Reviews by Stephen Carty

Order by: Date, A–Z

• 
  Lethal Weapon (1987)

  Review preview for Lethal Weapon

  Gibson’s got intensity on tap, balancing internal grief with edgy energy and natural comic timing for the performance of his career.

  A grief-stricken cop is teamed with a more staid veteran. The pair must overcome their differences to solve a case.
• 
  Planet Of The Apes (1968)

  Review preview for Planet Of The Apes

  Racial discrimination, the fragile relationship between faith and science, post-Cold War anti-nuclear damnation… the script misses no opportunity to use an ape society for clever analogy.

  Astronauts crash-land on a world ruled by apes.
• 
  Timecop (1994)

  Review preview for Timecop

  Flawed yes, but by doing everything better than you'd expect, Timecop is the thinking man's Van Damme movie.

  A man takes on a corrupt senator who is travelling through time.
• 
  The Crow (1994)

  Review preview for The Crow

  Full of gothic visuals and brooding melancholy, the bleak gloom is striking.

  A restless soul comes back from the dead to seek vengeance.
• 
  Spy Game (2001)

  Review preview for Spy Game

  It's Redford who makes the flick work watching, taking what could have been a standard ‘jaded mentor’ part and making it much more.

  A CIA agent on the verge of retirement recalls his relationship with protege after the younger man gets into big trouble in China.
• 
  Swordfish (2001)

  Review preview for Swordfish

  It's not that we descend into utter rubbish, it's just that we've been set up for something with a little more think-power than your average ka-blam fest.

  Super-hacker Hugh Jackman is induced to work for an out-of-control government agent John Travolta.
• 
  Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

  Review preview for Beverly Hills Cop

  For all the charm on show, there’s still too much cheese.

  When his friend is murdered, rough-around-the-edges Detroit cop heads to Beverley Hills. Culture clashes abound!
• 
  Die Hard (1988)

  Review preview for Die Hard

  As a pulse-pounding actioner Die Hard remains largely timeless.

  Bruce Willis is a lone cop in an office skyscraper, taken over by terrorists.
• 
  Cemetery Junction (2010)

  Review preview for Cemetery Junction

  Perhaps most impressive of all is how the themes of ambition, friendship and life-affecting decisions are dealt with without resorting to mush or cheesy-sentiment.

  A new job spells change for three friends in the Seventies.
• 
  Gridiron Gang (2006)

  Review preview for Gridiron Gang

  When the sentiment ways us down, its Johnson who keeps us watching through sheer presence.

  A juvenile detention centre counsellor forms a football team to help keep the kids on the straight and narrow.
• 
  Shutter Island (2010)

  Review preview for Shutter Island

  Sadly, while this is as technically impressive as you'd expect from the big spec-wearing director, it's not the masterful thriller-come-scare-fest you might have hoped for.

  Two US marshalls are sent to a remote island to investigate the disappearance of an inmate from a mental asylum.
• 
  Scarface (1983)

  Review preview for Scarface

  Overrated and extremely dated.

  A migrant Cuban thug attempts to claw his way to the top of the drugs trade in Florida.
• 
  Jerry Maguire (1996)

  Review preview for Jerry Maguire

  What's remarkable about Crowe's cinematic high-point is how he achieves conventional things in unconventional ways.

  A sports agent tries to go it alone... with just one client.
• 
  Galaxy Quest (1999)

  Review preview for Galaxy Quest

  Effects’ giants ILM and design guru Stan Winsto take credibility boldly where no Mickey-take has gone, but it’s the cast who really sell it.

  Star Trek spoof.
• 
  Dracula 2001 (2000)

  Review preview for Dracula 2001

  It starts off quite well, which raises your hopes, before descending into a dumb version for the MTV generation.

  Contemporary take on the Dracula myth is a sorry mess.
• 
  Overboard (1987)

  Review preview for Overboard

  An impossibly-charming rom-com that’ll win you over if you give it a chance.

  A wealthy woman dupes a carpenter, but when she ends up with amnesia he hatches a plot to get his own back.
• 
  The Lovely Bones (2009)

  Review preview for The Lovely Bones

  Jackson holds everything together remarkably well considering all he manages to pack in.

