Tweekums Ten years previously Ray Quick and Ned Trent worked together; Ray rigged bombs and Ned triggered them. The worked for the CIA targeting some very dubious characters but had a falling out when Ned wouldn't abort a mission because there was a child in a drug dealer's car. Afterwards Ray sees to it that Ned no longer works for the CIA.When May Munro was a child she witnessed the murder of her parents at the hands of Tomas Leon, son of Miami drug lord Joe Leon, and two of his henchmen; now she want to hire Ray to take them out as he specialises in hits that only take out the target not innocent bystanders. Initially he declines but as he sees her putting herself in danger he accepts the job. It won't be that easy though; after the first target is taken out Joe Leon employs Ned to find the killer; he also bribes a corrupt police chief to make Ned lead the investigation into the killing. As Ray closes in on his targets it becomes apparent that May might not have been as trustworthy as first appeared; she may be using Ray to get her revenge but Ned is using her to draw Ray out so he can get his revenge.This might not be a classic of the genre but it contains enough enjoyable material to make it worth watching. The story is a bit cliché and there aren't too many surprises but the action is solid and there are plenty of impressive explosions which lead to some inventive deaths for the bad guys; most notable when an overhanging hotel room is blown up and collapses into the sea, landing on a thug who had already been blown through the window. We also get an entertaining fight scene early on where Ray deals with some yobs on a bus. While the cast aren't on top form they are certainly good enough; Stallone is solid as Ray and Sharon Stone brings some sexiness to the role of May. However it is James Woods who steals the show as Ned; he may be a bit of a pantomime villain but he is still entertaining in an over the top way. Overall I'd say that this is worth watching if you are a fan of the genre or of Stallone films.

HelenMary I love this film. It's actually one of my favourites. Sharon Stone is stunning, brilliant and brings convincing anger to the role of May Munro - the young girl who's grown up and out to avenge her parents. Stallone, whilst the big monosyllabic hero, he's got depth and personality and for my money, it's one of his best roles. Eric Roberts and James Woods make up the main cast and are both vicious and determinedly broken and dastardly. The soundtrack is amazing, I bought the CD, and it's a glamorous attractively shot film. Again Stone shines in a wardrobe to die for.The only problem with the film, is that it's a little on the improbably/cheesy and overacted side - especially Roberts and Woods... they're a bit hammy. However, I've watched it many times, and it still stands up as a good film and hasn't aged that much (except scrunchie-spotting, lots of cigarette smoking and some male fashion faux pas) and certainly is still very entertaining. It's quite dark, and with very adult themes, but there's some real heart in this film and I think the chemistry between Stone and Stallone is very sexy. Love this film, and love the passion of revenge that is portrays.

TheLittleSongbird The best thing about The Specialist is the performance of James Woods, who really sinks his teeth into his villainous role and is enormously entertaining. What he also does that is good is making his material more interesting than it deserved to be, much has been said about the scene with the shirt and for good reason. Eric Roberts is pretty good also, he doesn't have anywhere near as much to do and his character is rather one-note but somehow Roberts does bring some intensity and menace whenever he appears. The scenery is lovely too, the sex scene was appropriately steamy and John Barry's score is the other of the two assets most worth noting about The Specialist. Barry was one of the all-time great film composers and I have yet to hear a bad score from him, and the music for The Specialist has his typical lushness, beautiful harmonic writing and moodiness, these things may seem out of place for a film such as this but actually it works. Unfortunately very little else works. Sylvester Stallone is not the best of actors but as an action star he showed great charisma. Here he is very wooden and mumbles his way through his lines. Sharon Stone also flounders, Stone has shown she can be good(she is brilliant in Casino) but she does look awkward and there is the sense that her heart wasn't really in it, which makes her character's predicament difficult to engage with. Regarding the chemistry between them too, the only time where it works is in the sex scene, everywhere else you'll struggle to find any kind of passion. Coming off worst was Rod Steiger, giving a performance so embarrassingly over-the-top it was like watching a cartoon, which was completely out of kilter with the rest of the film. The characters have no real depth and personality, the most colourful character was James Woods's and his performance itself has a lot to do with it. The dialogue has its moments, all of which with Woods again, but on the most part it's very weak, often lacking sense and flow and often aimless with far too much talk. Story-wise, the lack of originality concept-wise can be forgiven(revenge thrillers often have that but it's not always a bad thing) but for it to be plodding, laughably implausible and at times incoherent is less forgivable, as well as parts being so predictable any suspense and tension is severely diluted and having parts that have little to no relevance. Other than revenge, you don't have a clear idea as to what the heroine's motivations are. The action sequences lack any kind of momentum or excitement and just looks so awkwardly staged and passionless, a few are so ridiculous that it brings unintentional laughter. The direction is flat and with the vibe that he didn't know how to direct a thriller, and visually only the scenery really impresses, some of the colours are nice but others are garish and the film in terms of photography and editing does often look like direct-to-video quality. Overall, Woods, the shirt scene and the score are great, Roberts, the sex scene and scenery are good but the script, story, leads and Steiger are just bad and the film on the whole is mediocre. 4/10 Bethany Cox

videorama-759-859391 The Specialist is one of those underrated movies, and I'm talking from a critic's point of view. It's a super exciting flick, cause it's different from a lot of other sorts around that time, the thrilling climax almost bringing shades of the finale in The Professional. Stone, a woman controlled by a mafia family, responsible for killing her parents, enlists the help of CIA bomb specialist, Stallone to take them out one by one, Steiger saved for last. This is perfect for Stallone, playing another loner type character who's methods of assassination are dangerously impressive, Roberts demise for one. Woods who used to work alongside Stallone in the bomb disposal business had a falling out, when Woods went AWOL on a job. Woods, sacked from the agency is now working for Steiger as well as the police department recognizes the work where the scene is set for the re acquaintance of two arch rivals. Featuring some nice broads in lingerie, The Specialist is fun all the way, where it's great to Stone as a revenge driven woman, who falls for Stallone, the chemistry between em, almost void. Stallone, might as well been a mummy in that briefly erotic sex scene. The baddies are great, Roberts almost mirroring that scene in Final Analysis, when he confronts Stallone, only he isn't smiling. God knows why this film got so much flack. Director Luisa followed this up, with the blockbuster Anaconda.