Hey folks, Valkor here. Poor Wesley Snipes, such a great action hero, taken down by "the man" for not handling his taxes properly. It goes to show you can't trust everyone, gotta watch the company you keep right? Regardless this next review goes to show that no matter what, the man formerly known as Blade (hopefully one day he'll don the trench again), still has the chops and the dude has his hands full in this latest action thriller "The Detonator".
In The Detonator Snipes plays a man named Griff, former CIA Agent doing some undercover work in Bucharest, whose job it is to protect the wife of a gangster accountant named Nadia. With the husband dead, killed actually, Nadia (Silvia Colloca) is now the only one who knows the code of her former husband's Swiss bank account where he locked away millions. But there is a Roman Mafia crime boss, Bostanescu (Tim Dutton), who wants his hands on that money; he's the guy whom her husband worked for and the one he stole the millions from. Bostanescu wants the loot to pay for this bomb; what's he gonna use it for? Dunno. However Griff isn't alone as he has the assist of the local CIA in the area. But it seems when he passes info along to them, the gangstas get the drop on him, which not only complicates getting Nadia out of Bucharest, but now he believes there's a snitch in the CIA, who's helping Bostanescu.
So the big questions are: can Griff keep Nadia alive long enough to get her out of Bucharest? Who's the snitch in the CIA? And can he unearth him or her in time?
The Good:
The film is predictable as shit, but you know what? It's so much fun! I forgot Snipes has the mad karate skills and it shows. He doesn't have moves like Jackie Chan or nothin, but he gets his hits in and then some. The action in the film is pretty intense with lots of explosions, dudes being thrown through glass (actually there are quite a few guys gettin tossed through windows), and heavy shootouts making The Detonator one action packed flick. The acting isn't the greatest, but it isn't painful either. The pacing is quick paced and the choreography in the fighting scenes are tight. Thumbs up!
The Bad:
Again, it's way predictable. You'll know who's behind it all well before you get to the end. Also the plot is a jumbled mess. Thankfully the action saves the day.
The Ugly:
Snipes acting gay in the beginning. Ugh! Too Wong Foo flashbacks!
The Detonator is one hell of an action film and while the plot is a bit wonky I'd still recommend it, as there's just enough bad assery contained in this film to make it enjoyable and entertaining. Out of TOV 5 stars, I give The Detonator 3.5 and it's been Valkor tested, TOV Approved.
Valkor Out!
