HelenMary Swayze plays an inmate on death row wrongly convicted of killing his wife, and whilst in prison he corresponds via cassette tape with four ladies. A prank by one of the jail guards results in tapes getting switched and one of the ladies announces she wishes to exact revenge for this slight, and the rather clever screenplay keeps you guessing right up until the end. It's quite a dark murder mystery of sorts, a gripping thriller, and Swayze really plays Race Darnell very well. Whilst the plot has a few holes, or rather improbabilities, I think it's clever and you have to keep your wits about you whilst watching and after-wards may just feel as ragged as Swayze's denim shirt. Certainly not a brainless film experience, and it has some great stunts, familiar faces and good performances. All in all a rather good film, well Directed and well shot (though nothing arty or unusual) on location in some varied places. The plot carries this film, as well as the performance of Swayze; I enjoyed seeing him riding a horse and dancing (albeit just a bit) again in this - I'm a great admirer of his work and this is a not so well known but noteworthy example of his acting talent.Note: Katy Selverstone (FBI woman) bears a striking resemblance to Jodie Foster, don't you think?

Geofbob I didn't expect too much from this movie which had no cinema release in the UK, but for its first hour or so it's a competent and original drama, and it just about holds you until its end. Race Darnell, played by Patrick Swayze, on Death Row for killing his wife, exchanges letters in the form of casette recordings with four women, each of them thinking she is his sole support. But one of them discovers the truth, and turns nasty. Soon after, his conviction is reversed; he gets out, and meets up with the women one by one, trying to find out who's threatening him. But before he identifies her, she starts killing the others, using the same method he was supposed to have used with his wife.From then on, the film becomes more implausible, and more gory. Also, though tension is first built up with Swayze going on the run, it's then reduced by cutting away from the action to show the Feds having discussions about who the killer is, instead of them simply pursuing Race implacably. A nice touch - or a digression, depending on your point of view - is a buddy-buddy friendship between Race and one of his former wardens, Horton (Roger E Mosley) who's a fan of cowboy stories. You're kept guessing until the last few minutes, though mainly because one of the characters acts irrationally, and the Feds climb some stairs very slowly! All in all, it's worth a look on TV, or as a bargain rental.

claessen It might be that the film I saw was entirely different from the one that the others saw, however as the actors are the same I can only think that the cut I saw in Europe differed from the one circulating in the US.Anyway, this was the worst movie that I saw the past five years. (Closely followed by The Waterboy...)Why: Because in my opinion this director has taken elements from every thriller preceding this one, mixed them, put the in the wrong order with the wrong music and published it.(Examples: nothing happends, the music gets scary, and still nothing happends. The "grumpy" officer us grumpy in a way that would let the actor flunk any acting class. There´s a buddy-moment which comes out of nowhere at the end. There´s an inescapable scene and in the next scene all the problems are gone.)If you want to see a smart movie: see Memento. If you want to see a better thriller: see any thriller that comes to mind. If you want to see Patrick Swayze: see Dirty Dancing.

nikkismith-312 This film may be full flaws, but putting them aside, it's quite an enjoyable movie. If nothing else, it serves a strong warning to those among us to write to prisoners! I though Mr Swayze was particularly convincing in his role and this film deserves to be seen by a wider audience. Patrick Swayze fans will enjoy.