  A murdered young girl observes her family from limbo.
• 
  Chinatown (1974)

  Review preview for Chinatown

  A dense and dark storyline that is compelling in and of itself, rather than simply ladelling on lots of game-changing twists.

  A PI stumbles into a water conspiracy.
• 
  The Karate Kid (1984)

  Review preview for The Karate Kid

  if you can get past the dated first half-hour which sets the scene and features a host of naff retro tunes music fans forgot to listen to, thankfully you're still in for some magic.

  A bullied youngster trains in martial arts.
• 
  The Firm (1988)

  Review preview for The Firm

  It's essentially the Gary Oldman show. The young actor gives a stunning, tour-de-force performance.

  Rivalry brews between hooligan 'firms' in the run up to the European Cup Finals.
• 
  Dracula (1958)

  Review preview for Dracula

  Constantly chilling and never less than eerie, this first colour outing for Vlad is undoubtedly the stuff of nightmares.

  Adaptation of the classic vampire tale.
• 
  John Carpenter's Vampires (1998)

  Review preview for John Carpenter's Vampires

  It may have an unshakable, low-budget straight-to-DVD feel, but this cheap-and-nasty approach actually adds to flavour.

  A vampire hunter goes on the prowl.
• 
  Lethal Weapon 3 (1992)

  Review preview for Lethal Weapon 3

  By going bigger, faster and louder than before, Lethal Weapon III doesn’t hit the same highs.

  The odd-couple cops get involved in tracking down armour-piercing bullets being sold on the streets.
• 
  Saw (2004)

  Review preview for Saw

  Just enough is revealed to keep you glued while shocking, sucker-punches blindside you at all the right moments.

  Gruesome horror film with serial killer pretensions.
• 
  Mission: Impossible II (2000)

  Review preview for Mission: Impossible II

  While undoubtedly achieving its aim of not confusing anyone with the 'plot', there's little substance to go with the style.

  Tom Cruise is back as Ethan Hunt in the big action sequel to the TV spin off.
• 
  Doc Hollywood (1991)

  Review preview for Doc Hollywood

  An underrated and decidedly charming affair.

  A hot-shot plastic surgeon has to come to terms with being stranded in a small town.
• 
  Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)

  Review preview for Lethal Weapon 2

  It’s not as dark as its predecessor and there’s more emphasis on guns, explosions and car-chases – but if you’re going to make an over-the-the-top actioner, this is how.

  The unlikely cop duo set their sites on South African diplomats who are abusing their diplomatic immunity.
• 
  Batman: Gotham Knight (2008)

  Review preview for Batman: Gotham Knight

  Although there's the odd cool moment, this is a big disappointment.

  Six, loosely-related animated shorts set after Batman Begins.
• 
  Edge Of Darkness (2010)

  Review preview for Edge Of Darkness

  This is a talky affair designed to move away from the original BBC six-parter's cold-war paranoia in favour of a Michael Clayton-style corporate cover up.

  A former detective uncovers his daughter's secret life and the reasons why people want her dead.
• 
  Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

  Review preview for Glengarry Glen Ross

  Great cast, great dialogue, great Baldwin cameo, great movie.

  Competition hots up in a real estate office when the employees are told their jobs are on the line.
• 
  The Omega Man (1971)

  Review preview for The Omega Man

  Ruined by cheesy elements and a misjudged tone that steal away the potential for a spooky and spine-tingling genre flick.

  The sole survivor of a plague that has eradicated the human race discovers that he may not be alone.
• 
  Wall Street (1987)

  Review preview for Wall Street

  A morality tale where the theme of loyalty looms large, but which also skewers the materialistic Eighties and the yuppie, money-obsessed brace-wearing capitalists who dominated it.

  A young stock market trader will stop at nothing to succeed, little knowing wealth comes with a price.
• 
  The Book Of Eli (2010)

  Review preview for The Book Of Eli

  The set-pieces are sporadic – but always exciting and kinetic.

