Students-on-the-road-getting-in-trouble seems to be one of the themes of the year. At first sight, this movie does not look very differently from the other action or horror flicks I saw recently. However, it has a quality and coherence that is not usual for movies in its class. Without any known name in the cast, with a low budget and according to some of the critics in only 19 days, director Richard Gale succeeded to make a very decent movie. His hand is sure, his cut is professional, and the movie might have been low-cost for the producers, but never looks cheap. I also think that something deeper about the American gun culture is trespassing the screen. I expect nice surprises from this director in the future. 7/10 on my personal scale.
17 Reviews
Like a cool drink of water in the desert
MBunge22 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Pressure is a low budget thriller with a well designed plot, a couple of compelling villains and a surprising number of thrills. The only thing it doesn't have is some gratuitous nudity and, frankly, this movie is good enough that it doesn't need it.
Steve and Patrick (Kerr Smith and Lochlyn Munro) are a couple of med students driving through the back roads of Oregon. Steve's an uptight grinder who tries to keep everything under control. Patrick is the life of the party who skates through life with a smile on his face. They pull into a roadside bar which just happens to be hosting a college cheerleader convention. Patrick thinks he's in heaven, but Steve just wants to get back to his med student girlfriend Sara (Michelle Harrison). Patrick talks him into staying for one beer and while his buddy cavorts, Steve is propositioned by the "bar hot" Amber (Angela Featherstone).
Against his better judgment, Steve follows her out into the parking lot but stops himself before it goes to far. Then Amber's fat faced boyfriend Bo (Adrien Dorval) whacks Steve in the head with a 2x4. They've made a little business out of mugging travelers like Steve and Bo drags him into the woods to have some fun. He pulls out a gun and starts shooting around Steve, until Bo accidentally shoots himself. Steve thinks he's been saved. Then Bo turns out to be a local deputy and calls for back up, claiming Steve shot him. That sends Steve and Patrick on the run, pursued by the county sheriff (Donnelly Rhodes) who happens to be Bo's father. As the carnage and death toll mounts, the FBI become involved and the media get hold of Steve's story, which brings Sara up to Oregon to see what she can do. As Steve and Patrick find themselves deeper and deeper in trouble, they have to go to greater and greater extremes to stay alive.
Pressure is a fine example of how important plot is to making a successful melodrama. This isn't a production about subtle characterization or thematic depth. It's about the characters moving from crisis to crisis and barely managing to crawl out the other side. A story like this needs two things above all else. One is speed, and this film moves along at a crackerjack pace. There are not only no wasted scenes, there are hardly any wasted seconds. You can't overestimate the value of constant forward movement in this sort of movie.
The second necessary thing is to have more than one thing going on. Melodramas are looked at as simpler and shallower than serious drama, but they do need a certain amount of narrative complexity to work well. They need to have multiple conflicts spread out amongst multiple characters, moving both in parallel and converging. Pressure, for example, does not just focus on Steve and Patrick's scramble to survive. It also has a subplot on the abusive relationship of Bo and Amber. He's a seething boil of resentment and insecurity who takes it all out on her and the pressure that builds up on Amber mirrors the tension that Steve is going through. And then there's a tertiary conflict between the sheriff and the FBI over who's going to catch Steve and additional levels of interpersonal strife between Patrick and Steve over who got them into this mess, Steve and Sara over what he did or didn't do with Amber and even Bo and his father.
Those two characters and the men who play them are the real stars of this film. Bo is such a contemptible, stupid bully that after he gets shot in the dick once, you dislike him so much you want to see him get shot in the dick again. Adrien Dorval does a great job embodying just about every negative thing about overgrown boys who think they're men. Bo's father, on the other hand, is definitely a man. A blocky union of intensity and deliberation, the sheriff is able to hold life and death in his hands with equanimity. Donnelly Rhodes forcefully portrays one of the most imposing challenges any melodrama hero has ever run up against.
Now, the last 20 minutes of Pressure is a bit too dependent on the sheriff getting far too kill crazy to be realistic and the film does seem to think it gave Steve more of a character arc than it actually did, but those are minor flaws.
In the barren wasteland of low budget cinema, Pressure is an oasis of entertainment. Watch it.
