I don't know if it's her hairstyle (short hair looks great on some women - she is clearly one of them), or her soft makeup, or her attitude, or the way she handles a gun, or the way she fights. It's probably a combination of all of the above that makes Tia Carrere SO sexy in this movie it's distracting - you may find yourself focusing too much on her and not paying enough attention to the rest of the movie. Thomas Ian Griffith shows a flair for self-spoofing, a quality I always appreciate in an action hero, and Donald Sutherland clearly had a good time playing an eccentric, soft-spoken assassin. A quirky sense of humor, occasionally amusing dialogue ("When did you stop trusting me?" "January 30, 1968") and some big explosions add up to an unpretentious and generally fun little action-comedy. (**1/2)
29 Reviews
One of the most underrated action comedies of the 90's - worth a watch
ronin113827 October 2020
For a B-movie this film succeeds where so many A-list action comedies fail where as it is actually funny. The chemistry between Griffiths and Carrera fires off the screen and it so cool seeing John Lithgow and Donald Sutherland just being awesome. What this film really shows though is the kind of sad missed opportunity Thomas Ian Griffiths was who quit acting in 2007. To his credit he absolutely has more screen presence and charisma than damn near any of the big action stars of the last thirty years and now we have people like Sam Worthington who is so dull its painful. A solid fun film.
Ah, for the return of the Vidmark days!
xredgarnetx23 April 2006
In HOLLOW POINT, a Sidney Furie "classic" (Furie is best known for the worst Superman movie ever made), federal agents Tia Carrere and Thomas Griffith mix it up with Russian mobsters, corrupt American business execs and a daffy hit man, although not necessarily in that order. John Lithgow plays a Donald Trump-type character and Donald Suherland is the daffy hit-man. Lithgow and Sutherland both overact in this backlot actioner that never takes itself seriously, not for a minute. Carrere was young and in great shape, although she is not believable as a federal agent. Griffith was coming off of a couple of Seagall knockoff STVs and clearly he was attempting to break the mold and become a comedy star or light leading man. Unfortunately, he isn't particularly funny in this, and his sense of timing is virtually nonexistent. He also has absolutely no charm beyond a perpetual grin. So this leaves Sutherland and Lithgow to save this creaky vehicle, and they do their best in the cause of a fast paycheck. I miss Vidmark. I rented dozens of Vidmark titles during that scrawny releasing company's brief existence. Most were dreck, but some were pretty darned entertaining. HOLLOW POINT (what a catchy title, huh?) falls somewhere in between.
I love this movie
Kurt_B13 December 2002
After reading this miserable comment i decided to write my own point of view of the movie. The movie has everything a movie needs, a story, gags, action and something like a happy end.
I suggest: watch the movie, its NO waste of time
I suggest: watch the movie, its NO waste of time
Not bad for a comedy ... pretty bad for an action movie ....
merklekranz5 July 2015
"Hollow Point" is a difficult film to judge. It is that rare movie that tries to be an action comedy, ramping up the over the top violence, while still trying to elicit chuckles. Things are further complicated by the uneasy mixture of slapstick with "dark comedy". Perhaps the film might have benefited by being a little less scattered. Nevertheless, the characters are likable, and development is acceptable. There are explosions that seem extremely gratuitous, but that is normal for this vintage. Don't go into this expecting either a great action film or a riotous comedy, instead you get sort of a hybrid that is mildly entertaining. - MERK
Sorry, but a waste of time and film
Nimbo9 August 1999
This bomb is just one 'explosion' after another, with no humor and only absurd situations. Really, pyrotechnics to the extreme. Reality is not one of its strong points. I give it a 1 out of 10. I would have made it a zero but that option wasn't permitted. Sorry, but Lithgow and Sutherland deserve better roles. But then at times we all need to have money. And I still recoil at that Tim Burton farce about Mars. Nicholson was brave enough to admit that was a turkey. But if that was a turkey, this movie then is not even a gizzard. I wish I could say, "give me back my money". You can bet I would if I could. But that is the trouble with premium services, the subscription variety.
You've been married six times? No wonder you're in pain!
lastliberal31 May 2009
A shootout at a wedding, a casket rolling down the street, it is all part of the effort to arrest Oleg Krezinsky (David Hemblen), and find Thomas Livingston (John Lithgow) and the Russian Mafia's cash.
Meanwhile a hit-man (Donald Sutherland) takes out FBI agent Diane Norwood's (Tia Carrere) friend )Lisa Bronwyn Moore). Diane was the agent who tried to arrest Krezinsky in the church leading to the shootout.
