Live Wire (1992)

Director:

Christian Duguay

Writer (WGA):

Bart Baker (written by)

Release Date:

3 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Your body is 93% water... no one is safe.

Plot:

Danny O'Neill is a bomb disposal expert assigned to a case where terrorists have developed an "invisible"...

Plot Keywords:

Underwater Scene | Terrorism | Assassination | Bar Scene | Bathtub Scene

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Danny O'Neill
Ron Silver	...	Frank Traveres
Ben Cross	...	Mikhail Rashid
Lisa Eilbacher	...	Terry O'Neill
Tony Plana	...	Al-red
Al Waxman	...	James Garvey
Brent Jennings	...	Shane Rogers
Philip Baker Hall	...	Senator Thyme
Michael St. Gerard	...	Ben
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Dr. Bernard
Ivan E. Roth	...	Process Server
Selma Archerd	...	Judge Blair
Rick Cicetti	...	Bailiff
Norman Burton	...	Senator Victor
Scott Burkholder	...	Thyme's Aide

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | Germany:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:R | Norway:18

Filming Locations:

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Goofs:

Continuity: When Terry is kidnapped, it is the middle of the day, while at the same time Danny and Frank are in the kitchen and it is 4:45 am.

Quotes:

Frank: What are you? A Boy Scout?
Danny: Yeah, about to earn another merit badge.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Who blew up a senator without leaving a trace? Can the emotionally damaged hero identify the killers and their secret before someone else dies?

Another film with several good elements that manages to fail, chiefly because of weaknesses in the story.

Good cast in Pierce Brosnan and Ben Cross -- they must have needed the money to take the job.

A key "science fiction" element is not really believable, but this is a Hollywood thriller, so if you accept it, you could enjoy the story.

There are many good one-liners, and the interactions between the protagonists and various minor characters are believable and entertaining. The pace is reasonable, and some degree of suspense is maintained, with some stock "thriller" elements.

Brosnan's character and his personal problems are well developed and make him sympathetic, and he plays his part well.

The film is also mercifully short.

BUT -- two major holes in the story killed it for me: 1. A political background (the reason the story is happening) is mentioned, but not really explained in terms of motives. Two minutes dialog could have filled in the holes and added a lot in terms of believability.

2. The villain's character is not developed at all. What motivates him (other than money?) Ben Cross does what he can with a lousy script (not much). And his name, Mikhail Rashid (I think never actually mentioned in the film - a Tatar father and Russian mother) seems intended to exploit negative racist stereotypes (Russian = corrupt mafiosi; Arabic name = terrorist). He seems like a cartoon, Bond-esquire villain without the glitz. With Ben Cross, they could have written a complex, nuanced, even sympathetic villain, and this would have improved the story immensely.

I gave this 5 out of 10 -- not painfully repulsive, but there are better ways to spend your time.