IMDb > Chameleon (1996/I)

Chameleon (1996/I) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.8/10   294 votes
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Director:
Michael Pavone
Writers (WGA):
Michael Pavone (written by) &
Dave Alan Johnson (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Chameleon on IMDbPro.
Genre:
Thriller more
Plot:
A government agent who had retired comes out to try to find a druglord who had his family murdered. However... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Poor film made watchable by two good performances more (9 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anthony LaPaglia ... Willie Serling

Kevin Pollak ... Matt Gianni

Melora Hardin ... Jill Hallman
Wayne Knight ... Stuart Langston
Derek McGrath ... Morris Steinfeld
Andy Romano ... Giovanni Pazatto

Robin Thomas ... Jason Ainsley

Richard Brooks ... Tom Wilson
Tony Amendola ... Alberto Cortessi

Frank Medrano ... Larry Giancarlo

Marianne Muellerleile ... Betty Bowen

Donna Bullock ... Psychiatrist
Dave Alan Johnson ... Robert Conwell

Lara Steinick ... Ellen Serling
Diane Johnson ... Nurse
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for some sexuality and violence.
Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
108 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Certification:
UK:18 (video premiere) | USA:R
Filming Locations:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Company:
Rysher Entertainment more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Features "The Flintstones" (1960) more

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User Comments

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2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Poor film made watchable by two good performances, 31 May 2004
Author: bob the moo from Birmingham, UK

Years after he had a breakdown as a result of his wife and kid being murdered by mob hit-man Cortessi, undercover agent Willie Sterling is back on the job. With a leak in the department and leads taking him nowhere, Matt Gianni approaches colleague Stuart Langston to get Sterling to go back undercover to trace drugs money from the cocaine business in a jail, through a crooked bank up all the way to the head of the snake. However Gianni becomes increasingly worried about Sterling losing himself in his multiple identities.

I saw this film a few years ago but never reviewed it at the time, so I decided to watch it again to refresh my opinion. The plot is an average undercover story with a revenge element thrown in for good measure. Once this has been going for a while it also throws in CIA conspiracy, mental breakdown and a romance subplot into the mix. Suffice to say that what comes out is a very strange beast indeed. As a result the story becomes messy quite quickly and is very unlikely from start to finish – a finish that you will be able to predict about an hour before it occurs as well. However what makes the material better than it is, is a couple of good performances, mostly from the lead actor.

You can see why LaPaglia signed for this – he must have seen the clichéd script but seen the chance to show off his ability. While he is good, the script damages his impact and I have seen him do better work – maybe this could serve as his promo reel? On top of his good performance keeping me watching I also though Pollack was quirky and enjoyable (and benefited from not taking the film too seriously at any point). They may not add much more than recognisable faces but the cast also includes Knight, Hardin and Romano, not to mention a superb F. Abraham Murray impression by Amendola.

Overall this is an average film at best, but mostly it is a poor one. The plot, script and characters are pretty nondescript and the film doesn't really do anything with any of the threads that it hints at. Luckily LaPaglia seems to be enjoying himself and it's almost worth seeing for an actor trying to make the best of his part in a poor film.

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