Bad Company | | Cast : | Anthony Hopkins, Chris Rock | | Director : | Joel Schumacher | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Vid | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | June 07, 2002 | | DVD Released Date : | January 25, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 21, 2005 | | Summary | Fighting clichés | Content
 | When I pop a DVD in it's not to see how much action, or which film can I compare it too, it's because I enjoy movies. I like to laugh, and I love a tear jerker! Now I'm a boyish girl so I love me some speed, some violence, and yes some action.
Okay I've been sick so I haven't been doing anything with the exceptions of coughing, blowing my nose, and popping pills that have kept me a little dazed. So while lying on the couch I picked up Bad Company and decided to watch, or let it watch me. WHATEVER....
Chris Rock plays a dual role. One as Jake Hayes and the other is Kevin Pope who is pretending to be Michael Turner. Believe it or not Jake, and Kevin were twins separated at birth and it's not until Jake is needed that he learns that he was a twin.
Jake has all the potential in the world, yet he lacks whatever it is needed to buckle down and do things right. He's a hustler baby, a DJ, a chess player, and a ticket scalper. But it still doesn't seem to be enough. He loves his girl Julie (Kerry Washington) and is sick to death when she tells him she's moving. I mean seriously what girl wants to live with her sister and family while her man lives in some basement apartment hustling here and there?
Okay so as Jake is all lost in love, he goes to sell some tickets and discovers that he had a twin, and now the CIA needs him to workout this major deal for them or else! So do it for your country? NOPE! Do it for your brother? NOPE! Do it for some dollar-dollar bills? OF COURSE!
Okay so Oakes (Anthony Hopkins) who had the pleasure of working with Kevin/Michael has the task of transforming Jake into both in the matter of 9 SHORT DAYS! Dress, speak, customs, and mingle on a higher level with people who know Kevin/Michael personally. Oh did I mention that the great government was using him as bait? Someone is desperately trying to prevent Kevin/Michael from making his detrimental meeting in 9 days. Risking lives, limbs, and whatever else it doesn't take that much for Jakey to realize that he is at risk of loosing more than a couple of dollars. Now the question is will he stick around to see this mission through and why?
This is the part of the film where the main character has grown and is now doing things because he wants a chance to prove people wrong, and he's gained the respect of the person/people who doubted him. BOO WHO...
Okay so everyone is talking about the action and I'm like where? This movie is a major explosion, and not in the way that you think. It's predictable from the very first line. Chris Rock in my opinion is not that great of a comedian. He's loud, and obnoxious and he annoys you trying to get the jokes out. Anthony Hopkins, had to be broke, starving, and gang banging to do this film. I'd almost rather watch him eat people then see him all out of breath here. AND PLEASE what was the purpose of Garcelle Beauvais? Michael Ealy? (Though Bro is FINE!) I did like Irma P. Hall's character.
I'm glad for once that this is a rental cause it has got to get out of here! |
| Rating | | | Date | May 17, 2005 | | Summary | Basically a Junky Movie | Content
| However, I was quite fascinated with Anthony Hopkin's performance. It seemed to be quite an interesting extension of his Hannibal Lecter character. I thought he got the jaded, weary, bureaucratic essence of his CIA agent character. Also, the movie was very effective as a window into the matter-of-fact ruthlessness of that world.
And the shots of Prague are beautiful.
Chris Rock's performance appeared to be mostly a disaster. It seemed to me that the director gave him a lot of conflicting signals. I think if the performance had been based on his character's desire to learn more about his identical brother, the movie would have been pulled up by several notches. After all, wouldn't anyone become driven to find out more about his newly discovered biological double, especially if he had grown up as a foster child? And, certainly, the choice would have given Chris Rock a lot more dramatic opportunities.
Perhaps that is the impression I am left with: how good Chris Rock could be if he got the right director and script. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 07, 2005 | | Summary | Better than expected | Content
| After hearing a lot of negative comments on this movie I really expected the worst. Perhaps that is why it is a lot better then expected.
First of all there is the director and producer: Jerry Bruckheimer, you either lover or hate his productions. He is probably the world's most famous producer and many of his productions arevery recognisable, this is one of these typical Bruckheimer productions. But where most of these typically well known Bruckheimer action-movies are are directed by Michael Bay this one was done by Joel Schumacher. Schumacher nowadays finally is slowly getting recognision for his work, however in the days this movie was made he still sufferend from the negative opinion on his Batman attempts. It is widely agreed that the first two Batmans were batter than the latter two. That can indeed be blamed on Schumacher, but it was not his own choice to make his versions of Batman less dark and Gothic than the first two, it was the choice of the people he worked for(WB&Producers). Bad Company movie was not good enough to really improve his status, but it did the job and was good enough to keep him more than accepted in the industry.
