Broken Arrow (1996)
Director: John Woo
Starring: John Travolta, Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis, Delroy Lindo
Primary genre: Action
The turning point of John Woo’s action career, Broken Arrow saw the Hong Kong auteur embracing the realm of expansive and generic blockbusters leaving behind his heroic bloodshed shenanigans and triad shootouts.
“I never actually killed anyone before. I mean, I dropped bombs on Baghdad, but, uh... never face to face. I don’t know what the big deal is. I really don’t.”
Broken Arrow maintains his beloved trademarks - stands offs, multiple camera angles, slow mo, zoom shots, Zimmer’s male choir highlighting villainy amidst other stylistic flares but these are not enough to keep us fully invested in Travolta’s antagonist and Slater’s hero. Long for a remarkably straightforward story, Broken Arrow puts forward several set pieces but none captures the energy and dynamics of Woo’s previous career outputs. Despite being more stylistic than Hard Target (1993) (the top down shot of a boxing ring is particularly inspiring), it is less visceral perpetuated by a toned down rating to attract mainstream moviegoers.
Dissecting Action: The 90s
Woo stages his action well involving military cars, helicopters, trains, jets, and nuclear weapons destroying them with panache in the process against the stunning desert backdrops of Arizona and Utah assisted by the always reliable Peter Levy as the DoP. Yet, it all feels hollow though and Slater is not enough to convince the audience as the man who takes the charge to save the girl and consequentially, the world. Therefore, it is up to Travolta to ham it up every time he is on screen in his first truly villainous role knocking out literally the aforementioned Slater off his feet. Vic Deakins oozes evil and psychopathy, wide grin and all, and although he is as flat as they come, he remains the most entertaining element of the film.
Thus, it’s all fluff then; well made but fluff nonetheless with some clever verbal banter and Woo’s insistence in offering cool shots in the most random places separating Broken Arrow from the $1 bin movie pile. It won’t be anyone’s favourite action film, it is not even among John Woo’s finest either. For a quiet night in though, this $50 million dollar offers mild and easily forgettable entertainment.
Travolta Vs Slater
+Interesting and dynamic direction
+Travolta’s hammy acting
+Good stunts
+Zimmer’s music
-Blunt storyline
-Like Slater
-Mainstream appeal
-Long