Flashpoint
by William Tannen
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Jean Smart, Kurtwood Smith, Miguel Ferrer, Rip Torn, Treat WilliamsDirector: William Tannen
Brand: HBO Home Video
Producer: Skip Short
Writer: Michael Butler
Writer: Dennis Shyrack
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-09-14
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Model: 92880
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product features:
- Actors: Kris Kristofferson, Treat Williams, Rip Torn, Kevin Conway, Kurtwood Smith.
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC.
- Language: English.
- Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only).
- Rated: R. Run Time: 94 minutes.
Movie Reviews of Flashpoint
Movie Review: Wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
"Flashpoint" is one of those films that pay cable channels put into heavy rotation after its initial release back in the 1980s and one that still occasionally turns up nowadays as one of those middle of the night flicks on TBS or TNT. I first saw it eons ago, and never forgot its conspiratorial tone and desert atmosphere. When I first started getting into DVD in a big way, I looked for this movie right from the start only to discover it had not yet crossed that oftentimes impassable gulf between digital video disc and VHS tape. It is the type of film I knew--through long and painful experience with big studios and their total disrespect for DVD technology--would only appear on a disc in a fullscreen format with little to no extras, and I was right. It is that obscure. Hopefully its recent reemergence will help this film find a whole new generation of fans. "Flashpoint" is a must watch film for anyone who enjoys the idea of seeing Kris Kristofferson, Treat Williams, Rip Torn, Kurtwood Smith, Jean Smart, and Miguel Ferrer in the same movie. O.k., a few of those names might not be a selling point, but it's still an intriguing film nonetheless.
The American Southwest is an environment of sand, cactus, heat, and more heat. It's the sort of place where some people still think they live in the Old West, the sort of place where people keep to themselves. It's also a place where secrets can hide under the sand for decades without anyone the wiser. Such is the case in "Flashpoint," a film where a dirty secret from some twenty odd years earlier is about to cause a whole lot of grief for a whole lot of people. Enter Logan (Kristofferson) and Ernie (Williams), two border patrol officers who spend their days roaming through the desert chasing illegal aliens. These two men couldn't be further apart in temperament and manner. Logan is a jaded Vietnam veteran and a once promising government employee who now thinks his job is a real drag. He's just putting in his time and trying not to make waves because he wants people to leave him alone. Ernie, however, is an idealistic younger guy who doesn't hesitate to stand up to injustice when he sees it. For example, an auto accident in town that claims the lives of several illegal aliens finds Ernie confronting the man responsible for smuggling people over the border. The two get along so well because they admire each other's personalities.
Both men also form a bond over the latest shenanigans going on at the border patrol office. The bigwigs in Washington decide it's a great idea to bury thousands of computer-controlled sensors out in the desert to track the movements of the illegals, an idea that will cost agents their jobs. While burying one of these sensors, Logan discovers a jeep buried out in the desert. The skeletal remains of the driver, a driver's license, a box filled with fishing gear and a rifle, and nearly a million dollars in cash form the beginnings of a mystery that will bring about a mess of trouble. The driver's license is dated 1963. So is the money. And the story takes place in Texas. Do you see where this is going yet? Yep, Logan discovered someone involved with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The two officers don't know this at first, but soon will after Ernie insists on discovering this man's identity before he will agree to split town with the loot. Logan grudgingly obliges. Their investigation agitates Sheriff Wells (Rip Torn) and brings in the enigmatic federal agent Carson (Kurtwood Smith) and his goons. Ernie and Logan soon discover that they are facing something far bigger and more powerful than they are, something that won't hesitate to kill anyone in its path to keep the cover up in place. Lots of innocent people bite the dust by the time the credits roll.
"Flashpoint" is a great film, one of those great films largely ignored by both critics and the viewing public. Surprisingly, it's not the connection to the JFK assassination that makes the film as good as it is, although the scenes in which the two men begin to unravel the connection between the jeep and the crime are truly eerie. The film also never really explains the parameters of the conspiracy Ernie and Logan are up against except to hint that it's something large and powerful beyond belief, powerful to the point that it can kill law officers with ease and without any fear of interference. What does make the film a winner, aside from the wonderful performances of the principal actors, has a lot to do with the atmospheric desert environment. It is frightening to consider what secrets lie under the sand out in the middle of nowhere, and even more frightening to think the government knows what's hidden out there. That a cabal of powerful individuals could sweep into the desert and do whatever they want to anyone they want is an extremely horrific proposition, and one that works wonders in this movie. After all, it's awfully difficult to find witnesses out in the middle of the desert.
"Flashpoint" also boasts a great score from Tangerine Dream that perfectly meshes with the sweeping vistas and mountain backdrops. Sadly, the fullscreen transfer doesn't look too great, and the absence of extras really bothers me. I'm not one of these viewers who must listen to every commentary track or watch every little extra on a disc, but I sure would have appreciated seeing such things on a "Flashpoint" DVD. I'll endorse this Warner disc anyway since the movie is such a great way to spend a couple of hours. I'd like to see a special edition, though.
Summary of Flashpoint
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