What happens when you take a movie like Enemy of the State, throw out Will Smith along with all that high-tech stuff, and replace them with Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn & David Carradine without his Kung Fu? Oopsie, did I just give away the answer? If we had questions like this on that Millionaire game show, Regis Philbin would be out of a job in no time.

Before he had to put up with Jet Li’s lightning fists of doom, poor Mel had the unfortunate privilege of getting his butt kicked ( or rather, shot at ) by yet another Kung Fu expert in the form of David Carradine. If you’re looking to see Carradine perform some Kwai-Chang-Caine moves here, don’t bother. As a corrupt DEA agent who’s spent the last 15 years in the cooler, his character isn’t supposed to have any knowledge of Kung Fu. Prison isn’t like the Shaolin Temple, you know. So without his Kung Fu, what’s the next best thing? A gun, of course! And he gets to use it too…on Mel Gibson’s butt.

Gibson, by the way, plays a man with multiple identities, who’s hiding under the Witness Protection Program after testifying against Carradine’s character, Sorensen. For simplicity’s sake, let us call Mel’s character, Rick, since this was the identity most used during the movie. Obviously, Sorensen isn’t one bit pleased at what Rick had done to him, 15 years back. With some help from a corrupt FBI agent & a former partner in crime, they start pumping lead at our confused Rick, whose hide was later saved by an old flame named Mary-Ann ( Goldie Hawn ).

Things start getting really messed up after they find themselves on the nation’s most wanted list for such ‘petty’ crimes as murder & bank robbery. Tailed by both the law enforcement community as well as a vengeful Sorensen, our unfortunate duo find themselves stuck in one tight spot after another as they race across the country, gathering evidence needed to clear their names.

I was about to give this a 5 star rating until I got really annoyed with Goldie Hawn’s character during the last quarter of the movie. Goldie’s a great actress, no doubt. Too bad the film made her look like a useless bimbo with all that panty flashing & senseless screaming. Maybe the producers wanted this to be both a chick flick & a guy flick rolled into one. A chick flick in the sense that we get to see Mel strutting around in his undies with an occasional flash at those washboard abs. Ever wondered what his butt looks like? Look no further. With Mel around to keep us chicks happy, the male population should be more than satisfied with Goldie Hawn at their disposal.

Hold it guys, Goldie's presence shouldn't be the only reason for you to enjoy this film. There's more to it than that alone. Mel Gibson's loose cannon antics would surely get the testosterone crowd going, though in less of a frenzy compared to last Monday's football game. Like Branden Fraser's character in that mummy flick, he choses to handle things 'the manly way' by punching, shooting & headbutting his way out of a jam. Coincidence or what? They even have the same first character names!

I am, however, fairly disappointed at how the film portrayed Goldie as an intelligent woman turned bimbo halfway through the movie, from all that bungling & senseless screaming. They could have at least made her look more respectable, rather than portraying her as a klutzy, foul-up during the closing moments of the movie. In all, I found this to be a worthy rental fit for a Friday evening, preferably right after that dinner date with you-know-who. Guys should find the action factor more than adequate while chicks will of course dig the chemistry between Gibson & Hawn. Go rent it if you haven’t seen it, otherwise, stick to the Lethal Weapon series. Overall grade: B


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older