Release Date: May 2, 2006

Tag Line: The assassination was only the beginning.

Description: Cuba Gooding, Jr. (Jerry Maguire, Pearl Harbor) leads an all-star cast which includes Burt Reynolds (The Longest Yard, The Dukes of Hazzard), James Woods (Any Given Sunday, John Q.), Anne Archer (Clear and Present Danger), and Angie Harmon (TV's Law & Order ) in this political action/thriller which opens with a presidential assassination and follows a perilous path of intrigue. The Secret Service agent (Gooding, Jr.) in charge of the president's protection detail blames himself for his team's failure and quits his post, only to become obsessed with solving the crime. A tenacious reporter (Harmon) aids him in his quest. Together they unravel a web of lies as they try to divine the truth behind the conspiracy among shadowy assassins and ex-special ops.

Running time: 93 minutes

Rating: R

Scoop Review

Plot: A Secret Service agent and a news reporter investigate the conspiracy behind the assassination of the President. The duo finds out that, as usual, they “can’t handle the truth!” (I did that on purpose. Could you tell?)

Acting: Let me start off by saying that Cuba is never disappointing. However, he had some awkward moments here, although not enough to make me change my mind about his abilities. He was solid, Angie Harmon did quite well, and the great James Woods always delivers.

Special Effects: Average gun-shooting sequences. There was an exploding boat and trailer and Burt Reynolds’ face lift. Nothing award winning.

Keep an Eye Out For. . .

• Cuba breaking wind on-screen while in his underwear.

• Burt Reynolds’ face lift shots (did I already mention this?).

• The Secret Service Agent who obviously forgot the “Stop, Drop, and Roll” rule. Are Secret Service agents supposed to be intelligent? I imagine it would help if they were.

The Straight Scoop: This is a fairly well-written assassination movie . . . as far as straight-to-video releases go. The motives behind the assassination are what put it straight to the shelf instead of the local theater. The Secret Service-assassination formula never gets boring to me, even in this case. Even though Burt Reynolds is in this flick, don’t let that steer you away. If anything, rent this just to see an up-close shot of his face lift (did I already mention this?).

Recommendation: Not a bad pick. This is one that anybody can enjoy, but don’t set your expectations too high, like JFK-high (Oliver Stone). This is just your basic cat-and-mouse drama. I won’t give away the ending, but I was a bit disappointed. However, I did laugh, which is good. I like laughing, especially when I laugh at something that was not intended for laughter. That makes me laugh harder.

Quality Rating: Three scoops

Riff Rating: Four scoops

Reviewer: Drea Codispoti

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