Ricochet, directed by Russell Mulcahy, is about a cat-and-mouse game between Los Angeles district attorney Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) and Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow), a felon who pledges revenge after Styles arrests him. The first half of this film was intriguing and suspenseful, while the second half was equally frustrating and idiotic.
The film begins with styles as a rookie police officer patrolling a carnival with his partner Larry Doyle (Kevin Pollak). Simultaneously, on the other side of the carnival, in an abandoned building, a drug deal goes wrong due to the intrusion of hitman Blake, who kills everyone and steals the money but is stopped by Styles as he is about to escape. Blake and Styles engage in a dramatic and masterfully staged armed standoff, with Styles outsmarting Blake, who is apprehended and sent to jail. Styles becomes the hero after the event is caught on camera and is promoted to detective. On the other hand, Blake’s ego hurts when Styles outsmarts him and makes destroying Styles’ life his mission. Blake does not want Nick dead. He plans to frame Nick and see him go through the exact ordeal he did. As Blake rots in jail, Styles rises through the ranks and moves up in life. He becomes the assistant district attorney, marries a woman he loves, and has two children. He is also considered a suitable candidate to enter politics and run for mayor, but he refuses as he wants to serve the community. Blake watches Styles’ life closely in prison, and after years of waiting patiently, he finally gets his opportunity and escapes from prison to carry out his revenge on Styles.
The first half of Ricochet is action-packed, fast-paced, and thrilling, especially the Earl Blake portion. While in the prison, Blake faces adversities from everywhere, but he is so ruthless that he brutally kills an Aryan Brotherhood member in a sword fight and strikes a deal with the gang’s leader to escape from jail. The best part of the film is undoubtedly the scene in which Blake, with the help of the Aryan Brotherhood, plots his escape from prison on the day of his parole hearing. The entire sequence is violent, brutal, and executed brilliantly. After evading capture, Blake fakes his death before setting out to exact vengeance on Styles. There is an intercut between two sequences in which Styles raises donations for the children’s community center in one scene, and Blake, dressed as an electrician, enters Styles’ home after cutting the power supply and drugs Nick’s daughters’ babysitter in the other. It is a terrifying scene in which we know what Blake is capable of, but he is so unpredictable that we have no idea what he will do to those kids.
Unfortunately, the movie goes downhill from there. The portrayal of Styles’ downfall was unconvincing, and it felt too staged and artificial. The main element of his downfall hinges on whether or not other people believe that Blake is alive, yet Blake conveniently wanders the city like a tourist. When Styles finds himself in trouble, he enlists the help of his old childhood friend Odessa (Ice T), a drug dealer, leading to a climax that is nothing short of idiotic. The conclusion devolves into a circus freak show, which entirely loses your interest.
John Lithgow makes the movie interesting with his dynamic performance as Blake. There is a certain level of insanity and energy to his performance, where he plays that role with no compassion or patience. He could have been an excellent candidate to play Joker in the 1990s. Ricochet was a big letdown after showing so much promise in the first half.
Ricochet movie link: IMDB
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