Steve and Patrick (Kerr Smith and Lochlyn Munro) are a couple of med students driving through the back roads of Oregon. Steve's an uptight grinder who tries to keep everything under control. Patrick is the life of the party who skates through life with a smile on his face. They pull into a roadside bar which just happens to be hosting a college cheerleader convention. Patrick thinks he's in heaven, but Steve just wants to get back to his med student girlfriend Sara (Michelle Harrison). Patrick talks him into staying for one beer and while his buddy cavorts, Steve is propositioned by the "bar hot" Amber (Angela Featherstone).
Against his better judgment, Steve follows her out into the parking lot but stops himself before it goes to far. Then Amber's fat faced boyfriend Bo (Adrien Dorval) whacks Steve in the head with a 2x4. They've made a little business out of mugging travelers like Steve and Bo drags him into the woods to have some fun. He pulls out a gun and starts shooting around Steve, until Bo accidentally shoots himself. Steve thinks he's been saved. Then Bo turns out to be a local deputy and calls for back up, claiming Steve shot him. That sends Steve and Patrick on the run, pursued by the county sheriff (Donnelly Rhodes) who happens to be Bo's father. As the carnage and death toll mounts, the FBI become involved and the media get hold of Steve's story, which brings Sara up to Oregon to see what she can do. As Steve and Patrick find themselves deeper and deeper in trouble, they have to go to greater and greater extremes to stay alive.
Pressure is a fine example of how important plot is to making a successful melodrama. This isn't a production about subtle characterization or thematic depth. It's about the characters moving from crisis to crisis and barely managing to crawl out the other side. A story like this needs two things above all else. One is speed, and this film moves along at a crackerjack pace. There are not only no wasted scenes, there are hardly any wasted seconds. You can't overestimate the value of constant forward movement in this sort of movie.
The second necessary thing is to have more than one thing going on. Melodramas are looked at as simpler and shallower than serious drama, but they do need a certain amount of narrative complexity to work well. They need to have multiple conflicts spread out amongst multiple characters, moving both in parallel and converging. Pressure, for example, does not just focus on Steve and Patrick's scramble to survive. It also has a subplot on the abusive relationship of Bo and Amber. He's a seething boil of resentment and insecurity who takes it all out on her and the pressure that builds up on Amber mirrors the tension that Steve is going through. And then there's a tertiary conflict between the sheriff and the FBI over who's going to catch Steve and additional levels of interpersonal strife between Patrick and Steve over who got them into this mess, Steve and Sara over what he did or didn't do with Amber and even Bo and his father.
Those two characters and the men who play them are the real stars of this film. Bo is such a contemptible, stupid bully that after he gets shot in the dick once, you dislike him so much you want to see him get shot in the dick again. Adrien Dorval does a great job embodying just about every negative thing about overgrown boys who think they're men. Bo's father, on the other hand, is definitely a man. A blocky union of intensity and deliberation, the sheriff is able to hold life and death in his hands with equanimity. Donnelly Rhodes forcefully portrays one of the most imposing challenges any melodrama hero has ever run up against.
Now, the last 20 minutes of Pressure is a bit too dependent on the sheriff getting far too kill crazy to be realistic and the film does seem to think it gave Steve more of a character arc than it actually did, but those are minor flaws.
In the barren wasteland of low budget cinema, Pressure is an oasis of entertainment. Watch it.
" A Breakneck Yarn Of Redneck Cops And Cheerleaders " ...
Theo Robertson5 August 2003
... that`s what it said on the info button of my remote control and this intrigued me because what sort of madmen think they can make " A breakneck yarn of redneck cops and cheerleaders " ? Well director Richard Gale and co-writer Craig Brewer think they can .
