U.S. Marshals (Special Edition)

An ultimately futile attempt to make lightning strike twice, this so-called spinoff from 1993's blockbuster The Fugitive avoids the label of "sequel" by forging ahead without the first film's star, Harrison Ford. The idea is to showcase the return of Tommy Lee Jones in his Oscar-winning role as tenacious U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard, this time testing his mettle against a covert government operative (Wesley Snipes) accused of murdering two secret service attachés. Unfortunately, Jones and the entire cast have been trapped in a rambling plot, and the underdog status that made Ford such a compelling hero is sacrificed to an evenly matched and eventually tiresome game of cat and mouse, with a villain whose identity is far too predictable. With no dramatic buildup and several superfluous characters to distract its focus, the film's momentum plays out like a rote exercise compared to the high stakes of the earlier film. --Jeff Shannon

Le Fugitif (avec, dans le rôle principal, Harrison Ford) avait en 1993 lancé la mode des transpositions au cinéma des séries télé à succès. Mission impossible, Chapeau melon et Bottes de cuir suivaient avec plus ou moins de bonheur. Mais plus qu'une adaptation, Le Fugitif opposait deux personnages forts, aux caractères bien marqués : le Dr Kimble et son alter ego, le flic interprété par Tommy Lee Jones. Ce dernier reprend ici son personnage et donne la réplique à Wesley Snipes, spécialiste des films d'action. Riche de cascades aussi nombreuses et spectaculaires que Le Fugitif, US Marshals est le type même du blockbuster américain que l'on suit les yeux fermés. --Marc Anthony

Ladies and gentlemen, be alert. We are going to initiate a hard-target search for a fugitive in an ever-widening perimeter. We will wade through swamps, prowl Manhattan streets, search every house and doghouse. We'll eat on the run, sleep tomorrow, watch our backs. And since Marshal Sam Gerard leads the hunt, we will experience suspense, action and daring twists every breathless step of the way. Returning to his Oscar-winning role from The Fugitive, Tommy Lee Jones is Gerard, joining an A-team including Wesley Snipes, Robert Downey Jr. and director Stuart Baird. (Executive Decision) to deliver adrenaline-rush excitement. The suspect: armed, extremely dangerous, perhaps linked to a spy ring. The chase: highlighted by an out-of-control 727, a death match in a ship's cargo hold, a 12-story plunge onto a moving train and more heart-pounding sequences. The movie: U.S. Marshals.