Terminal Velocity

source: Terminal Velocity

In 1994, there were two action films set in the underworld of skydiving, this and "Drop Zone". Drop Zone was good, but this was so much better and was unfairly overlooked. I know that there's hardly a living soul who cares for Charlie Sheen, except for me, maybe. C'mon people, he's done some real good films, such as The Arrival, Money Talks, and The Rookie, and this movie. He's in top form here, with some great one-liners. The action scenes are so intense, and adrenaline pumping, that I'm suprised this got a PG-13 rating. It's got just what you would want from an action movie; loud action, big laughs, and a story that is absurd and intends to be so.

Ditch Brodie is a maverick skydiving instructor. One day, a beautiful girl comes in, wanting to take her first jump. Up in the air, Ditch takes his eyes off her momentarily, then looks back to find out that she has fallen out, dying on impact. Ditch is suspicious that all is not as it seems, because he distinctly remembers hooking her static line on... Charlie Sheen continued his run of nineties movies that should have made him a big star without tiger blood and other men, with this ridiculous, over the top, but fun movie. it's best not to take this film seriously at all, else you will find many flaws. Instead, just enjoy the very well choreographed action and jump scenes, the excellent story written by Twohy, and some brilliant one liners. This has to be sheens best film from the nineties that isn't Hot Shots! and proved he could handle action pretty well. of course, it's a mile from films like Wall Street and Platoon, but when the trailer features a car free falling and makes you smile, it's clear you're not looking for an intelligent night at the movies. This was unfairly overlooked at the cinema, maybe this was due to the fact that a similar movie 'Drop Zone' was released first (which was good, but far too serious. It's forgettable stuff for sure, but it's fun, breezy and entertaining all the way through. One of the nineties guiltiest pleasures.

By 1994 Charlie Sheen`s highly acclaimed performances in PLATOON and WALL STREET were a long faded memory and he found himself starring - That`s " starring " as in " Starring Eric Roberts in a movie few people got the chance to see in a cinema " - in dross like TERMINAL VELOCITY . To be honest this isn`t the worst film you`ll ever see but it is a fundamentally mediocre one . Sheen plays a sky diving instructor who finds himself facing possible manslaughter charges after the death of one of his students . I won`t spoil it but there`s a very unlikely plot twist about half way through where both Sheen`s character and the audience gasp " I don`t believe this " and then things get more and more unlikely as the hero finds himself chased by Slavic bad guys . Like I said it`s not the worst thriller ever made , it stars actors most people will recognise and the sky diving stunts are fairly good , in fact this might have been a good thriller after all but it`s ruined by too many unlikely plot twists

Terminal Velocity is set in Arizona where maverick skydiver Richard 'Ditch' Brodie (Charlie Sheen) takes a job from the attractive Chris Morrow (Nastassja Kinski) to do a jump with her, however things go wrong & she falls out of the plane & ends up dead on the ground 1000's of feet below. Richard decides to do a little investigating & discovers that Chris is still alive & is an ex Russian KGB agent trying to stop another ex Russian KGB agent Ben Pinkwater (James Gandolfini) from stealing $600 million worth of hi-jacked Russian gold & together with Chris he decides to stop the bad guy's & clear his name... Directed by Deran Sarafian I actually thought Terminal Velocity was a decent & enjoyable little action flick. The script by executive producer David Twohy moves along like a rocket although after the intriguing set up when Chris fakes her own death it sort of settles back down into standard action film thriller territory. The film never seems to take itself seriously & is fairly light hearted with some amusing one liners coming from Sheen, I loved the 'pack your bags we're going on a guilt trip' line he comes out with as Kinski tells him about the hardship Russians have! It's nothing terribly original, it's clichéd in the sense there are the hero's who eventually defeat the bad guy's & save the day but it's fun & provides a fair amount of entertainment if your looking for some light action. Director Sarafian does a decent job, it's not particularly stylish but it's well made with some good action scenes. The skydiving stunts are particularly impressive although some seem a little far fetched especially the way Sheen rescue Kinski from a car that's been driven out the back of a plane. There are some neat enough explosions & fist fights as well. With a supposed budget of about $50,000,000 it tanked at the box-office making a paltry $16,000,000. The acting is alright with Sheen making a likable hero. Terminal Velocity turned out much better than I thought it would & I'm struggling to see why it bombed so badly when it was released, anyway I liked it & thought it was entertaining fun.

It's a shame to see Deran Sarafian has ended up directing episodes of TV shows because he proves with this, his best film, that he's a very competent hand at the helm of a big action film. Admittedly he's helped by the two leads, Charlie Sheen and Nastassja Kinski, who have the C-word... Chemistry, not to mention the villains, James Gandolfini and Chris McDonald who have the B-word... Baddy? The stunt work is both impressive and breath taking because you can see it's genuine – witness the nail biting scene involving a car in free fall – would it be half as exciting if it was done with CGI? With a script full of great comedy moments it all adds up to a very enjoyable way to spend 100 minutes. 7/10

I think it was a very interesting film and the main characters were very good.I don't understand why it wasn't a success according to the critics. They often give awards worse films too.When I saw it at the first time I enjoyed it very much.I suggest to everybody to watch it ,but without any bias.

This is one film that has not scored many good reviews, but honestly, I'm a little surprised why most movie critics has slaughtered this film all together. Myself, I think that's unfair, cause I found it absolutely enjoyable. OK, the story is a bit thin at times, but alot of films has had thinner stories than this one, and still received better reviews. Sheen doesn't act too bad in this film either, and Kinsky surprises as well. None of them are great actors, but they don't let the film down. In general, a fair action-movie, with some very spectacular skydiving-scenes. Not bad at all.

When Ditch Brodie takes a novice skydiver (Chris Morrow) up in his plane for lessons, she tragically falls to her death. Brodie loses his license and tries to live with the loss. However an closer look at a video of the accident reveals a second plane where a body was thrown to impersonate Chris. Brodie investigates and uncovers a plot to capture sensitive information and return it to Russia. This is a really fun film. It's not meant to be a masterpiece or a deep political thriller. It is meant to be a fun ride through exaggerated characters and silly set pieces. The plot is almost pointless - it's just an excuse to hang the set pieces around. However what you do get is Sheen overacting, great action scenes - the best being Sheen skydiving after a car which has Kinsji locked in the trunk. You understand? - it's meant to be big dumb fun. Personally I think this is better than a lot of big summer films that have big special effects scenes and ridiculous plots but try to take themselves seriously. This knows it's all a bit unlikely but enjoys itself anyway. Sheen is the key to the tongue-in-cheek approach. He doesn't play a character - he almost just plays himself! Even when he's in action scenes he's smiling - because he's having fun! and it makes me enjoy it a lot more. Kinski almost has as much fun in her role, but she has to carry a lot of the plot so she is more serious at time. A pre-Sopranos James Gandolfini is menacing in his small bad guy role and Melvin Van Peebles makes an appearance to show that it's not just his son that can do daft films. Overall it's silly dumb fun. Sheen enjoys himself so why can't you?

Well, some people do like this film, like you Phaithphul Phrog here, and I'm quite jaded. From the marvellous, surrealistic opening scene, you know you're in for some style, if not exactly substance, and you just settle for the ride. Sheen's character reminded me of Jackie Chan in his movies : a bit stupid, a bit of a buffoon, but realistic and likable. The general good humor of this movie also reminds of Chan's recent movies. There is action, a bit of violence, but this never turns nasty and unpleasant like a Seagal vehicle.