If anything can be called 'by the numbers' its this film right here, weak stuff.PARTNER/DESIGNER/ILLUSTRATOR, CARPENTER COLLECTIVE, KANSAS CITY MO The drab looking location doesn't really help either, its all yellow dusty desert terrain everywhzzzzzzzz. It doesn't even look that good really, there is one stunt where Long gets booted off a train going over a very high bridge which is pretty impressive, but that's totally it. Even with Travolta being all camp he still looks like he can kick Slater's ass all over.Ī terrific film title, intriguing cast and thumping film poster still can't alter the fact this film is dull dull dull. As for Slater, well he doesn't really fit the profile for a leading man action hero, he's clearly not the type, he's not bad per say, he's just clearly not that type of guy simple. Its just a shame he's done the same thing now for so many other films since. This was his first real baddie role after his career took off with 'Pulp Fiction' so his performance was definitely fresh and quite new for the actor. Not even Travolta's semi fun bad guy can bring this film back from the dull zone. There isn't really anything original in the whole film, the plot is standard issue, the bad guys are standard issue, all the important military/government official types are the standard issue grizzled old men, slimy cowards or nerds, dialog is hammy with all the regular dribble you'd expect to hear and its got lots of standard issue John Woo slow motion and face off camera angles. In fact the whole film is much like that really, it just looks like one of those special effects shows at Universal Studios where everything looks like a setup or an obvious set. All these guys are trigger happy, often dumb and get killed in very obvious set pieces you can see coming a mile away. The bad guys are your regular bunch of strapping blokes who mindlessly obey Travolta's insane commands, the main henchman being newbie Howie Long (film career didn't last long). Yep its just your average explosion filled action thriller with your standard hero who saves the day and kills everyone with the aid of a feisty female sidekick. This is the first time I've watched this since 1996 and I can firmly say it hasn't aged well. I remember when this came out it was deemed to be quite a slick action flick, hell I even went to the cinema to see it. Their plan? to sell the nukes to the highest bidder of course, dastardly!. Spoiler alert! Travolta goes rogue and turns on Slater dumping the nukes for his band of bad guys to pickup.

Two best buds in the USAF are flying a B-3 Stealth Bomber with a deadly payload of nukes on board. The other noteable thing here is the curious combination of Travolta and Slater pairing off against each other. One of the first US films for John Woo before he went on to make a whole load more using the same visual style everytime. However, Broken Arrow is not the worst action film, yet it's not the best either, it's really an in between film, one that might divide genre fans. For what it is, Broken Arrow is a decent action film worth checking out for the diehard action buff, and it's a mindless piece of entertainment that does the job, but it does fall short of its potential due to the fact that the plot and characters are somewhat clichéd. For the traditional action buff, this will certainly be a good time, but to those, wanting some original aspect to their story, you'll be a tad disappointed. Broken Arrow is fun, but I wanted the film to really be more. With his masterpiece, The Killer he proved that, as well as with Face Off. John Woo can direct an exciting film in fact his style is energetic, kinetic and top notch when it needs to be. I wanted this one to be much better than the finished film, but I guess for mindless popcorn thrills, it does what it's supposed to do, but it should have been much better as well. The film is not terrible, but there is nothing good here either. The film feels like it relies too much on bits and pieces from other genre films to create its plot, and in doing so, lacks an original punch that could have made this film truly good. Broken Arrow looks dated, and has its moments, but Woo has directed far better films than this. I guess for a mindless action yarn it does the trick, but to those wanting a bit more substance to their action, look elsewhere. I enjoyed it, but this is far from John Woo's finest hour. Decent actioner that is tongue in cheek amid its seriousness, Broken Arrow is thrilling, but somewhat lacks something truly memorable to make this film truly worth watching.

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