Review – Broken Arrow

Though this scrupulously follows the John Woo formula – two men pitted against each other in an action movie with plenty of macho stand-offs and explosions – I expect the director’s fans may find themselves at least somewhat disappointed. It’s just not as stylish or clever as some of the movies he made on the other side of the Pacific. The story’s simple enough: the bad guy (John Travolta) steals a pair of nukes, and it’s up to his young protégé (Christian Slater) to chase him around the desert trying to get them back and then hide them once they’re recovered. Travolta seems to genuinely enjoy playing villains, so it’s too bad he sucks at it. His version of “dangerous psycho” comes across as a cranky version of Danny from Grease. Overall if you like watching stuff blow up then you’re in the right place. Mildly amusing