The Alternate (2000)

A staged kidnapping of the President of the United States becomes very real, forcing a lone hero to save the day.

Director:

Sam Firstenberg

Writer:

Bryan Genesse

Stars:

Eric Roberts, Bryan Genesse, Ice-T

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Roberts	...	The Alternate
Bryan Genesse	...	The Leader
Ice-T	...	Agent Williams
Michael Madsen	...	Agent Jack Briggs
John Beck	...	President Fallbrook
Brooke Theiss	...	Mary
Larry Manetti	...	Agent Harris
Eliza Roberts	...	Chief of Staff Donaldson
J. Cynthia Brooks	...	Mrs. Fallbrook
Richard Steinmetz	...	Swat Leader
Heidi Jo Markel	...	Reporter
Ronn Moss	...	Fake President
Bill Kirchenbauer	...	Loud Texan
Robert Madrid	...	Bullet Proof Glass Technician
Sal Landi	...	Secret Service Agent

Storyline

The President of the United States, in the midst of negative puplic opinion, is kidnapped while attending a charity function. Initially, we discover that the kidnapping was planned by his chief of staff to boost his poll ratings as the reelection is one week away. However, one of the kidnappers decides the opportunity for gain is too strong and turns it into a real kidnapping. What he didn't expect is another member of his group to foil his plan.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | fistfight | poison dart | limousine | disguise | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agent of Death

Filming Locations:

Park Plaza Hotel - 607 S. Park View Street, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,700,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Millennium Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Near the end on the roof, when the 'replacement' picks up his pistol, it's a black sleeved arm that picks it up, but he's wearing a white shirt and no jacket.

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Connections

Featured in Bad Movie Beatdown: The Alternate (2013)

User Reviews

Really horrible

The Alternate, a story of President's mock-kidnapp that turns into a real hostage situation was aired just recently on nationwide TV here in Czech Rep. I saw it rather accidentally all through to the very end as I really wanted to know if every other minute will be as stupid as all the previous.

The Alternate really does it all, but unfortunately the other way out. All the plot twists (all places tha are supposed to be twists) are really the weakest links - the characters do almost always the opposite of what would any sane person do. The president just sits there (afraid of heights), our main hero makes silly phone calls with FBI in which he only says that he is fine and that he is the guy in the suit, and the bad guy (as well as the good guy) just always miss and in situations that should be filled with action, they just start with lines of stupid chat.

Really nothing in this movie was quite right. The FX were sometimes really silly, the martial fights were oscillating between acceptable quality and total crap and out of the thousands of rounds fired in the movie there is hardly dozen on target.

The act is horrible, but that is mainly due to stupid script and bad direction. You should see this only if you fancy B movies that are so stupid, that you can laugh at them.