Writer: Tony Giglio
Director: Tony Giglio
Cast: Jason Statham, Ryan Phillippe, Wesley Snipes, Justine Waddell
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: February 19, 2008
Color me biased, but when a movie has Jason Statham on the roster I am usually signing up to watch it without asking too many questions. I have been a fan of Statham since I unknowingly picked up a copy of Transporter 2.
He is as gruff and action oriented as Vin Diesel, used to be, but didn’t appear to shun the roles that Vin has decided to leave behind these days. I have been watching his movies ever since. I had not really heard of Chaos, which makes sense due to the direct to video marketing, but the story sounded really good on paper. The additions of Ryan Phillippe and Wesley Snipes certainly didn’t hurt either. I would end up being somewhat surprised that this movie just didn’t work for me. Unfortunately, reading something and seeing that thing on the screen can be two entirely different things.
Looking back over what I just watched I think the thing that bothers me most are the clichés in the plot and the rushed feel. The past and present relationships, the reasons for becoming an officer, and similar nuances in the plot were just too much and they helped to stifle the true ability of this film. The buildup in the beginning ends up having little purpose as the details of the plot unfold rather quickly, some of them serving no point other than to feed the un-nurtured climax and lead the movie to an end. The clichés kill Chaos and ruin what had the potential to be a truly excellent movie.
Release Information:
Chaos was released by Lionsgate on February 19, 2008. The film, which appears in quality and names to be a big deal project, never made it to the big screen or if it did it came in limited amounts where it fizzled and died quickly. The DVD offers the film and an abundance of special features to go with it. You can pick this up at all major retailers including Amazon where it retails for $14.99
The Chaos Plot
Chaos may be a direct to DVD film, but it had potential. Why it ended up the way it did can only be blamed on some cheesy acting on the part of certain actors, bad writing, and poor camera angles. When you add these three things that you might have been able to avoid, with the horrid clichés that run ramped through this film, you essentially end up with one big, unfortunate flop. This actually pains me to say this because two of the three main actors did a fine job and I like most of their other work very much, so I hate to give them a bad review. However, in this case it is simply unavoidable.
There is a bank robber on the loose who goes by the name of Lorenz (Wesley Snipes). He is locked in a bank with 40 hostages and will only deal with Quentin Connors (Jason Statham) or he won’t speak to anyone. Connors is currently suspended, but is able to return to the force and take over the crime scene thanks to the assistance of Lorenz. Within moments of Connors’ arrival, the heist is over, the bank is blown up, and the entire robbery crew is in the clear.
Despite his protestation, Connors is given a new partner by the name of Shane (Ryan Phillippe). The two have the not so simple job of finding Lorenz and arresting him. However, the investigation is not as easy as it might seem and a dangerous game of cat and mouse occurs. As things role on, the Chaos theory is introduced as an element to explain things including a number of crimes that have been committed that have yet to be fully solved.
This all moves towards a twisted ending that most will not see coming. It’s a film that has such enormous promise. I love the idea of this film. What I do not love is the clichés that are brimming throughout the script. I do not love the cheesy acting on the part of Wesley Snipes who reminded me more of a demented clown rather than say, a criminal. At best, I suppose he could have been a criminal clown, but that wouldn’t have helped this movie any more than his acting. It’s awful that one man (who I normally like, for the record) and a handful of awful clichés could ruin this movie. Statham and Phillippe are on, as usual, and do well despite a poor script.
Ultimately the clichés are the killer for this dramatic film. Connors and his ex-girlfriend get into a tiff while working (office romance with the cops). Connors is the bad boy who shuns work because of a suspension, but hops back to the badge the minute they need him. Shane joins the force and walks in the shadow of his father, who has previously passed away, though was a hero to the force.
There are weak chase scenes and the typical, “I’m a cop and need your vehicle” moments. All of these things make you wonder if the writer took all the cliché moments from all of the cop dramas he could find, to make one super cop drama. The sad thing is that this could have been a super movie with a little more intelligence on the part of the writers.
The twist ending is interesting and it’s one you do not see coming. Well, you don’t see it coming until its begun and then it all makes sense and you know what is going to happen before it’s finally revealed. Of course, the reason it’s a twist ending is because its so unbelievable that it would probably never happen in real life. That’s what makes movies so beautiful though. Now if only this ending could have been attached to a worthy movie, everything would have been fine.
Those of you that like the movie Silence of the Lambs will get a laugh out of the ending, which has a scene that can only be considered homage to that great film, another airplane confession at your service.
Statham and Phillippe do their jobs well, though their chemistry is somewhat lacking. Considering the fact that they are not meant to get along in the most complete sense, I suppose this works better rather than worse. Meanwhile, a trained monkey could have handled Snipes’ part.
People that like mindless action that might include some interesting chase scenes and various things blowing up, might find some value in Chaos. If you are looking for something with substance though, this is not going to be the film for you.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Chaos is offered in anamorphic widescreen with a 2.35:1 transfer. Despite offering what should be a visually pleasing transfer, the quality is not nearly as good as it should have been. There are moments of graininess, the colors come up flat, and at times there is glare. While you will be able to watch this without a problem, the quality should have been given a once over and cleaned up.
The sound comes in with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The sound works fine and I had very few problems in this area. The dialogue is crisp and there are no problems understanding anything being said. You can choose to use English Dolby Digital 2.0, as well though with 5.1 being the norm, there is really no point for this less impressive option
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Like most special features lists, Chaos starts things off with a commentary track. The commentary is handled by the director. He seems like a good guy. He goes through everything from dealing with the actors to his influences in the film industry. The commentary moves along quickly, so it doesn’t have much time to get boring. This is not the only feature on the disc. In fact, there are a few others.
“The Order Behind Chaos” runs for twelve minutes and deals with the crime films that have offered influence to Chaos. The only other true special feature would be movie trailers and since this is a Lionsgate production, the trailers are all for upcoming Lionsgate films and DVDs.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Chaos had plenty of good intentions, but never managed to really offer all it looked like it would. If you can ignore the clichés then the movie will be a lot more watchable for you. If you think you will concentrate on them, you might as well pass this one by because it will end up being rubbish to you. In the end, for this reason, it is highly recommended that you rent this before buying. The ending offers a nice twist, but there are many problems leading up to this point that will leave many people uninterested in seeing it a second time.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Drama, Action, Lionsgate, Jason Statham, Chaos, Ryan Phillippe, Wesley Snipes, Movie, DVD Review
