At the University of Chicago, a research team that includes brilliant student machinist Eddie Kasalivich experiences a breakthrough: a stable form of fusion that may lead to a waste-free energy source. However, a private company wants to exploit the technology, so Kasalivich and physicist Dr. Lily Sinclair are framed for murder, and the fusion device is stolen. On the run from the FBI, they must recover the technology and exonerate themselves.
Considering that this film was directed by Andrew Davis who before this directed the hit film the Fugitive (1993), you would have thought he ought to put a lot of effort to making Chain Reaction to be just as great as the Fugitive. Unfortunately Chain Reaction just comes off as being a very plain mediocre film. When I originally first saw this film I had no clue what it was about but now since seeing it with a better perspective I now know what it's about, I suppose the story in this does work well but this film does have it's problems, I'm not saying this film is bad as it's watchable but it's very plain.
The first problem in this film that comes to my mind is the music soundtrack, oh my gosh, talk about the wrong type of music for your film. Having the right music for your film is extremely important and the people that were behind the films musical design got it all completely wrong. In hindsight this is a chase film where the hero is wrongly accused of something he didn't do and is being chased by the police, but the scenes themselves are just "plain" and could have been better. I know I keep using the word plain but when I say this I don't mean it in a bad way, like I said the story does work well.
Overall conclusion, it's a mediocre action film that's not bad but it's it's just...well...plain.
I think it was Roger Moore (or maybe Michael Caine) who, when asked about some rotten film he made, said he didn't recall the film but he did the house it paid for. Well, clearly that philosophy was not just limited to the 1970s. Here we have another such film featuring the slightly unkempt Keanu Reeves ("Eddie") who is working with fellow scientist "Lily" (Rachel Weisz) on some revolutionary green technological advances. Next thing, his father is found with a plastic bag over his head, things start exploding and the two are wanted by the FBI for murder, treason - just about every crime in the book. What now ensues is the usual manhunt drama with a truly off-form Brian Cox ("Collier") and a slightly more benign "Shannon" (Morgan Freeman - not playing the President this time) in hot pursuit. The plot is simple, yet the attempts to introduce red herrings - whom can they trust, etc? - merely serve to clutter it all up. Somebody somewhere decided this couldn't just be an action thriller, it had to have some worthier purpose. Well, I am afraid that just fell flat. Keanu is a handsome man, and in many, many of his roles that carries his somewhat limited acting abilities; well not here and Weisz doesn't really turn up either. That said, the production standards are decent, and there is plenty of action to keep the thing moving along but the formula is tired and I was pretty bored after the first fifteen minutes. The film managed to sustain that ennui quite successfully, too.