As you`d might expect with " A breakneck yarn of redneck cops and cheerleaders " PRESSURE is rubbish . It includes many dumb situations involving logic , characterisation and stereotyping . Actually stereotyping is the thing that stuck out in my mind as the cops here are as you`d expect in a rural American state - Inbred , inter related and a bigger menace to society than any local criminal , a sort of cross between the drill instructor from FULL METAL JACKET and the pig fetish freaks from DELIVERANCE. But I also wish to say credit where it`s due because despite ludicurous and very dumb PRESSURE is a fairly entertaining movie and even though Richard Gale and Craig Brewer are very possibly mad for wanting to do " A breakneck yarn of redneck cops and cheerleaders " I never felt like switching the TV off . Let`s hope they don`t get stopped for speeding by state troopers on a lonely road
As you`d might expect with " A breakneck yarn of redneck cops and cheerleaders " PRESSURE is rubbish . It includes many dumb situations involving logic , characterisation and stereotyping . Actually stereotyping is the thing that stuck out in my mind as the cops here are as you`d expect in a rural American state - Inbred , inter related and a bigger menace to society than any local criminal , a sort of cross between the drill instructor from FULL METAL JACKET and the pig fetish freaks from DELIVERANCE. But I also wish to say credit where it`s due because despite ludicurous and very dumb PRESSURE is a fairly entertaining movie and even though Richard Gale and Craig Brewer are very possibly mad for wanting to do " A breakneck yarn of redneck cops and cheerleaders " I never felt like switching the TV off . Let`s hope they don`t get stopped for speeding by state troopers on a lonely road
enthralling crackerjack thriller proving good things come in small packages
cjnb30 August 2002
Stars Kerr Smith, Lochlyn Munro, Angela Featherstone, Michelle Harrison, Adrien Dorval, Donnelly Rhodes, David Neale, John B.Destry Even if the brewskie is yelling your name from inside, don't enter desolate small-town bars just one of the many messages Director Richard Gale is trying to convey through Indy thriller `Pressure'. A crossbreed permutation of polished road thriller and Richard Kimble intrigues, `Pressure' tells the tale of two med students, Steve (Kerr Smith) and Patrick (Lochlyn Munro), who discard the aforementioned advice, and on the way back to the land of the living, decide to stop off at an uninhabited bar. Realising that a cheerleading convention is in full swing, it looks like the boy's night at the bar will be a memorable one until Amber (Angela Featherstone) decides to chat up the ostensibly unavailable' Steve. Tempted into a possible one-night fling with the mystery woman, Steve follows her outside. But just as soon as he falls back on his offer to play around with her, the woman's unforseen associate hits him from behind. Seems she and Bo Cooper (Adrien Dorval) have set-up their latest prey. When Bo inadvertently shots himself in his manhood', Steve panics, especially when he hears the man identified on his radio as a Cop'. Knowing exactly what will happen to him if he is found in the obdurate situation, Steve darts back to the bar grabs Patrick and they hit the road in a never-ending chase. Within hours, the state's police squad lead by the corrupt, relentless Sheriff Cooper, also the shot man's father- and the FBI have imprinted the hunt one of the biggest of the times. With routes blocked right, left and centre, Steve must harden up and outmanoeuvre his indomitable antagonist, ultimately getting himself out of the mess. Though conventional, `Pressure' is a solid thriller, with some great performances, slick camera-work, tense music score and exceptional use of locale. Gale delivers a movie that doesn't let up for a minute, barely missing a beat over its 90 minutes. Kerr Smith proves he is more than one of Dawson's Creek's teeny cronies, turning in a forceful, notable performance as the innocent on the run. Lochlyn Munro (Scary Movie) adds weighty support as his friend and fellow target, Patrick. Where `Pressure' scores its points chiefly is in the production. This slick, impressive-looking thriller was shot in just 19 days. And for a film shot in that time, with little to no budget or fanfare, this is an enthralling crackerjack thriller proving good things come in small packages.
Fairly solid little thriller
movieman_kev6 February 2012
Steve and Patrick, two med students on their way home from a little vacation, stop at a rundown bar just for one drink. While Patrick is having fun trying to make time with the cheerleaders, perhaps I neglected to mention there was a.cheer convention in town, but I digress, while he's there, poor Steve gets talked into escorting a local woman out into the parking lot where he's promptly mugged and under circumstances not under his control finds himself on the run from the law.
It took me awhile to actually watch this movie, it's been in my Instant Netflix queue seemingly forever, and it's a shame that I didn't remedy that sooner, as I found this to be a pretty well-acted solid enough thriller. Some of the characters felt one-dimensional and the ending felt a tad rushed but a good little flick none the less.
