callanvass I decided to watch this for two reasons, despite all the bad reviews. One, I like Charlie Sheen. Two, it has a great supporting cast. It turns out it's as bad as everyone says it is. There isn't much action to speak of, aside from a couple of memorable chase sequences involving Sheen. It's derivative in the extreme. Nothing stands out about what so ever, and it's been done much better. We aren't given any proper explanation as to why somebody on the inside, working for the Whitehouse is causing all this trouble. It thinks it can just throw in twists whenever it wants, and we will accept it. The swerves are very predictable as well. Charlie Sheen gives one of his worst performances here. Usually he has a lot of charisma, and can make anything watchable. He takes everything serious, and plays it completely straight. This movie could have benefited from Sheen's charisma, but he plays it way too seriously. Linda Hamilton is entirely unconvincing and rather dull. This is the same woman who played Sarah Connor. The damsel in distress role is clearly not in her forte, so why they cast her in this is beyond me. Linda Hamilton herself said this movie was horrible, so that should tell you all there is to know. Donald Sutherland adds solid presence, but his character has a predictable twist, and he's kind of slumming it a bit. Ben Gazzara is wasted in his role, whilst Stephen Lang makes for an OK baddie. I saw this last night, and I don't remember much about it. That should tell you how effective this movie wasFinal Thoughts: Avoid temptation, and leave this one be. Die hard Charlie Sheen fans needn't bother, either. 3/10

GeorgeSickler . . . . and, of course, you don't have to drive, you're with friends who have a sense of humor, and you all see nothing wrong with throwing crushed beer cans at the TV while you're all hooting and hollering at this really stupid movie.Just be prepared to watch the following, among just a few examples:Charlie, our hero, is fleeing down the fire escape from a murder scene in an apartment building, jumps into Linda's Jeep (or whatever) and they're speeding away. Suddenly, the assassin, who was several floors up in the building just a second ago, is now on the canvass top of the Jeep, stabbing through the top with a knife, and trying to murder Charlie for some reason. Meanwhile, Linda, who's driving, is careening down the Washington, D.C. street, swerving around heavy traffic.And nobody cares; nobody honks their horn, and the assassin doesn't seem to have a care in the world that he's on public display on the top of a Jeep careening down a major roadway in Washington, D.C. with a knife trying to murder Charlie.Within the White House, Donald Sotherland is told that Charlie is inside the building. Donald, in a strong and commanding voice,demands that they "Turn on the silent alarm!"So, they turn on the "silent alarm" and hundreds of little tiny red lights begin to flash in all the White House hallways, ceilings and walls in every room. Charlie sees the red, flashing lights and cries to Linda, "They've turned on the silent alarm!!!!"Kinda defeats the purpose of a silent alarm, don't ya think? Or, how about next when Charlie and Linda are being chased and shot at by all the security and plain clothes guys in the White House for some reason. They escape by entering the White House's sub-basement labyrinth of heating, air-conditioning and ventilation tunnels, with directional signs pointing out the turns back to the White House, or on to the Treasury Department, or on to The Executive Office Building.Well, Charlie and Linda finalize their escape by simply pushing open a grate and climbing out and onto a D.C. avenue.The message for everybody is that if you don't want to stand in line for a White House tour, just open any grate in the street and follow the directional signs to the White House (or, to the Treasury Building, if you're so inclined).Throughout the movie, Charlie and later Linda, are being chased and shot at in very public places. Yet the D.C. police, and the government, still think they're the bad guys. Get real.And finally, the assassin has been spending the entire movie creating some unknown but diabolical device for some reason. We finally discover he's gonna assassinate the president. How? The prez is to speak at a toy convention. The device is a remote-controlled toy helicopter, around 18-inches in length. It has two lethal machine guns that are killing just about everybody in the convention center but the prez.Though lethal, the powerful bullets have no kick-back at all, and the toy helicopter maintains its steady, deadly but inaccurate course.The day is saved when Charlie releases a net of toy red, white and blue balloons intended for the gala big finish, and the deadly helicopter crashes.There are some great actors in this flick. But I just have to wonder if they needed the money to pay off a bookie, or a boat payment, or the kids needed braces.

robert-temple-1 This was the last film directed by George P. Cosmatos, a Greek born in Italy, who directed numerous Hollywood action movies and thrillers over the course of 24 years, including several with Greek settings. This one is set entirely in Washington, D.C., and it is a cracking conspiracy thriller about traitors inside the White House. The hero (who spends most of his time on the run from an assassin hired by the conspirators) is played by Charlie Sheen. Linda Hamilton plays a Washington political journalist with whom he is involved on and off, and they become co-fugitives. The dominant presence in this film, however, is that of Donald Sutherland, who acts circles round everyone else, as a security chief. Theodore Bikel has a bit part as a Russian scholar living in the USA who gets killed at the beginning of the story because he has discovered the traitors. Ben Gazzarra plays a character who stands around tables at the White House looking important and smug, but I did not understand until I looked at the credits on IMDb that he was meant to be the Vice President. The President is played by Sam Waterson, but he too is just a supporting character in the story. Gore Vidal has a fleeting bit part as a Congressman. The film contains an excess of action and not enough story. But it is very tense and 'thrilling' as a thriller should be, so it works within its genre. Charlie Sheen is very convincing as a young Special Assistant to the President who is constantly on the run because he has discovered the traitors who wish to assassinate the President. The assassin who keeps trying to kill him is played by Stephen Lang, who is absolutely terrifying, though why he wears a long white coat down to his ankles, thereby attracting a lot of attention to himself, is a mystery. (Aren't assassins supposed to be inconspicuous?) And how does he stow all of those guns under that flimsy coat? And how does he not get stopped by the police when he is shooting all those innocent bystanders in the streets like that? Oh, well, it's only a movie.

vchimpanzee Bobby Bishop's role in the White House was never made clear, but when they needed him, they sent a helicopter, and he arrived in a conference room full of suits still wearing his sweaty Princeton sweatshirt. Once he cleaned up and put on his own suit, Bishop went before the press to clear up a public relations problem--after reminding a certain congressman what could happen if said congressman didn't help.A secret meeting with Prof. Pochenko promised to reveal something not quite kosher in the White House. But a man with a gun wanted the information to stay secret. So Bishop spent the rest of the movie on the run and trying to uncover secrets with the help of Washington Herald reporter Amanda Givens. Meanwhile, someone was capable of monitoring pretty much every phone call that took place in the movie.I like Charlie Sheen better as a womanizing jerk, but he was just fine here. Both Sheen characters know how to scheme and lie and otherwise be quite charming to get what they want. Donald Sutherland did a credible job as the White House Chief of Staff who didn't have faith in the President's ability. And Sam Waterston didn't exactly inspire confidence as the President. Linda Hamilton was good as Amanda. This wasn't a great action thriller, but it was good nevertheless. Too violent for my taste (and there was a stern warning on the TV station I watched, even after the movie was cleaned up for TV), but I enjoyed the chases and the occasional comedy.