Diane joins reluctantly with DEA Agent Max Parrish (Thomas Ian Griffith) and Garrett Lawton (Sutherland)to find the money.
I have never seen so many explosions in one movie. They happen every five minutes, it seems.
The banter throughout is lively, funny, sometimes sexually charged, but always interesting.
And, there is the opportunity to watch Tia Carrere for 102 minutes.
Meanwhile a hit-man (Donald Sutherland) takes out FBI agent Diane Norwood's (Tia Carrere) friend )Lisa Bronwyn Moore). Diane was the agent who tried to arrest Krezinsky in the church leading to the shootout.
Diane joins reluctantly with DEA Agent Max Parrish (Thomas Ian Griffith) and Garrett Lawton (Sutherland)to find the money.
I have never seen so many explosions in one movie. They happen every five minutes, it seems.
The banter throughout is lively, funny, sometimes sexually charged, but always interesting.
And, there is the opportunity to watch Tia Carrere for 102 minutes.
A post-modern masterpiece.
forgot_dot23 November 2006
The director Sidney J. Furie has created in Hollow Point a post-modern absurdist masterpiece that challenges and constantly surprises the audience.
Sidney J. Furie dares to ask the question of what happens to the tired conventional traditionalist paradigms of 'plot' and 'characterisation' when you remove the crutches of 'motivation' and 'reason'.
The result leads me to say that my opinion of him could not possibly get any higher.
One and a half stars.
P.S. Nothing in this movie makes any sense, the law enforcement agents are flat out unlikeable and the organised criminals are full on insane.
Sidney J. Furie dares to ask the question of what happens to the tired conventional traditionalist paradigms of 'plot' and 'characterisation' when you remove the crutches of 'motivation' and 'reason'.
The result leads me to say that my opinion of him could not possibly get any higher.
One and a half stars.
P.S. Nothing in this movie makes any sense, the law enforcement agents are flat out unlikeable and the organised criminals are full on insane.
A funny and entertaining movie
hicklebookworm21 September 2005
Love the characters and the story line. Very funny with plenty of action. Thomas Ian Griffith and Tia Carrer give great performances. I enjoyed the dynamic and comical interaction of Griffith and Career. Donald Southerland plays a very likable, and surprisingly sympathetic, burnt out hit man. All three actors are among my favorites and having them in this movie made for a special treat. A nice addition to my extensive DVD collection. I highly recommend this movie. If you like... Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Replacement Killers, L.A. Confidential, The Long Kiss Goodnight, The Abyss and, The Whole Nine Yards... you will love this movie.
Strongly Casted Action Comedy
moviesareawayoflife28 February 2024
Hollow Point is a mid 90's B movie with an all star cast. Leading the way are Thomas Ian Griffith and Tia Carrere with strong support from John Lithgow and Donald Sutherland. It is odd to see Griffith with short hair but he is good here in the action and the comedy moments. Even better is John Lithgow as the main villain who gets some memorable lines. Tia Carrere gives a solid performance but the star of the show is Donal Sutherland clearly enjoying his role as a hitman and he also has many memorable one liners. The action in the film is merely serviceable but the chemistry of the stars overcomes this. I have revisited this film a few times over the years and always have fun with it. It is a brisk 90 minutes long and always manages to put a smile on my face with the comedic elements. Hollow Point once again demonstrates how underrated Thomas Ian Griffith is, he really should have become a bigger star.
Excruciating action "comedy", and I use that term extremely loosely
Leofwine_draca1 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Filmed in Canada, this lame movie fails to provide both thrills and amusement, from the irrelevant title to the predictable finale. The humour is forced, laboured and extremely childish, mainly consisting of people running around with guns and fighting each other. It doesn't help that two such uncharismatic leads were picked but then again even good actors like Donald Sutherland fail to impress in their roles. It's more a fault of the film than anything else.
The simplistic plot meanders from location to contrived location, offering us up more ludicrous situations than you can shake a stick at and a bit of unfunny slapstick humour here and there. Thomas Ian Griffiths looks the part as an action hero and is sufficient as an actor, but lacks charisma, while Tia Carrere is absolutely hopeless as the "tough", annoying heroine who constantly gets on your nerves. Only Donald Sutherland comes off relatively well (compared to the others) as a psychotic hit-man who often rambles to himself in some mildly amusing indulgences. John Lithgow plays the villain, and to say he is underused is an understatement. Still, this may be a good thing, as his screen time is disappointing.
