The poster implies a lot more Eddie Murphy goofiness than is actually on display in this film. Murphy plays an elite hostage negotiator who finds himself seeking revenge on a psychotic jewellery thief who killed his partner.
Murphy as always is great on screen here, and the film liberally stays with him and his perspective throughout, seldom showing other characters interact without him involved. He does a particularly good English accent while mocking his British girlfriend.
But the film itself feels clunky; it often feels like it will escalate into something intriguing, only to level-out to safe mediocrity. Often I thought I was witnessing the end of the movie, only for the story to be reinvigorated.
This could be because the villain was weaker than expected. Gravel-voiced Michael Wincott has a tremendous track record with The Crow and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as a slimy, dangerous antagonist, yet here he wasn't given enough presence.
There are some good moments (a massive car chase through San Francisco that clearly inspired Michael Bay's The Rock) and fake-outs involving the classic bathroom mirror scare.
Any Eddie Murphy fan will enjoy his performance; toned down but still sharp tongued. The film itself though isn't too memorable.
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