Amusing to say the least
“The Specialist” is absurd in every way yet i’m still not entirely sure that isn’t the point. I’ve always had a soft spot for this Sylvester Stallone-Sharon Stone thriller, which isn’t so much sexy as it is a hilarious B-movie. It comes from Luis Llosa, who went on to direct “Anaconda”. See the trend there?
It stars Stallone as explosives expert Ray Quick. Ray is one of those former CIA spooks who lives off the grid, turning what looks like an ordinary house near the harbor into a high security tech fortress, equipped with pressurized explosives and other gadgets only he knows how to bypass.
It’s easy to tell what kind of movie this is going to be based on an early scene. Ray, avenging angel that he is, notices thugs bothering a pregnant woman on the bus. He proceeds to beat the shit out of all of them, even throwing one through the bus window. And what happens next? Nothing. People are grateful and then the scene just ends.
Anyway, Ray’s work is carrying out hits which is what May Munro (Stone) requires. She lost her parents when a drug cartel murdered them when she was a girl. Ray is intrigued by the woman but also hesitant to take on her case right away. He follows her and they talk on the phone until he knows she’s on the level and he can trust her.
But May is determined and so she has decided to infiltrate the cartel of Joe Leon (Rod Steiger) by seducing his easily volatile son (Eric Roberts). Also in Leon’s employ is security officer Ned Trent (James Woods), still seeking revenge against Ray for the opening scene, which is efficient in defining them as partners turned enemies if nothing else.
Much of the first half has Stallone and Stone talking on the phone. You can tell the calls are trying to be a mix of solemn, sultry and provocative but often they just try ridiculously hard. Stone can often be seen in her underwear, Stallone shirtless doing some form of tai-chi. It’s hilarious, as is the eventual sex scene of animal lust. Still, Stone naked counts for something.
The best and worst of the performances in this movie go to Woods and Steiger though. Woods always comes off like the smartest guy in the room- teeth gnashing and full of sarcasm, he’s a lot of fun getting off on pure menace. On the other end, Steiger employs a Cuban accent which makes a mockery of every English word he tries to say.
There’s more explosions than action in “The Specialist” but here, too, the film is not without its silly charms. Heads are blown off and wind up in fish tanks, bombs are rigged in the most preposterous of places, and somehow Stallone is able to rig up and take out a whole penthouse with explosives within only minutes.
In addition Llosa creates a decent little Miami film noir- capturing the nightlife, the dance clubs and their seedy backrooms, the Cuban music, and women in tight dresses. He doesn’t have much of a story to tell here and his approach is an overdose on explosions and sexy people. And while Stallone and Stone are fine, Woods runs away with it.
Yet for a film that’s all kinds of dumb there’s quite a bit of fun in watching it. Maybe it’s the seriousness of the Stallone-Stone sexy scenes, maybe it’s the explosions, maybe it’s the terrible accents, or maybe it’s Woods. What am I saying? It’s definitely all of it. There’s no end to how amusing this movie can be if you’re in the right mood.