The actors: Anthony Hopkins plays a role that seems a sort of crossing between the characters he played in 'The mask of Zorro' and 'Mission Impossible 2' but with a bit more fysical action. He does not have to use a lot of his qualities as an actor, and it can hardly be denied that some of his qualities are wasted in this movies, but we see some chemistry with Chris Rock(but that is also result of his quality as an actor), and even although this movie may not demand all of Hopkins' qualities, we don't have to be sorry for him. He has made clear in interviews that he can find himself at home in a movie like this, and that he has a very down to earth idea about the acting profession.
Chris Rock acts pretty decently. He is a respectable komedian but at best an average actor. I must admit some moments are almost ashaming, but others are pretty good. He seems a bit out of place in the whole picture, that tries to be realistic an serious, while Chris Rock can only really shine in a good comedy setting. It almost seems like they got him into the project thinking he could become a sort of second Will Smith or even Eddie Murphy, although with his very own character. Unfortunately his acting is not always up to par, at least it goes not go very well with the vision of the director and this is one of the main reasons why the movie does not really know where it wants to go, and goes a little bit in every direction, but nowhere in particular.
This is the biggest problem of this movie, it seems like the product of conflicting visions. It has no definition or direction where it wants to go. It tries to do a little (buddy)comedy, it tries to be a sort of stylish action movie (some of the shots and locations are among the best in action movies in the last few years. These two directions create a bit of conflict in many movies, but here this tension is really of bad influence, it can't become humoristic enough nor stylish enough to really work. So it can't stick out enough in the masses of action movies.
The second problem is that there are a lot of Clichees in this movie. The way the characters are introduced. It really seems the story relies on formulas to quickly recall instantly recognisable concepts of characters. This way the characters remain a bit opf cardboard characters or puppets. It is just impossible to create truely interesting character development if the character is made by stereotypes and formulas.
The editing is not always very good. The action sequences are often very well done... wel paced, nice use of cinematography etc. But the other parts don't alway have the right pace timing and style.
Even although this movie has some big problems it is still a decent action movie that is worth watching. The action sequenses are good with clear cinematography, perhaps a bit slow for some, but imho that made it only better. It is a Bruckheimer film, so that is what you should expect. If you want to see a perfect exaample of an action thriller that is a reference still today try" the day of the jackal(1973)" ,or if you really want something modern and are not into Bruckheimer yet "Enemy of the state" is the better choise. But if you want to see a movie that is generally entertaining, knows what Bruckheimer stands for and don't mind that the good (action) moments that are there in the movie are intervened by a lot of average and some bad ones it is surely worth the try. You will be surprised by some (hidden) qualities it offers. My advice is really to watch (rent) it before you buy it. It is definately worth watching once but I can't guarantee you like it. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 17, 2005 | | Summary | Mr. Rock two times in the same movie! | Content
| Silly and predictable thriller without any trace of originality. Chris Rock, a most overreacting actor, plays a double part, Kevin Pope and Michael Turner, the first one a vagabond and the latter an inteligent and cold secret agent from the CIA. But they are twin brothers! (what a great idea!)and Mr. Turner (the agent) is killed in action and Mr. Pope must replace him for the sucess of the mission.
With that premise, the movie goes on only based upon the abominable jokes and gags of Rock and some unimpressive action scenes and car chases. A waste of time for a competent actor as Anthony Hopkins. And for you too. |
| Rating | | | Date | October 21, 2004 | | Summary | A little slow but worthwhile | Content
| This seems like a rehash of CIA movies and it's no wonder the CIA had problems finding Osama (there's a funny moment where Chris Rock dresses down a too-cool-for-himself spy: "You can't even find Saddam Hussein...You tell a sister to find Saddam Hussein at 8 in the morning and by 5 o'clock she'd be saying 'Saddam get out of my house!'" I'm paraphrasing obviously.) However, Hopkins and Rock make a surprisingly effective team with more chemistry than other on-screen duos. Rock's Jake emerges as a wanna-do-well with a sincere love for his girlfriend, who emerges as a female with a mind of her own (despite an interfering family), a tenderness for his churchoging mama, and a sense of right and wrong. It's a little absurd when he yells while chasing down the thermonuclear device that is the focus of this spy thriller, "I wanna be home and watch Oprah!" Oprah would tell him to do the right thing too. |
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