Metro (1997)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Thomas Carter

Writer (WGA):

Randy Feldman (written by)

Release Date:

17 January 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

San Francisco's top police hostage negotiator is about to get more than he ever bargained for.

Plot:

Roper, a hostage negotiator catches a murderous bank robber after a blown heist. The bank robber escapes...

Plot Keywords:

Hostage | Chase | Revenge | Police Officer | Police

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Eddie Murphy	...	Insp. Scott Roper
Kim Miyori	...	Detective Kimura
Art Evans	...	Lt. Sam Baffett
James Carpenter	...	Officer Forbes
Michael Rapaport	...	Kevin McCall
Donal Logue	...	Earl
Jeni Chua	...	Debbie, Earl's Hostage
Dick Bright	...	Bank Manager
David Michael Silverman	...	SWAT Officer Jennings
Denis Arndt	...	Capt. Frank Solis
Frank Sommerville	...	Reporter
Malou Nubla	...	Reporter
Carmen Ejogo	...	Veronica 'Ronnie' Tate
Nino Degennaro	...	Repoman
Michael Wincott	...	Michael Korda

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M (TV rating) | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | Netherlands:12 (TV version) | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Albany, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The final scene was filmed at Mare Island Naval Base in Vallejo, California one year after the naval base had closed down.

Goofs:

Continuity: The hammer on bank robber Earl's revolver changes from cocked to uncocked and back again, in differerent camera shots, as he holds it to hostage Debbie's head.

Quotes:

[On watching a foreign film]
Scott Roper: My eyes still hurt from reading that movie.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Epicenter (2000)

Soundtrack:

O YEAH, IT FEEL SO GOOD

Although It's Nothing Special, Metro is a Solid Action Movie Regardless

Metro appears to be a low-budget action affair, which whilst it has nothing new to offer, shows us a different side to Eddie Murphy as an actor that we hadn't seen before in his previous films. People have in the past often compared this to Beverly Hills Cop 1, in terms of the fact that they are both your typical, run- of- the- mill cop movies, but the comparisons seem to come to an end when you compare that film to Metro, in terms of plot, character types and the fact that Eddie Murphy doesn't joke about as negotiator/cop Scott Roaper that often. Not like his predecessor, Axel Foley. Here, as Roaper he is much more serious and not as laid back in contrast to his most famous movie character. Metro plays out as a straight out action movie that isn't reliant on laughs, which in itself is no bad thing. One of the main problems that some of the audiences had, in regards to their expectations of Metro, was by assuming that it would be something similar on the lines of Beverly Hills Cop. It has its funny moments, but these are few and far between throughout the film, as the narrative in Metro is very much serious and the standard cop thriller we'd come to expect.

Overall, Metro is not a bad effort and the action sequences are well executed. Murphy gives a surprising turn and performance as Roaper and thus it makes a change to see him in an almost completely non-comedic role, which he does well in.

Not bad indeed.