seviueain June 4, 1992 Other Arts & Review the Other Press Deep Cover A Pleasant Surprise When I saw Cover in Los Angeles, I didn’t expect much from it. There had been little advertising and no really big stars in it, but I wanted to catch a flick at Mann’s Chinese Theatre and this looked like the pick of the lot. Deep Cover starring Jeff Goldblum not released yet reviewed by Ron McMahon What an experience it turned outtobe! With Jeff Goldblum inone of the starring roles, I half expected a light comedy or a lighter drama, but Icouldn’t have been farther from the truth. This isa powerhouse of a film; it grabs you very early on and, with little exception, it never lets go. It is starkly realistic and dark in its interpretation of the scriptand the subject. Considering the cartoon- likeatmosphereof such filmsasLethal Weapon, this movieis likea kickin the complacent teeth. The plot is relatively simple at first glance. A young street cop is recruited for a new assignment, one that could lead to his promotion to sergeant and get him off the streets. We find out that heisa classic case of over-compensation; he becameacop to put as much distance as possible between himself and his deceased drugaddict father. This assignment, however, will put him right into the heart of the drug world, as he is to become a dealer and try to go for some of the topeimporters in the city of Los Angeles. When he starts out, it seems like every other cop show I've seen; he getsasleazy apartment, makes some small buys, gets themoney back from his superior, and then heads back out. The trouble begins when he gets a little too good at the business and bringsin abouta kilo of cocaine to his boss. When his boss says that they can’t afford that, the undercover officer seems ata loss. That is, until his superior tells him thatheisa dope dealer so start making some deals. Apparently ‘the little users don’t matter enough when you are after the top guys. This is when the trouble begins, as the new dealer finds out that he is a better criminal than he ever was a cop. Amid the moralself-questioning ates goes through, hefinds himself ones ever closer to his goal. The eis e pays is very high, though, and he also discovers that the word Justice can change at the whims of politicians and civil servants. All the acting in this movie is superb, although there are a couple of scenes with the love interest that are pushing the borders of belief. - The characters are believable; they have doubts, faults, and flaws enoughtohold theaudience’sinterest through the entire show. The Far and Away |s Beautiful — But Ignore The Plot Farand Awayis withoutadoubt abeautiful movietosee, but to get the full force of the cinematography you should see it in a 70mm theatre. The images that director Ron Howardandhiscamera team capture are worth the price of admission, which is fortunate, since the plot leaves much to be desired. Far And Away directed by Ron Howard starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman reviewed by Ron McMahon Thisis the first film in decades to actually be shot using the super 65mm film (it translates to 70mm when projected). This allows the film to fully capture the sharpness and splendor of the scenery without the usual graininess that is associated with films shot in 35mm, and then exploded to the 70mm size. The results are impressive, but thecostinvolvedinshooting thelarger sized film are, to say the least, prohibitive to all but a very select few. In some ways, it is like the filmaker to pass. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, married in real life (if you can call Hollywood life real), just don’t seem to have any sparks betweenthem. Ireally hope that their marriage has more of a fire init than was apparent in the film. Thestory followsa strong-willed land owner’sdaughter (Kidman) and an Irish peasant (Cruise) from their meeting in Ireland to their destiny(?) in America. Yeah, I know - it is as hokey as it sounds. The various trials and tribulations of new immigrants in America are documented, and then comes the Great Land Race. Basedon anhistorical eventin America, where there was literally a race from a starting point to land claims in the newly opened territory, this shotwas filmed with more than a dozen cameras and hundreds of extras, including dozens of historical hobbyists who supplied some accuracy to the props with theirdéwn ne of the period. It is ey spectacular, but it seems to lac some of the plot twists made Ron McMahon think the writers had their reality suspended as much as the average Indiana Jones filmgoer difference between the cost of a camera that shoots 110 film and one that shoots 35mm for still pictures. The acting in this flick isn’t bad, but it isn’t great. This may be due to the substandard script - some of the plot twists made me think that the writers had just come out of an Indiana Jones movie and believed that it was all possible. I was hard pressed to suspend my disbelief, which is the ultimate test for a something that Dances With Wolves captured in its buffalo hunt scene. It is hard to find fault with the visual side of this film, but the acting and plot problems are quite a disappointment after all the hype we were subjected to prior to its release. See it on a Tuesday in a large theatreand youwill getyourmoney’s worth. Seeitat full priceand you will have toreally love scenic shots to feel justified. Jeff Goldblum (left, seen here at Vancouver protest rally with Keanu Reeves) stars in Deep Cover, a cop movie production values are a bit above average; the street scenes and dark, sinister lighting set the tone of the movie perfectly, but can bea bithard on the eyés after a while. This is a movie that is NOT for everyone; it is violent, coarse, and pulls no punches. Itis also one of the most satisfying and intelligent flicks I have seen in a long time. I get insulted almost constantly by Hollywood's insistence that the averagemovie goer wants tosee fluff with now substance. Hopefully that isn’t the current state of the public’s taste. If more films were made with the old-fashioned idea of telling a story without glossing over thereality of the situation, perhaps some of the magiccould be regained when wego to the movies.