My Grade: B
It took me awhile to actually watch this movie, it's been in my Instant Netflix queue seemingly forever, and it's a shame that I didn't remedy that sooner, as I found this to be a pretty well-acted solid enough thriller. Some of the characters felt one-dimensional and the ending felt a tad rushed but a good little flick none the less.
My Grade: B
Shooting Blanks
wes-connors12 October 2009
In a nutshell, Kerr Smith (as Steve Hillman) is accused of shooting the genitals off deputy Adrian Dorval (as Bo Cooper), after necking with the cop's abused girlfriend Angela Featherstone (as Amber). Accused ball-buster Smith, a young medical student, flees with party-minded pal Lochlyn Munro (as Patrick Fisher) from a stupid Oregon police force led by deputy Dorval's dad, Donnelly Rhodes. The corrupt chief of police wants revenge because son Dorval will not be able to reproduce without functioning genitalia. Director Richard Gale and editor Garry M.B. Smith make it look like "Pressure" amounts to something, and it's fun watching crusty Sheriff Rhodes in hot pursuit - but, the sophomoric story is dumber than it looks.
**** Pressure (2/20/02) Richard Gale ~ Kerr Smith, Lochlyn Munro, Donnelly Rhodes, Angela Featherstone
**** Pressure (2/20/02) Richard Gale ~ Kerr Smith, Lochlyn Munro, Donnelly Rhodes, Angela Featherstone
Very well done and suspenseful...
dwpollar15 March 2003
1st watched 3/15/2003 - 8 out of 10(Dir-Richard Gale): Very well done and suspenseful `man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time' movie. This movie surprised me because it doesn't have any big-name stars, it's one of those movies that you're scared to rent because of it's position in the video stores it has loser written all over it partly because of a subplot involving cheerleaders, but guess what!! This was far from a loser. I'm very surprised that this movie with it's keen writing, superb direction, good acting, and suspense til the end plot, didn't get much attention from anyone in Hollywood it seems. It was made in Canada and pretty quickly was put on video. This is why I like to watch movies, because every once in a while I get surprised. I will look forward to more films by Richard Gale and maybe even recognize Kerr Smith in another role in the future. Way to go, group!! There was tongue-in-cheek humor, action, great pounding music and even a good-guy wins ending.
Absolutely no suspension of disbelief
gaflick5731 January 2016
This film is absolutely camp, but unfortunately that doesn't make it funny, merely sad.
It might have been possible to take the story line and produce a film with some credibility; however, at every odd twist and turn of the plot, the actors betray their characters in a most unconvincing manner. It's like they fell from outer space into the movie frame not knowing the kind of analytical and reasoning skills required to be even a rotten med school student. And that's just one example.
There's very little dynamic tension (or should I say "pressure"), so that one often sees right through the action into the reality of the movie set. It's like watching a high school film project made on a single afternoon in the back yard, where the kids are trying to "act." On the technical side of things, location scouting, scenic design, cinematography, and editing actually are OK.
I understand that Pressure was short on a tiny budget and in only a couple of weeks, but that doesn't excuse the lack of directorial insight and skill underlying the whole project.
It might have been possible to take the story line and produce a film with some credibility; however, at every odd twist and turn of the plot, the actors betray their characters in a most unconvincing manner. It's like they fell from outer space into the movie frame not knowing the kind of analytical and reasoning skills required to be even a rotten med school student. And that's just one example.
There's very little dynamic tension (or should I say "pressure"), so that one often sees right through the action into the reality of the movie set. It's like watching a high school film project made on a single afternoon in the back yard, where the kids are trying to "act." On the technical side of things, location scouting, scenic design, cinematography, and editing actually are OK.
I understand that Pressure was short on a tiny budget and in only a couple of weeks, but that doesn't excuse the lack of directorial insight and skill underlying the whole project.
It's pressure all right !
thebigmovieguy18 June 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I've seen "Pressure" a few months ago when I rented the DVD at blockbuster videos. I thought it was just okay as first but I afterwards saw the special features including a small featurette about the making of the movie. Actors sat down and talked about the movie's actual message. So when I saw the movie for the second time, I found it much more entertaining once you've understand what the hell is going on !
