fetched and this is not the only example of such.Also, too much firepower with guys dressed in black uniforms. It becomes mundane when you constantly see black uniformed thugs constantly firing at our hero. C'mon now.The basic premise of the movie is a good idea though: Selling your body for cash now and the delivery of body organs later. Unfortunately, this causes your death - and of course, the company that "buys you" intends to collect on what they purchased. That part is interesting.So, what can we say for this? Well, it stars Eric Roberts and as far as I am concerned this guy can't really do anything wrong. Even in a bad movie, he makes it good. This guy should be starring in blockbusters as far as I am concerned. His acting and presence in this movie is excellent.It's fun to watch and Eric Roberts is in it. Overlook the obvious flaws and it is 90 minutes of entertainment.

Speaking of continuity problems (see the "amazing sliding gun barrel" comment), how did Gabriel and Alex get from the tracker car to the elevator? Poof, molecular transport?Also, concerning the risky high iron work in the beginning, I know the foreman says there aint no unions and their aint no unemployment, but there aint no Fed OSHA either?!? Now that's real fiction.

Eric Roberts is a popular movie actor. He brings extra dimension to the characters he plays.In Race Against Time, along with Eric Roberts are many fine actors playing their parts here with all seriousness. The acting is above average and clearly money was spent on the special effects.However, this movie is sunk by amaturish direction. Time after time, there is no continuity cutting between camera shots. Such a basic direction blunder is unforgivable.In one camera view, a gun barrel is seen being pressed against the side of a person's head -- the pressure of the metal making the skin of the temple wrinkle. Cut to another camera view and the gun holder's arm is fully stretched and the gun barrel is 4 to 6 inches away from the person's head. Cut once more and it touches again.One camera view shows Eric Roberts leaning over an 18 inch thick building roof wall with the belt to his pants coming about even to the outer edge. Cut to another camera and his belt is now back even with the inner edge. Back to the first camera and Roberts is again shifted more than a foot. Cut again and ZAP there is another shift back.All through this movie people's actions don't connect correctly as camera views change. This is very distracting.Another major problem with this movie is a thing that should have been gone with the 1970's. Recall how often the leading man in a '70's action movie with all the world out to kill him would bare-fistedly defeat the first batch of bad guys. They are unconscious at his feet with all their loaded and unused guns spilled on the ground. The leading man has time to say a few words of dramatic dialog then walks away leaving behind all of the best weapons. This is exactly what happens in Race Against Time! This is certainly not a John Woo movie. The last major problem is that throughout the first 3/4 of this movie our leading man treats those out to kill him with way too much mercy. Wimpy. Lame.