There's nothing worse than an unfunny comedy and this is one of the worst I've seen. Truthfully, I laughed only twice throughout the entire film in a couple of absurdist scenes; one where a man tries to roll under a closing door and gets there too late, and the other where a casual villain walks up to a doorway and fires a rocket straight in through the doors in a matter-of-fact way. Otherwise I sat there, unable to believe my eyes at how clichéd and miserable this film was. This review has been written as a warning: avoid this at all costs!
The simplistic plot meanders from location to contrived location, offering us up more ludicrous situations than you can shake a stick at and a bit of unfunny slapstick humour here and there. Thomas Ian Griffiths looks the part as an action hero and is sufficient as an actor, but lacks charisma, while Tia Carrere is absolutely hopeless as the "tough", annoying heroine who constantly gets on your nerves. Only Donald Sutherland comes off relatively well (compared to the others) as a psychotic hit-man who often rambles to himself in some mildly amusing indulgences. John Lithgow plays the villain, and to say he is underused is an understatement. Still, this may be a good thing, as his screen time is disappointing.
There's nothing worse than an unfunny comedy and this is one of the worst I've seen. Truthfully, I laughed only twice throughout the entire film in a couple of absurdist scenes; one where a man tries to roll under a closing door and gets there too late, and the other where a casual villain walks up to a doorway and fires a rocket straight in through the doors in a matter-of-fact way. Otherwise I sat there, unable to believe my eyes at how clichéd and miserable this film was. This review has been written as a warning: avoid this at all costs!
Difference makes the difference
Mr_Movies27 August 2003
This is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. All of you who regard this movie as absolute sh*t obviusly are not intelligent enough to grasp all of the subtle humor that this movie has to offer. It shows us that real life and "ficticious" action can produce a winning combination. Also, as a romantic comedy, it has one of the most clever ways for two people to find each other. Name me another movie where you can see all of that as well as Donald Sutherland singing a song like "They're Going to Find Your Anus On A Mountain On Mars."
What Am I Missing Here?
refinedsugar12 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Do people have a deep appreciation for bad slapstick romantic comedies? There aren't tongue in cheek laughs to be found here. It's as subtle as being hit with a sledgehammer.
An FBI agent (Tia Carrera) is tired of not being taken seriously by her male peers after she blows a 6+ month undercover operation to capture an elusive Russian bad guy in the opening. No joke. A drug addicted ex-DEA agent (Thomas Ian Griffin) is trying to capture him too. A back and forth competition between the two heralds the obvious romantic tensions.
John Lithgow is a mastermind trying to bring four heads of major crime rings (including the Russian) together to combine their wealth and excerpt maximum power. He hires a depressed, zany hitman (Donald Sutherland) to teach that FBI agent a lesson ... by murdering her female best friend. Does any of this sound funny so far?
When the assassin learns his employer plans to take him out, we spend the rest of the movie with the trio (FBI, ex-DEA, hitman) as an on and off team to take down the baddies and maybe score a massive payday.
Most of the humor fall flat. A casket popping out of a hearst and rolling down the street. A pointless exchange of dialog with a stripper. An outdated bottle of mustard. Pinch yourself everytime they use substance abuse as a joke. DEA guy was married how many times? Oh ... hilarious.
'Hollow Point' is equal parts predictable and boring. You can guess the happy ending. None of the elements (romance, comedy, action) click and there's no real chemistry between the leads. Recognizable faces and some decent acting only get you so far. The pyro guy certainly earned his paycheck though.
An FBI agent (Tia Carrera) is tired of not being taken seriously by her male peers after she blows a 6+ month undercover operation to capture an elusive Russian bad guy in the opening. No joke. A drug addicted ex-DEA agent (Thomas Ian Griffin) is trying to capture him too. A back and forth competition between the two heralds the obvious romantic tensions.
John Lithgow is a mastermind trying to bring four heads of major crime rings (including the Russian) together to combine their wealth and excerpt maximum power. He hires a depressed, zany hitman (Donald Sutherland) to teach that FBI agent a lesson ... by murdering her female best friend. Does any of this sound funny so far?
When the assassin learns his employer plans to take him out, we spend the rest of the movie with the trio (FBI, ex-DEA, hitman) as an on and off team to take down the baddies and maybe score a massive payday.
