THE PHANTOM (1996)

An exciting moment from The Phantom

Lee Falk's comic strip

THE PHANTOM (1996). Director: Simon Wincer.

The Phantom, whose real identity is Kit Walker (Billy Zane), is the 21st in a long line of masked and costumed white heroes in the African island nation of Bengalla. Now that his father (Patrick McGoohan) has been murdered, Walker has taken on the mantle, which means he must temporarily walk out of the life of his lady love, Diana Palmer (Kristy Swanson) -- until she is kidnapped. The Phantom's main adversary is Xander Drax (Treat Williams), who employs a beautiful mercenary and pilot named Sala (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who in turn leads a whole gang of lady pilots. In addition to Drax, and his nasty  henchman Quill (James Remar of Blink), the Phantom must also contend with Kabai Sengh (Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa), who runs an infamous and long-lived Brotherhood that operates out of an elaborate hideout in a cave on a mysterious island. Both Drax and Sengh are after three metallic skulls which will create a tremendous energy force when joined together, but both men need to be careful what they wish for ... The Phantom is based on Lee Falk's long-running comic strip (still published today), and is a highly entertaining and well-produced adventure film, although some of the plot points -- especially those concerning the skulls -- are over-familiar and never quite work. But there are some outstanding and thrilling action scenes in the movie, especially one in which The Phantom tries to save the life of plucky little Zak (Chatpong "Jim" Petchlor) as they dangle from a rope bridge that is falling to pieces after the heavy truck they are riding in crashes through it -- this is as good as anything in any classic cliffhanger. Billy Zane is fine as the Phantom, while Treat Williams [Deep Rising] tries to play in a jaunty style that doesn't really work that well, although Zeta-Jones scores as the sexy good girl/bad girl, Sala. Kristy Swanson [Deadly Friend] is pretty and competent but makes much less of an impression in this; she's primarily a television actress. Patrick McGoohan of The Prisoner only appears as a ghost.

I originally saw this movie in theaters and pretty much forgot about it, although it is certainly a worthwhile picture, with striking settings (from Africa to Manhattan to the Bermuda Triangle), a rich score by David Newman, and superb cinematography by David Burr. Perhaps my ho-hum reaction at the time was due to my comparative disinterest in the main character, and the fact that the plot could have used a little work. Still, this is a notable comic strip movie, well-directed by Simon Wincer.

Verdict: Believe it or not, this is better than the cliffhanger serial, The Phantom, ***. 

BLINK

Aidan Quinn and Madeleine Stowe

BLINK (1994). Director: Michael Apted.

Emma Brody (Madeleine Stowe), a musician who has been blind since she was eight, has an operation to restore most of her sight. Her vision is still a bit fuzzy, and she has "flashbacks" to things that aren't really there. This doesn't make her the most reliable witness to the murder of an woman in an upstairs apartment. She fears that she's being stalked, but can't make a positive identification in a line-up. As the killer murders other women, Detective Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) fears Emma will be next on the list. Blink is the kind of thriller in which the detective on the case has sex with the chief witness -- again and again and again -- which already stretches credibility, and it isn't helped by the fact that Hallstrom comes off like an incompetent asshole. Quinn [Frankenstein] does his best with this terrible part, but is defeated, while pretty Stowe gives an okay performance but generates all the warmth of a dyspeptic cobra. What a team! (This cold quality of Stowe's served her well when she played a scheming villainess on the TV show Revenge.) There are some clever aspects to the mystery angle of the story, including the killer's motive, but Blink has absolutely no style and little tension aside from a brief scene in an underground parking garage. Laurie Metcalf has virtually nothing to do as Emma's friend, but James Remar, Peter Friedman, and Paul Dillon have more of a chance to make an impression as a cop, doctor, and orderly respectively. This might have amounted to something if it had been helmed by Brian De Palma in his heyday, but the slack direction, dubious plot points, and moments of increasing ridiculousness do not add up to anything that memorable. It also becomes boring, the most unforgivable thing of all. Apted also directed The Triple Echo and The World is Not Enough.

Verdict: Not even nudity can save this one. **.