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The Specialist (1994)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
11/05, 5/25
11/05:
The highlight of The Specialist is Sylvester Stallone showing off his bulging veins.
Why was I forced to see them? That's plain gross. Anyway, this one is more of James Woods' picture than
Sylvester Stallone's. The latter seems to be a caricature of himself. There's a confusing moment when Eric
Roberts' character died because I thought he would return. The confrontation on the bus is also bizarre.
The script is poor, and there are many weak concepts. It's like watching
Assassins all over again although The Specialist was there first.
Bombs have no impact on anyone nearby. Why cast Rod Steiger, a white guy, as a Latino character?
All in all, Sylvester Stallone has simply lost it.
5/25:
The Specialist is a horribly boring movie, signaling the possible end of Sylvester Stallone's run of
actioners, but he did make a strong comeback in Assassins.
As soon as I saw James Woods' name in the cast, I knew everybody would be in trouble because he's the kind of
actor who could steal the movie, and so he did. If there's a change I'll like to make, it's getting rid of
Rod Steiger. Eric Roberts is a valuable asset, and killing off his character early is a serious mistake. He was
doing well for a while; I didn't believe it when he died and waited for him to come back.
Sharon Stone's heart didn't seem to be in it from start to end. The subplot concerning her character makes
absolutely zero sense. Tomas was there when her parents were killed? It's interesting as he still looks ageless
like twenty (or is it thirty?) years later. At least, Sharon Stone developed something with James Woods that would
be continued in Casino.
Sylvester Stallone clearly goes through the motions. Who wants to see his ugly veins? He having sex with Sharon
Stone is a major turnoff. It's like watching robots. Eric Roberts would've done a better job. Oddly, at the
beginning, Ray Quick has issues about the drug lord's daughter being killed but none when it comes to bombing
the shit out of Miami, potentially killing a lot of cops. Speaking of the city, that's terrible work when it
comes to the cinematography...so dark when it should be more colorful in the neo-noir sense.
All in all, if not for James Woods, The Specialist probably goes down as one of the worst films made.