Blast (2004)

Director:

Anthony Hickox

Writers (WGA):

Horst Freund (teleplay "Operation Noah")
Steven E. de Souza (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 November 2004 (Russia)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Thriller

Tagline:

Oil And Money Are An Explosive Mix.

Plot:

A terrorist posing as environmentalist hijacks an oil rig off the coast of California with the intent of detonating an electromagnetic bomb over the US.

Plot Keywords:

Oil Rig | Terrorist | California | Tugboat | Buddy Comedy

Cast

Eddie Griffin	...	Lamont Dixon
Vinnie Jones	...	Michael Kittredge
Breckin Meyer	...	Jamal
Soup	...	Raj
Shaggy	...	Mace
Nadine Velazquez	...	Luna
Hannes Jaenicke	...	CEO Heller
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	Smiley (as Tiny Lister)
Warwick Grier	...	Telford
Vivica A. Fox	...	Agent Reed
Nicky Andrews	...	Eric
Paul Du Toit	...	Smiley's Goon
Langley Kirkwood	...	Agent Phillips
Dean Slater	...	Dean
Brett Whitehead	...	Uli

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and some language.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

Germany | South Africa | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Netherlands:12 | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | USA:R | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

South Africa

Company:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA)

Trivia:

Post-production ADR was apparently performed when some of the actors were not available. Thus, there are several points where they have been looped by other performers who only sound vaguely like them. In addition, Hannes Jaenicke's entire performance has been re-voiced by someone else.

Quotes:

Jamal: Next thing I know, I hook up with his band of warriors and I'm in the middle of this mess. People shooting, they tell me to electrocute you, the girl keeps hitting me in the face, you knocked me out. I'm dealing with a lot of stuff here.

Movie Connections:

References A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Not quite a blast, but better than "Die Hard 4"!

Having recently seen the fourth chapter of the "Die Hard" series and being somewhat disappointed by it (because it felt more inspired by the James Bond movies rather than by its predecessors), I watched "Blast!" looking for a more genuine "Die Hard"-like experience - and indeed I got it! What's almost uncanny is how closely this 2004 straight-to-DVD movie resembles the 2007 blockbuster: a technology-heavy villainous plan, a hacker/nerd as the hero's sidekick, a female martial arts expert as the villain's right-hand woman, a kid (OK, not a 20-something daughter, but still....) that needs to be rescued, etc. However, unlike "DH 4", "Blast!" stays faithful to the formula of the first 2 "Die Hard" movies (trivia note: they were written by the same man, Steven De Souza), and keeps the action mostly confined to a single space (an oil rig). "Blast!"'s climax is also much better, with TWO simultaneous fights AND a race against time going on! Eddie Griffin is actually quite credible as an action hero, Vinnie Jones has his moments as the villain (when Griffin tells him what a disaster his actions will cause, he responds "if you look closely, you can see a tear forming under my eye" - that made me laugh out loud) and (unlike Timothy Olyphant) he can fight too, and Nadine Velazquez is awesome and sexy as his henchwoman - I hope her appearance in Jet Li's upcoming "War" helps her gain more recognition, she deserves it. Overall, I enjoyed "Blast!" more than "DH 4", more proof that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. (**1/2)