SnoopyStyle Johnny Gallagher (Gene Hackman) is a sergeant guarding the peace negotiation in Germany with his men. They get attacked by a well organized group. Col. Glen Whitacre (John Heard) blames him for the failure as well as the failed hostage rescue in Iran. He suspects a group is aiming to assassin the President. Gallagher is ordered to take a prisoner (the package) disorderly sergeant Walter Henke (Tommy Lee Jones) back to the States. Henke escapes from the men's room at the airport with the help of several accomplices. Gallagher discovers that the man isn't actually Walter Henke. He enlists his ex-wife Eileen (Joanna Cassidy)'s help. Henke's wife is killed by an assassin and Gallagher is detained. Eileen discovers the package's true identity is Thomas Boyette. There is a conspiracy from both militaries to stop the treaty. Gallagher and Eileen enlists his old friend Chicago Police Lieutenant Milan Delich (Dennis Franz)'s help.The basic scheme doesn't make too much sense. It seems to be way too complicated and it would be simpler to leave Gallagher out of it. If they want Henke as the patsy, then they need to kill Gallagher at the airport or use one of their own men to transport Boyette. It's obvious the scheme is fashioned after the premise of Hackman and TLJ is hatched by the writer. By letting Gallagher go at the airport, he's obviously going to look and find out that the prisoner isn't actually Henke. The story needs a few more passes to iron out these problems. If one turns off the brain, this thriller goes on auto pilot and does a good job with that. Hackman is always capable in these kinds of tense thrillers. As a historical oddity, the movie was released at around the same time that the people were circumventing the Berlin Wall signaling the end of the Cold War. The movie is overtaken by history just as it was released.

Rich Wright You get two great actors in a room (In this case Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones). You hand them a script like 'The Package'. YOU FAIL.There is nothing seriously bad about this film. Sure, the whole 'lone gunman tries to take out the president' was much better handled in In The Line Of Fire, and Jones playing the bad guy is a bit disconcerting after his iconic role in The Fugitive. No, what annoys me is you have a couple of modern day legends... and you stick them in a dreary screenplay that anyone could have starred in.Hackman looks determined... Jones looks sneaky. That is literally the only requirement their talents have to muster for the length. Their acting muscles must've been going to sleep. Oh, and look... there's Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue playing a police officer. Did the producers of that show see him in this, and pick him based on that? If so, it makes for a much more interesting story than anything else here.So... The Package. Good cast. Average action movie. Done. 5/10

FlashCallahan Johnny Gallagher is sent from Germany with a prisoner. The prisoner escapes from the men's room at National Airport and Hackman begins his search for his man.Enlisting the help of his ex-wife and various old friends, he finds that the prisoner is part of a plot by senior military personnel on both sides.Their aim is to kill a very high-ranking world figure in order to sabotage arms control talks....For a film directed by a seasoned action auteur, and staring behemoths like Hackman and Jones, the film is really boring and mundane in places.Made in a time when film makers thought that audiences would be enthralled by stuffy men in rooms talking a lot, a lot of the cast are wasted, and the action scenes are just a montage of men with moustaches chasing Hackman and co.Hackman and Jones are great though, and when they share the screen, the film blisters in entertainment, but it isn't long enough.The last ten minutes are interesting and Davis does an amazing job of the climax, but we have to trawl through a mundane set up before the end.A waste.

Scarecrow-88 Complex, intelligent, but at times possibly implausible Cold War thriller with brass at the top of US government, General Hopkins(Chelcie Ross)and his second Col. Glen Whitacre(John Heard), along with renegade Soviets, who have forged a plan to assassinate Soviet Press Secretary so that a Nuclear Arms Disarmament Treaty will be terminated between United States and the Soviet Union. They set up Sgt Gallagher(Gene Hackman, who could play this kind of charismatic hero in his sleep)to take the fall regarding the accidental release of a Walter Henke. In actuality, it isn't Walter but an expert sniper, Thomas Boyette(Tommy Lee Jones)taking his identity with the real man playing a patsy in Chicago supposedly running an operation against allowing Commies to come over here dictating policy. Unfortunately, Gallagher needs some info regarding the identity of Boyette(he does go to the wife's home and realizes the "package" he was suppose to carry across to the US wasn't the man in his custody;in a tragic turn of events some of Hopkins' goons kill Walter's wife setting up Gallagher as the murderer)and goes to his wife Eileen(Joanna Cassidy)who has recently made it up the ranks in the Army. In lending assistance, Eileen will be put in danger as evident by the murder of her confident Ruth(Pam Grier)who had the info she needed regarding Boyette. So Sgt. Johnny and ex-wife Eileen hit the road to Chicago to bust the assassination sting operation wide open with help by a Chicago cop named Lt. Milan(Dennis Franz).