Most of the humor fall flat. A casket popping out of a hearst and rolling down the street. A pointless exchange of dialog with a stripper. An outdated bottle of mustard. Pinch yourself everytime they use substance abuse as a joke. DEA guy was married how many times? Oh ... hilarious.
'Hollow Point' is equal parts predictable and boring. You can guess the happy ending. None of the elements (romance, comedy, action) click and there's no real chemistry between the leads. Recognizable faces and some decent acting only get you so far. The pyro guy certainly earned his paycheck though.
Wacky derivative cool
spider-3116 November 1999
John Lithgow? Tia Carrere? Donald Sutherland?
Yep, they got them all, and a pill poppin G-man who loves his guns, mixed them up with a whole bunch of different gangsters and came up with this, a strange hybrid of naff action movie, and pure cool action...
It might be trashy and silly, but the four main characters manage to lift it out of the swamp of mediocrity (although Donald Sutherland does rave insanely for much of this film...) Of course, Tia Carrere's fabulous body is an added plus (or John Lithgow, I guess...if you prefer that kind of thing...)
Yep, they got them all, and a pill poppin G-man who loves his guns, mixed them up with a whole bunch of different gangsters and came up with this, a strange hybrid of naff action movie, and pure cool action...
It might be trashy and silly, but the four main characters manage to lift it out of the swamp of mediocrity (although Donald Sutherland does rave insanely for much of this film...) Of course, Tia Carrere's fabulous body is an added plus (or John Lithgow, I guess...if you prefer that kind of thing...)
drivel
maddave-dave015 September 2012
This poor excuse for entertainment seemed to be aimed at 6-year-olds who 'might' find its pish-poor jokes and humorous situations slightly funnier than learning their times-tables. There's really not much else to say about this tax-write-off. What on earth was Mr.Sutherland thinking about when he agreed to 'ham' his performance. The minimum lines required for a review (10 lines) leaves me with no choice other than to waffle on and on about not much, much like the film in question. Another review describes the films subtle 'hum-our', i would disagree, subtle is never a word used to describe American funnies, blatant overkill silly jokes better describes it.
An ok action flick with a touch of humor
goya-48 September 2000
Hollow point is an alright movie worth a half price rental or if nothing else is on a good time waster with no thought required. There are the requisite explosions and hammy acting and pretty ladies. A pretty good cast with Donald Sutherland, John Lithgow, and the lovely Tia Carrere. This cast plus a light hearted touch make for a not a great movie but a fun one..on a scale of one to ten ..a 4
Hollow Point - Point- Less more like it
krocheav20 August 2023
Hollow is right, totally. This low-life trash is ideal for those whose taste may be where they sit. Even the explosions are so sensationalisticly ham-fisted they killed one of the crew and injured others. There's always a certain audience that will fall for simplistic, crude violent nonsense like this and the big-name stars who took the money and ran - must have been hoping no one would be silly enough to pay to see this turkey.
Color and movement are all there is, with empty-headed poor taste, standing in for anything else. The script plays like it was written on the back of a chocolate wrapper during a drunken night out with mates. Watch at your peril (either some comments for this might have been written by the producers, or perhaps they paid others to send them?)
Color and movement are all there is, with empty-headed poor taste, standing in for anything else. The script plays like it was written on the back of a chocolate wrapper during a drunken night out with mates. Watch at your peril (either some comments for this might have been written by the producers, or perhaps they paid others to send them?)
One of the finest modern American B-movies
rednikki8 June 2000
This film is one of the finest American B-movies of the 90s. If you're looking for a serious film, look elsewhere. However, if you're looking for some action, a lot of laughs, and a tongue in cheek variation on cops fighting gangsters, this is well worth watching. Everyone chews the scenery a bit, but that's really what the film is all about, and everyone is quite funny. Donald Sutherland and John Lithgow have great chemistry and need to do another film together.
funny moments
Honajz27 October 1998
I think Hollow Point is a funny film with some good moments I have never seen before in action movies. Well,both Tia Carrere and Thomas Ian Griffith aren't so good in acting, but Tia Carrere is nice and good looking girl, isn't it? But Donald Sutherland is superb in his role so-so mad gangster.
Action comedy - the emphasis is on comedy
PlanecrazyIkarus6 February 2002
The plot: A crime lord is uniting 3 different mafias in an entreprise to buy an island, that would then serve as money-laundering facility for organized crime. To thwart that, the FBI tries to bust one of the mafia lords. The thing goes wrong, and by some unlikely plot twists and turns, we are presented with another "cop buddies who don't like each other" movie... one being a female FBI agent, and the other a male ex-DEA agent.
