Stealth Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)July 27th, 2005
STEALTH
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): * 1/2
Preposterous and predictable, STEALTH hides but two pleasures under its wings. It is frequently laughably bad, thanks to some of the most wooden dialog this side of a petrified forest. And, sometimes, it provides the adrenaline pumping thrills of a video game the size of a movie screen, as big, noisy jet planes test the limits of the theater's subwoofers as they try to blow things, including each other, to smithereens.
I'll outline the plot's setup, and I'll bet you can fill in the details, even if you haven't seen the trailers, which undoubtedly give everything away. Wanting badly to be the next TOP GUN, the movie features the U.S.'s three best stealth fighter pilots, Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas), Kara Wade (Jessica Biel) and Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx in a role certain not to win him another Academy Award nomination). They have been chosen for a special mission run by Capt. George Cummings (Sam Shepard). Their assignment, which they aren't told at first, is to train with a stealth drone.
No sooner has their first test mission begun than it becomes a live combat action in hostile territory. You might think this is because the movie is in a hurry to pick up the pace but no such luck. The script is way too busy, featuring love stories that go nowhere and small talk on a needless side trip to Thailand for some R&R.
The three pilots resent the unmanned aircraft, who talks to them à la HAL in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, so they argue with him and nickname him the Tinman. Think the Tinman might prove to be unreliable and even dangerous? Think Capt. Cummings might have less than pure motives? You are so smart. Maybe you could be a movie pilot too or at least a screenwriter.
STEALTH runs a half hour too long at 2:01. It is rated PG-13 for "intense action, some violence, brief strong language and innuendo" and would be acceptable for kids around 9 and up.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, July 29, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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