Highly Overrated But Still Good

Awesome Movie

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

You get two great actors in a room (In this case Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones). You hand them a script like 'The Package'. YOU FAIL.There is nothing seriously bad about this film. Sure, the whole 'lone gunman tries to take out the president' was much better handled in In The Line Of Fire, and Jones playing the bad guy is a bit disconcerting after his iconic role in The Fugitive. No, what annoys me is you have a couple of modern day legends... and you stick them in a dreary screenplay that anyone could have starred in.Hackman looks determined... Jones looks sneaky. That is literally the only requirement their talents have to muster for the length. Their acting muscles must've been going to sleep. Oh, and look... there's Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue playing a police officer. Did the producers of that show see him in this, and pick him based on that? If so, it makes for a much more interesting story than anything else here.So... The Package. Good cast. Average action movie. Done. 5/10

As the cold war starts to thaw the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union are on the brink of signing an historic treaty that will lead to the scrapping of their nuclear arsenals… not everybody wants this to happen though; certain members of the military on both sides are determined to scupper the treaty. To this end Sgt. Gallagher is tasked with escorting prisoner Walter Henke from West Berlin to the US; to him it is a routine if somewhat tedious task but it soon becomes clear that it is anything but routine. His prisoner is helped to escape at the airport and when Gallagher goes to see the man's wife he learns that he wasn't Walter Henke! He goes to see his ex-wife, an army colonel, to see if she can help him get to the bottom of it; she and her assistant manage to find out that the man's real name is Thomas Boyette and he has a military record linking him to a series of war zones. Gallagher soon finds himself framed for the murder of Henke's wife so must go on the run with his ex. They follow the trail to Chicago where they meet up with policeman Lt. Milan Delich, an old friend of Gallagher's. As they get closer to Boyette they get in increasing danger as the conspirators are determined to stop them preventing Boyette from carrying out his mission.This is a solid cold war thriller made when relationships between east and west were improving but nobody suspected that the Soviet Union would shortly cease to exist. Gene Hackman does a good job as Sgt. Gallagher and Tommy Lee Jones is fine as Boyette. The story is a bit far-fetched but if you can suspend your disbelief it is fairly gripping. There is a sense of paranoia as Gallagher has very few people he can trust and many of those who aren't actually bad think he is! There isn't a huge amount of over the top action but what there is, is fairly exciting and fairly believable. If you enjoy thrillers that have some mystery but aren't too convoluted you should enjoy this.

Gene Hackman is seasoned Green Beret sergeant Johnny Gallagher, is escorting a prisoner, Airborne Ranger Tommy Lee Jones back to the US, but he subsequently evades Hackman's custody and escapes. All is not what it seems as the plot thickens when it appears that Jones is an assassin who is out to kill the President and visiting Russian Premier who is negotiating peace talks in Chicago. John Heard is a devious general who is out to thwart the treaty. Hackman is accompanied by 'Blade Runners' Joanna Cassidy who plays his ex-wife, Dennis Franz also assists Hackman in his race against time.Directed by Andrew Davis 'The Fugitive' 'Under Siege' it is a riveting and excellently Suspense filled Conspiracy cover up fans of Gene Hackmans will enjoy this, their are references to 'The French Connection' most notably in the car chase.

Complex, intelligent, but at times possibly implausible Cold War thriller with brass at the top of US government, General Hopkins(Chelcie Ross)and his second Col. Glen Whitacre(John Heard), along with renegade Soviets, who have forged a plan to assassinate Soviet Press Secretary so that a Nuclear Arms Disarmament Treaty will be terminated between United States and the Soviet Union. They set up Sgt Gallagher(Gene Hackman, who could play this kind of charismatic hero in his sleep)to take the fall regarding the accidental release of a Walter Henke. In actuality, it isn't Walter but an expert sniper, Thomas Boyette(Tommy Lee Jones)taking his identity with the real man playing a patsy in Chicago supposedly running an operation against allowing Commies to come over here dictating policy. Unfortunately, Gallagher needs some info regarding the identity of Boyette(he does go to the wife's home and realizes the "package" he was suppose to carry across to the US wasn't the man in his custody;in a tragic turn of events some of Hopkins' goons kill Walter's wife setting up Gallagher as the murderer)and goes to his wife Eileen(Joanna Cassidy)who has recently made it up the ranks in the Army. In lending assistance, Eileen will be put in danger as evident by the murder of her confident Ruth(Pam Grier)who had the info she needed regarding Boyette. So Sgt. Johnny and ex-wife Eileen hit the road to Chicago to bust the assassination sting operation wide open with help by a Chicago cop named Lt. Milan(Dennis Franz).