PHOENIX (1998) - Movie Review

Director: Danny Cannon
Starring: Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia, Daniel Baldwin, Jeremy Piven, Xander Berkeley, Giancarlo Esposito, Anjelica Huston, Tom Noonan, Kari Wuhrer, Brittany Murphy
Genre: Crime, Drama
Writer: Eddie Richey
Runtime: 107 min
Rated: Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality
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Synopsis:

Ray Liotta, Anthony LaPaglia and Angelica Huston star in this adrenaline drenched scorcher that pulses with searing suspense and blistering action. These days it seems like everybody's addicted to something, and for Detective Harry Collins gambling is his drug. He'll bet on anything, no matter the odds, just for the rush. But this time, he's in over his head. Caught between a brutal bookie, a lethal loan shark, and a murderous heist gone wrong, Harry has a daring plan to settle his debts, once and for all.

Review:

At first glance this movie looks like your typical Tarantino-inspired direct-to-video B flick. And while that is certainly true to some extent, I was surprised to find that "Phoenix" is an entertaining neo-noir that is a lot more interested in character development than I was expecting.

For starters, it's got Ray Liotta in the lead role, and he's a terrific actor. The character he gets to play here, Detective Harry Collins, is a degenerate gambler, but not an unlikable guy. Despite constantly being in debt, he still abides by an old school code of honor, which gets him into a lot of trouble. He's yearning for redemption, and still has some morality left, yet he can't seem to get off that road to perdition.

Director Danny Cannon ("Judge Dredd", "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer") and writer Eddie Richey succeed in crafting and interesting main character, an anti-hero with a solid narrative arc, and that goes a long way, especially when most of the plot is on the mediocre side of noir. It's also light on action, so don't go in expecing a lot of gun fights. This is for the most part a slow burn deal.

Another positive is that the movie has a solid ensemble cast, and everyone gives it their all. Anthony LaPaglia is especially chilling as an amoral, unstable and unpredictable dirty cop who you just love to loathe, while Anjelica Huston as Liotta's romantic interest is a great counterbalance to the despicable and debauched characters in the movie. Also great to see compelling early performances from Brittany Murphy and Giovanni Ribisi .

"Phoenix" is an underrated movie, but not exactly a forgotten classic. It could have been better, but it's still solid entertainment, and if you don't go in expecting anything groundbreaking, this movie will catch you by surprise.

SCORE: 7/10