John Travolta vs Terrorism

Sukanya Verma

Osama Bin Ladin may be facing the axe from America for the devastating terrorist attacks on September 11.

But after seeing Swordfish, one would like to put part of the blame on Hollywood too.

Why?

For their destructive imagination, but of course.

For starters, you have John Travolta, talking about not sparing terrorist states or nations harboring terrorists, a la US President George Bush.

Secondly, instead of planes crashing into the WTC,Swordfish shows a private aircraft, with a bus full of hostages dangling from it, crash into the skyscrapers of LA.

Thirdly, in the climax, they conveniently put the blame for all the mishaps on a Al Bin Hadin. No prizes for guessing who that is.

The film not only instills a sense of déjà vu, but also sets you thinking as to how entertainment can give birth to vicious ideas in a person's mind, leading to big-scale destruction.

Swordfish, a stylish, slick action caper, stars the dynamic John Travolta as a lethal and charismatic spy Gabriel Shear, who wants to rob the government of some millions. In order to transfer the accounts under his name, he needs someone to hack into the super encryption.

Enter Stanley (Hugh Jackman), a top hacker, who has just been released from prison for hacking into the FBI cyber control.

Gabriel's companion in crime Ginger (Halle Berry) is asked to summon Stanley, who uses her charm and sensuality in effective doses to convince him in joining hands with them.

In return, he gets to be with his little daughter Holly, presently staying with his ex-wife Melissa.

Once Stanley gets into this exciting world beyond his own, he realises that there is more to Gabriel than meets the eye.

It's not just the green bucks, as Gabriel turns out to be an undercover leader of a counter terrorist unit Black Cell.

Caught in the web of deceit and craziness, Stanley has no way out.

Will he ever unite with Holly? Will Gabriel be successful in his unacceptable plans to oust terrorism? What is Ginger's real identity?

Produced by the makers of Matrix, Swordfish has some spectacular special effects and action scenes, especially the slow motion bombing sequence.

High tech gizmos, gadgets and John Travolta's sleek, black convertible make their presence felt.

Director Dominic Sena (Gone In 60 Seconds) proves, once again, that he has a keen eye for fact paced action flicks. But his script sense leaves a lot to be desired.

One cannot miss the cool 'look' Swordfish sports. Be it Paul Cameron's green filter cinematography or Paul Oakenfold and Christohper Young's futuristic techno music.

John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Face Off) appears in good form. Not only does the forty plus actor look dashing, he portrays the part of the I-get-what-I-want Gabriel with a unique brand of calm and spirit. Plus, he gets to say the best lines in the film. Don't miss the opening scene.

Halle Berry (X-Men) is wasted in an ill-defined role that doesn't leave her to do much except bare herself at every opportunity.

Australian Hugh (X-men, Someone Like You) Jackman has the lengthiest part and he makes most of it. His intensity and charm makes him look credible even in the silliest of parts.

A good show from all the actors and the technical team goes waste, thanks to a poorly developed script heading nowhere.

Quoting John Travolta in the film "You know what the problem with Hollywood is? They make shit. Unbelievable, unremarkable shit."

Need I say more?

Also see:
Swordfish on Web
Crash!Boom!Bang!