"The Package"
(1989)
Director: Andrew Davis
Director of Photography: Frank Tidy
Stalwart blue collar Chicago-bred director Andrew Davis' '70s-style paranoid thriller with echos of the Kennedy assassination. What would today be derogatorily referred to as a "Dad Movie" is a solid thriller with real world characters, laced with critiques of an out-of-control intelligence state that has an unexpected relevancy with the current political climate. If you are a fan of John le Carré or Frederick Forsyth, this will be up your alley. Another strong turn from the legend Gene Hackman and a duplicitous Tommy Lee Jones. An earlier turn from Mr. Davis, who previously gave C-level action stars Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal a shot at respectability with "Code of Silence" and "Above the Law". Davis has a simple style, with no flash that could distract from the story. One might call it pedestrian, but that would be an insult. It's street level, uncomplicated, working class realism. You could almost call him the Sidney Lumet of action directors. A Chicago native, the entire film (partially set in Berlin) was shot in his home town. The cast is peppered with his usual Second City troupe of ex-cops and working actors, including the crème de la crème of Chicagoan thespians, Dennis Franz, as well as pros such as Joanna Cassidy, John Heard, Chelcie Ross, and Pam Grier. Good action thriller. Bought at Videomatica. Side note: What's up with the poster, Kino Lorber? That does not look at all like Gene Hackman.
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