So far, so stupid. But the strength of this movie does not lie in its story - a poor joke, at best. It is funny. (At least the synchronized German version is). The action is good, too, with a memorable scene involving a shot gun and a rocket launcher. But the focus is squarely on the humour. Not intelligent satire, not quite slapstick, but somewhere in between, you get a lot of funny jokes.
However, this film is the opposite of political correctness. Legal drug abuse is featured prominently, without criticism, and even displaying it as cool. That's the bit of the movie that seriously annoyed me, and renders it unsuitable for kids, in my opinion.
All in all, for a nice evening watching come acceptable action with some funny jokes, this movie is perfect. Just remember: In this genre, it is common to leave your brain at the door when you enter the cinema / TV room. Then you'll have a good time. 8/10
So far, so stupid. But the strength of this movie does not lie in its story - a poor joke, at best. It is funny. (At least the synchronized German version is). The action is good, too, with a memorable scene involving a shot gun and a rocket launcher. But the focus is squarely on the humour. Not intelligent satire, not quite slapstick, but somewhere in between, you get a lot of funny jokes.
However, this film is the opposite of political correctness. Legal drug abuse is featured prominently, without criticism, and even displaying it as cool. That's the bit of the movie that seriously annoyed me, and renders it unsuitable for kids, in my opinion.
All in all, for a nice evening watching come acceptable action with some funny jokes, this movie is perfect. Just remember: In this genre, it is common to leave your brain at the door when you enter the cinema / TV room. Then you'll have a good time. 8/10
Amusing action flick
valdyr7 June 2000
Hollow Point, though clumsy in places, manages to be an extremely endearing and amusing action movie.
The primary entertainment value here is humor - everyone turns in clever performances that provide the film with a great deal of energy.
Oh, by the way, advocates of gun safety will be horrified by the conduct of the characters in this movie...
The primary entertainment value here is humor - everyone turns in clever performances that provide the film with a great deal of energy.
Oh, by the way, advocates of gun safety will be horrified by the conduct of the characters in this movie...
Bad film, good actors.
Haflinger13 August 2002
This is a bad romantic comedy/action flick in the Lethal Weapon mold. All of the main characters are out of that strange Hollywood universe; however, John Lithgow and Donald Sutherland both turn in exceptional performances, and save the film, except for the times when they're not on the screen. See it if you're a film of Lithgow and/or Sutherland, avoid it otherwise.
i make it my business to know a little bit about everything
kairingler29 August 2008
This is a movie that i can watch over and over and never ever get tired of it, it has lot's of laughs, guns, action, crime,, good one liners, and a decent plot, with an over the top, Donald Sutherland in a rather comedic role as an Assasain. Tia Carerra looks as hot as she ever did and can act too, Thomas Ian Griffin is great in this as the lead character "Max" a DEA agent Diane is the FBI agent, played by Carerra, and John Lithgow from Frazier on TV, plays the bad guy,, "Livingston". The plot centers around Max and Diane trying to capture Livingston while they fight and argue with each other about who gets the money for the respective agencies, throw into the mix the Assassain Sutherland, who pretty much has all the good one liners, this is the perfect crime caper, there is the usual love story,, but played very differently than you would think by Carerra and Griffith. You also have the Russian mafia, Italian Mafia, and Chineese Mafia here thrown into the mix,, the film is shot in Boston,, where you have some great shots , and locals,, great photography and music in this film, this movie is just the epitome of a crime comedy,, it has everything that one could ever want. Check out Sutherland's toilet in a particular scene,, very unusual. this film is a riot and will make you laugh real hard 10 plus for me.
cool fun movie
jgold19591 October 2015
Warning: Spoilers
i liked it just got the DVD great lines good cast. Thomas Ian Griffith and Tia Carrere make a good team and Thomas Ian Griffith egotistical morphine and speed popping agent with Hot Tia Carrere may never have hit the A list as actors, but in this movie they're great.But the real stars of the film are Donald Sutherland as the psychotic pyromaniac John Lithgow a good villain, but Donald Sutherland really steals the show as a hit-man. This is a perfect movie to get out the popcorn turn off your brain and have fun movie to turn off your brain and have fun! p.s. this is a thumbs up , Not sure if this ever made the big screen but it should have. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes high-action flicks with excellent plots. It's one of my favorite movies...even my girlfriend loved it!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
