The Package

A halfway decent "dry run" for the Andrew Davis repertory company that later surfaced in the same director's "The Fugitive' starring Harrison Ford. The story about "patsy" soldiers and an international assassination conspiracy is actually pretty good, until the usual string of preposterous occurrences help to bail protagonist Gene Hackman out of an impossible bind. Credibility is strained, then lost altogether when seriously wounded Chicago cop--played by Dennis Franz (who else?)--emerges from his hospital bed to help Hackman foil the bad guys. You know, if they thought about the endings with the attention to detail that they lavish on the big shootouts, they might actually have a chance to complete a good film.

Kevin Crowley is good in a major/minor role, preparing the way for his bit parts in "The Fugitive" and "Major League."