"Pressure" tells the story of Steve (Kerr Smith) and Patrick (Lochlyn Munro) who are two medical students back from a conference heading for California. On their way home, they stop at a bar somewhere in Oregon where they get into trouble when Steve gets involved with the wrong girl (Angela Featherstone). The rest of the movie is one big chase scene where Steve and Patrick must prove their innocence.
*SPOILERS*
Don't read this part if you haven't seen the movie. Unless of course you're not willing to see it at all.
As I was saying, Steve gets involved with a girl who manages to take him outside of the bar for a few minutes. Steve is attacked by her boyfriend with whom she robs his belongings. But that's not all. Her boyfriend is some kind of crazy idiot who likes to see people suffer to feel in control. So he brings Steve out in the woods to scare the hell out of him but accidently shoots his balls off when he triggers his gun in his pants. Steve manages to escape with Patrick. Unfortunately, the guy who shots himself is a cop and his father is the sheriff. You guess about the rest.
I personally think that "Pressure" was a good movie by director Richard Gale. Do you know he shot this movie in 18 day ?!! Incredible is the results if you watch the movie and its special features. It will explain you what you'll probably won't understand while viewing the film.
Overall, "Pressure" is a nice little chase movie like many others except that it stands altogether. The script is solid, the direction is good and the acting is average. A good movie for people who've enjoyed "The fugitive" and "Rambo". Not as violent as both of these, though. Rent this movie. It's worth it. I rate it 7/10.
"Pressure" tells the story of Steve (Kerr Smith) and Patrick (Lochlyn Munro) who are two medical students back from a conference heading for California. On their way home, they stop at a bar somewhere in Oregon where they get into trouble when Steve gets involved with the wrong girl (Angela Featherstone). The rest of the movie is one big chase scene where Steve and Patrick must prove their innocence.
*SPOILERS*
Don't read this part if you haven't seen the movie. Unless of course you're not willing to see it at all.
As I was saying, Steve gets involved with a girl who manages to take him outside of the bar for a few minutes. Steve is attacked by her boyfriend with whom she robs his belongings. But that's not all. Her boyfriend is some kind of crazy idiot who likes to see people suffer to feel in control. So he brings Steve out in the woods to scare the hell out of him but accidently shoots his balls off when he triggers his gun in his pants. Steve manages to escape with Patrick. Unfortunately, the guy who shots himself is a cop and his father is the sheriff. You guess about the rest.
I personally think that "Pressure" was a good movie by director Richard Gale. Do you know he shot this movie in 18 day ?!! Incredible is the results if you watch the movie and its special features. It will explain you what you'll probably won't understand while viewing the film.
Overall, "Pressure" is a nice little chase movie like many others except that it stands altogether. The script is solid, the direction is good and the acting is average. A good movie for people who've enjoyed "The fugitive" and "Rambo". Not as violent as both of these, though. Rent this movie. It's worth it. I rate it 7/10.
Thriller with a capital T
dave-sturm31 October 2010
I give this low-budget indie with no big name cast members 10 stars because it is does exactly what it sets out to do — keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The pace is relentless, the plot twists keep coming, the music pounds. Shoot outs? Oh yeah.
Two medical students on their way home through Oregon stop at a rural roadhouse to take a nature call. The bar is packed with dancing cheerleaders (there's a cheerleader convention nearby), so why not stay for "just one beer." Before long, there's an altercation in the parking lot, someone gets shot and our boys are on the run in their Mustang, cops in hot pursuit. The stakes keep going up as more and more people get shot. There's even some black humor.
This movie is pure muscle and bone. No fat. There's a quiet interlude when the boys run across a survivalist living in a cabin in the woods, but that's about it. It is almost reckless how tautly edited this movie is. Shot for shot, the climax on a remote bridge is so well shot it ought to be shown in film school.
Plausibility? Not so much. It is full of "It just so happens that ..." moments. So what.
For a pure adrenaline rush, you can't beat "Pressure."
Two medical students on their way home through Oregon stop at a rural roadhouse to take a nature call. The bar is packed with dancing cheerleaders (there's a cheerleader convention nearby), so why not stay for "just one beer." Before long, there's an altercation in the parking lot, someone gets shot and our boys are on the run in their Mustang, cops in hot pursuit. The stakes keep going up as more and more people get shot. There's even some black humor.
