A Better Way to Die (2000)

A Chicago cop quits the force and finds himself threatened by the Mafia.

Director:

Scott Wiper

Writer:

Scott Wiper

Stars:

Scott Wiper, Jack Conley, Carmen Argenziano

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Wiper	...	Boomer
Jack Conley	...	Fletcher
Carmen Argenziano	...	Carlos
Richard Haje	...	The Mute
Mo Gallini	...	Laslov (as Matt Gallini)
Rolando Molina	...	Chach
Kirk McKinney	...	Spaz
Jefferson Moore	...	Harrison James
Wayne Duvall	...	Rifkin
Mirjana Jokovic	...	Salvi
Conner Greene	...	Salvi's Son
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	William Dexter
Benjamin John Parrillo	...	Cooper
London King	...	Cheryl
Jon Farris	...	Fagan (as John Farris)

Storyline

Set along the highways of the U.S. heartland, the story follows the journey of an ex-cop who is inadvertently thrust into a fierce struggle between the FBI and the Chicago underworld, both of which are searching for a missing federal agent who holds the key to the syndicate's demise.

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Plot Keywords:

fbi federal bureau of investigation | love | assassin | mafia | police | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence throughout, language and some sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

The shootout in the beginning was filmed at the old Smith Bros. Warehouse on 4th st in Columbus, Ohio. It has since been renovated and is now offices.

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Quotes

Laslov: [to flash] You want that pain in your head to go away? You transfer it
[shoots flash in the legs]

User Reviews

Authentic action thriller

I was pleasantly surprised with this flick, as it looked like a typical and un-original action film whereas it turned out to be fairly original and extremely entertaining. The central character is called "Boomer" and is played by Scott Wiper who is a very talented actor, director and writer and it seemed as though he put a lot of thought and effort into this movie, which really pays off. The opening scene is one of the best i've seen for a long time and is obviously influenced by the 'Quentin Tarantino' style of writing and film-making...which of course is a good thing. I was also surprised at the strength of the cast, which includes such hollywood names as Lou Diamond Phillips, Joe Pantoliano, Natasha Henstridge and Andre Braugher.

The highlight of this film has to be Andre Braugher's character 'Cleveland'. Cleveland is a fairly complex character and quite humerous, he's an assassin with a good heart and really makes the film much more entertaining (as do most of the characters). However, I was quite disappointed with some of this film as the big names such as Natasha Henstridge and Joe Pantoliano hardly get any screen time and I was very disappointed as I thought these actors/actresses would be significant characters, which they weren't. All in all 'A Better Way To Die" is an extremely entertaining action flick which takes you on a roller-coaster ride of action and surprises.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2001 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Agonas epiviosis

Filming Locations:

Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Newmarket Capital Group, Newman/Tooley Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1