  In a post-nuclear landscape, one man guards the world's last bible.
• 
  Daybreakers (2009)

  Review preview for Daybreakers

  Has enough bite. Just.

  Vampires have overthrown the human race... but now blood stocks are running low.
• 
  The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

  Review preview for The Heartbreak Kid

  The approach feels too familiar while the sweet romance isn't that sweet and the hilarious gags aren't that hilarious.

  A newly married man meets the girl of his dreams.
• 
  Sherlock Holmes (2009)

  Review preview for Sherlock Holmes

  A more action-led and contemporary take to satisfy modern audiences, with a hero who's as much a swashbuckler as he is a stuffy intellectual.

  Holmes and Watson take on a dastardly aristocrat, but matters are complicated by a beautiful and dangerous woman.
• 
  Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season One (1993)

  Review preview for Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman - Season One

  Played with outstanding chemistry, Cain and Hatcher’s dynamic is the heart of the show.

  First series of the superhero show, sees Clark head for Metropolis where he meets feisty reporter Lois Lane.
• 
  Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side (2009)

  Review preview for Family Guy: Something, Something, Something Dark Side

  Bursting with detail and a clear love for the world George Lucas created.

  The Family Guy crew feel the Force.
• 
  About A Boy (2002)

  Review preview for About A Boy

  Funny, touching and so well-observed that commitment-phobic guys everywhere will nod their heads from start to finish.

  Hugh Grant, who hates kids and loves their mums, becomes friends with an odd 12-year-old boy.
• 
  The Prisoner (2009)

  Review preview for The Prisoner

  Dragging at times and lacking both humour and heart, it rarely intrigues in the way McGoohan's often loopy version sometimes did.

  Modern remake of the Sixties classic, sees a surveillance expert finds himself stranded in a "the village".
• 
  V: The Final Battle (1984)

  Review preview for V: The Final Battle

  Leaning slightly more towards action than the fascist allegory-orientated original.

  Earth's resistance fighters try to wipe out the alien invading force once and for all.
• 
  V (1983)

  Review preview for V

  An early Eighties cult classic that stands the test of time.

  Aliens come to ask Earth for help... but their intentions may not be altogether altruistic.
• 
  Harry Brown (2009)

  Review preview for Harry Brown

  Caine is as magnetic as always.

  An elderly widower takes on a group of teenagers who are terrorising the estate.
• 
  2012 (2009)

  Review preview for 2012

  If you’re expecting two hours of things being destroyed, you’re wrong. It’s actually two and a half. And it feels like three.

  Solar activity brings about the end of the world as we know it, but a handful of people are determined to survive.
• 
  Sexy Beast (2000)

  Review preview for Sexy Beast

  A little odd and over-styled at times, but Sexy Beast is worth watching just for Ben Kingsley's terrific performance.

  A gangster finds his retirement in Spain cut short when a brutal bloke from the past comes to call.
• 
  Million Dollar Baby (2004)

  Review preview for Million Dollar Baby

  Beautiful, powerful, surprising, affecting.

  A young female boxer persuades an old-timer to train her as a contender.
• 
  The Invention Of Lying (2009)

  Review preview for The Invention Of Lying

  The premise is refreshingly more original than 95 per cent of comedies out there.

  In a world where there is no concept of deceit, one man's life is transformed when he figures out how to lie - but will it bring him what he really wants?
• 
  Surrogates (2009)

  Review preview for Surrogates

  Shares too many similarities with the surrogates, in that it's ultimately pretty lifeless.

  In a world where everyone operates through artificial bodies, two cops investigate a murder with real human victims.
• 
  Rocky V (1990)

  Review preview for Rocky V

  Despite overdoing the mumbling a bit Stallone wins us over again with some nice dialogue.

  Forced to retire, Rocky takes on a protege.
• 
  We Are Marshall (2006)

  Review preview for We Are Marshall

  A straightforward, by-the-numbers sports movie designed to boost Kleenex sales.

  After the players and staff of a high school football team are killed in a plane crash, a coach is brought in to rebuild the squad in honour of the dead.