Fire Down Below
B
9/6/1997 5:30pm Secaucus
Steven Seagal returns as yet another bleeding heart liberal who happens to
be extremely skilled in martial arts.  Here, he plays an EPA detective
investigating a backwards hillbilly town in eastern Kentucky.  The evil
owner of a local coal mine is dropping tons of toxic waste into an abandoned
mine, which of course threatens the local water table.  Seagal comes into
town, befriends the locals, roots out the evildoers, and gets in lots of
fights.  However, he just doesn't seem to have the intensity of the past
several films he's done; maybe it's because this role is just too absurd.
Thus, I put the blame more on the story than on the actors.  Still, it's
pretty enjoyable, as long as you can exercise willing suspension of disbelief.

The Peacemaker
B+
9/27/1997 9:45pm Secaucus
George Clooney plays an expert spy-soldier who teams up with a woman who's
temporarily acting department head in charge of nuclear emergencies, played
by Nicole Kidman.  The fun starts with a collection of nuclear warheads
being stolen in Russia, leading to an exciting game of cat and mouse.  I
was mostly satisfied with technical details, except for the amazing resolution
of the spy satellites.  The action was very well directed, and Clooney is
a lot of fun.  Definitely a great time.