This movie is pure muscle and bone. No fat. There's a quiet interlude when the boys run across a survivalist living in a cabin in the woods, but that's about it. It is almost reckless how tautly edited this movie is. Shot for shot, the climax on a remote bridge is so well shot it ought to be shown in film school.
Plausibility? Not so much. It is full of "It just so happens that ..." moments. So what.
For a pure adrenaline rush, you can't beat "Pressure."
this is a great movie.
kingoftheworld_chrisjeri4 January 2007
kerr smith is awesome in the action/thriller movie.I have never seen kerr smith play a character like this, and he does it so well. this is one of the best movies I have seen in years. I would totally recommend it. if you see this movie you will not regret it. if you like action/thrillers you will love this. on the cover of the movie it says trapped-convicted-innocent(something lik that) and that what cought my attention right from the start. I wouldn't mind watching this movie over and over again. this movie is about a bad cop that shots himself in the balls and blames it one an innocent human and of course everybody believes the cop so then steve (kerr smith) is on the run for his life.
Steven pritchett.
Steven pritchett.
Terrific start
guilfisher-111 May 2006
This 2002 thriller was directed by Richard Gale. It's his second film and shows that he has a terrific talent in starting out as a director. He also co-wrote the screenplay and shared camera operation as well. He chose great locations that suited the theme of this tale. I really liked the bar location, outside and inside, and the bridge. He captured the mood. The fact that he did the shoot of this film in 16 days is a tribute to how well he knows his stuff. Can you imagine what he can do with a bigger budget and more time? Go for it, Richard. If there's one picky thing I want to touch on, it's the easy way our hero was led astray by our leading lady, played wonderfully by Angela Featherstone. Like, that he gives in to her after making such a fuss to his friend about not staying. Oh, well guess there wouldn't be any plot if he nixed her invitation. Our hero, played by Kerr Smith, one of my favorite actors, since he first came to my attention in DAWSON'S CREEK, gave an honest and realistic performance as a guy who becomes the victim of events. Smith gives an underplayed performance which I felt fit in this sordid tale. A lot of Montgomery Clift style to his work. How about a film on Clift's life? It was hard to take him at times when he just stood and watched the action going on around him. But, that's the script. Example when his friend races across the bridge screaming at the top of his lungs to fall down. When he sees someone taking aim at him. Poor Kerr just stands there looking at his friend. Oh, well, getting picky. As the friend, Lochlyn Munro was perfectly cast and did an amazing job playing second fiddle to Smith. They balanced each other in the right way. Maybe star them in remake of An American Werewolf In London? Munro had the right charm and nonsense particularly in the bar with his gang of cheerleader companions. He stole the scene. Then he turns around and gives the right amount of sensitivity in the more serious scenes. Adrien Darval plays the heavy in this and he convinced me. Reminded me a lot of Albert Salamni. He was brutally real and convincing. Veteran actor Donnelly Rhodes also plays an unlikable character as the Sheriff of this back woods country. He's thorough in his interpretation and adds the drama needed to take this seriously. Michaelle Harrison as the girl he left behind, showed quite a lot of chutzpa in her few scenes. She held her own with all the craziness going on around her. You believed her. And a special mention for the sensitive performance of the Deputy played by David Neale. They say part of the director's job is choosing his cast. He chose well in this film. Each and every actor did well and made this small budget film into a major successful work of art. Thanks, guys, you were terrific. Oh hell, I'm giving this a 10. And I'm getting the DVD too.
witty, funny and fast
moritz-schroeder31 May 2004
Pressure is hugely enjoyable. This film is entertaining and thrilling as the pace is relentless and after 90 minutes you are sorry that it is over. Great direction, good editing and timing, great dialogues, 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree fun and black humour. Actors who obviously had a lot of fun during the production. Some comments criticized the stereotyping of characters, but hey that's the point: the film rides on clichés. I gave it a 10/10 because it is an Indy which is so much better than most blockbusters. Of course it's not the best film ever, the story is not in the nobel price league, but that doesn't matter, it's not meant to be. I only was sorry that the German distribution DVD did not include "making of" and other extras.
Well worth watching
MC1-119 September 2003
First few minutes of the film have you fooled into thinking it's something else entirely... anyone who turns off because of this is missing a movie which ramps up the "Pressure" notch by notch. It's not for some time that you realise how the movie gets its name...
