Directed by:
Andrew DavisCinematography:
Frank TidyComposer:
Jerry GoldsmithCast:
Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Fred Ward, Kevin Dunn, Brian Cox, Joanna Cassidy, Tzi Ma, Margaret Travolta, Danny Goldring, Michael Shannon (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
A student machinist (Keanu Reeves) finds himself caught in a maze of secret government cover-ups, hi-tech espionage and murder after working on a ground-breaking scientific experiment. Eddie Kasalivich (Reeves) and Lily Sinclair (Rachel Weisz) are part of a team of scientists who have developed a revolutionary new source of energy. But no sooner have they finished celebrating their triumph, than their lab is destroyed and the head of their team killed. Named as the main suspects, Eddie and Lily quickly realize their only hope lies with a powerful and mysterious bureaucrat (Morgan Freeman) who may or may not be on their side. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (2)
We all have at least one movie that no one likes except us. Mine is the flop Chain Reaction. Not that the actors’ performances are anything to write home about or that the film has an original subject, but its over-the-top thriller plot, adorned with brilliant action scenes, is intelligently written and briskly shot – its 106-minute runtime flies by. Keanu Reeves gets the job done as the long-haired, falsely accused scientist on the run, Rachel Weisz is naturally beautiful and likable, and Morgan Freeman is the ideal powerful man pulling strings in the background.
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Andrew Davis and night-time Chicago go together like bread and butter. Otherwise, though, this is purely a routine action flick with a relatively interesting theme, but unfortunately poorly executed and poorly acted by Brian Cox. At least Keanu Reeves is a cool and sober hero who constantly shows that he is not a superhuman. What is sad, however, is the musical score. For those who have seen The Fugitive or U.S. Marshalls the music is almost identical in both films, especially the main motifs. That could be tolerated if Chain Reaction wasn’t so average and unremarkably executed.
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