If you try to explain this movie people get the wrong idea.
:-)
If you try to explain this movie people get the wrong idea.
:-)
MUCH better than it will ever get credit for
sndupre721 April 2013
Unlike the reviewers who low rated it(my supposition is there won't be many)I couldn't justifiably in good conscience rate this film any less than a 10. Standard grade television fare? OK, lesser known stars (who based on this, will probably have had bigger titles by now)and an apparently formulaic setup: two friends on a road trip, yadda, yadda, yadda, seen it before. This flick, however, transcends that fantastically. Oscarworthy? No, but only because its not the type of film people who raved about Black Swan want to see. It is not fast-moving running,jumping, and gratuitous shooting, nor deep, thought-provoking fare. It is the perfect popcorn film. Great situations (oh, NOW what do we do?),the coolest sheriff this side of R. Lee Ermey,a most-depraved,sociopathic villain who you are "entertained" watching and waiting for to "get his" (possibly accompanied by what I thought was a great one-liner) and somehow, a sensible conclusion. Anybody who slights it on police-involved circumstances and procedures I'd strongly suggest talk to some police or ex-police without a microphone and camera running. Highly recommended.
Doc Hollywood meets Rambo in this surprisingly good film.
gmalav58771 September 2002
Set in the Pacific NW it is a story of bad cops gone bad. A father and son team are the town's police force. They run the isolated town as they see fit, giving in to their basest desires along the way.
Two hapless medical students go in to the wrong bar at the wrong time and become the target of the bad cop's full wrath of violence and deciept.
Through in sexual tension, brutal rage and escape and evasion in the deep woods of the Pacific NW and you have a surprisingly good film.
Two hapless medical students go in to the wrong bar at the wrong time and become the target of the bad cop's full wrath of violence and deciept.
Through in sexual tension, brutal rage and escape and evasion in the deep woods of the Pacific NW and you have a surprisingly good film.
Surprisingly tense
dkeeley1 August 2002
Pressure is something of a paradox. It plays like an above-average TV movie, but at times does better than standard hollywood fare in avoiding plot cliches and explosion-driven narratives.
Kerr Smith, probably familiar from Dawson's Creek, is pretty likeable as the young man caught up in a series of freak mishaps which leave him hunted by the local police for a crime he didn't commit. There are some dodgy moments (The old camera spinning round the head as he tries to stay sane moment leaps to mind) but overall it's undemanding and he does fine. The supporting cast does fine, Lochlyn Munro is best as his unbelievably loyal friend (You're the subject of a statewide manhunt and waving a gun around while covered in blood? Let's go!) and the sheriff is suitably psychotic. That's the main character problem with the film - some of the characters are just so damn nasty it makes them somewhat unbelievable.
The narrative is the film's strong point, although it tails off a bit in the second half. The way that things fall apart in the first place is suitably plausible and it's a shame that the same inventiveness couldn't continue through the whole script. Things stay pretty tense though, and really the only complaint is that it ends a bit easily and perhaps should have been drawn out a bit longer - hardly the worst criticism of a film.
So overall - not a bad way to kill 90 minutes on a sunday afternoon.
Kerr Smith, probably familiar from Dawson's Creek, is pretty likeable as the young man caught up in a series of freak mishaps which leave him hunted by the local police for a crime he didn't commit. There are some dodgy moments (The old camera spinning round the head as he tries to stay sane moment leaps to mind) but overall it's undemanding and he does fine. The supporting cast does fine, Lochlyn Munro is best as his unbelievably loyal friend (You're the subject of a statewide manhunt and waving a gun around while covered in blood? Let's go!) and the sheriff is suitably psychotic. That's the main character problem with the film - some of the characters are just so damn nasty it makes them somewhat unbelievable.
The narrative is the film's strong point, although it tails off a bit in the second half. The way that things fall apart in the first place is suitably plausible and it's a shame that the same inventiveness couldn't continue through the whole script. Things stay pretty tense though, and really the only complaint is that it ends a bit easily and perhaps should have been drawn out a bit longer - hardly the worst criticism of a film.
So overall - not a bad way to kill 90 minutes on a sunday afternoon.
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