Fled

By EMANUEL LEVY

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An MGM/UA release of an MGM presentation of a Frank Mancuso Jr. production. Produced by Mancuso. Executive producer, Preston A. Whitmore II. Directed by Kevin Hooks. Screenplay, Preston A. Whitmore II.
 
Piper - Laurence Fishburne
Dodge - Stephen Baldwin
Cora - Salma Hayek
Gibson - Will Patton
Pat Schiller - Robert John Burke
Lt. Clark - Robert Hooks
Santiago - Victor Rivers
Chris Paine - David Dukes
Warden Nichols - Ken Jenkins
Mantajano - Michael Nader
Faith/Cindy - Brittney Powell

 

It's probably a futile exercise to analyze the improbable plot points and incoherent characterizations in "Fled"; the sole purpose of the fast-moving actioner is to provide harmless popcorn entertainment with a good dosage of humor, which it does rather well. Toplined by Laurence Fishburne, in his action debut, and Stephen Baldwin as convicts on the run from the law and the mob, MGM release won't rank among the season's biggest guns, but it will rub undiscriminating summer audiences the right way, resulting in healthy, though not spectacular, box office.

Scripter Preston A. Whitmore II and helmer Kevin Hooks are obviously well-versed in film lore, for they have concocted a hodgepodge that recycles elements from several white-black team movies, including "48 HRS.,""Lethal Weapon" and "Money Train," as well as character-driven action comedies like "Bad Boys." In all of these films, much of the humor derives from the endless sparring of an ill-matched couple as they face one gruesome adventure after another.

Initial dramatic sequence is inspired by Stanley Kramer's "The Defiant Ones, " though it becomes clear quite quickly that, unlike the 1958 movie, "Fled" is neither a serious exploration of an interracial conflict nor a political allegory. Piper (Fishburne), a no-nonsense convict, and Dodge (Baldwin), a smart computer hacker, find themselves handcuffed to each other in a Georgia jail. When Dodge is harassed by a crazed prisoner, Piper interferes. A violent riot erupts, killing all the guards and allowing the odd couple to escape.

Circumstances leading to Piper's arrest are initially vague; when later revealed, they provide a major plot point regarding his identity. As for Dodge, he's doing federal time for using his computer to steal millions from a multinational corporation that, unbeknownst to him, serves as a front for a Cuban crime syndicate.

An impressive pre-credit scene establishes the efforts of the district attorney's office to produce a key witness who will help indict Mantajano (Michael Nader), the Cuban Mafioso who heads the operation. When the witness is killed in a bomb explosion, the only chance to frame Mantajano is to get a computer disk that contains invaluable information about his operation and is now in Dodge's possession.

Prosecutor Chris Paine (David Dukes) puts pressure on federal marshal Schiller (Robert John Burke) to get the disk quickly, in time for the hearings of the organized crime committee. Joining the race is Atlanta police detective Gibson (Will Patton), who suspects that Schiller is an officer of dubious morality.

Except for some funny one-liners that invariably draw on movie references, Whitmore's script is no more than serviceable. Indeed, whenever the pair engages in verbal or physical brawling, which is often, tension is released by allusions to classics like "Deliverance,""The Godfather" and even "The Fly." A visually stunning scene, in which the two men jump off a railroad bridge into a river, evokes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" as well as "The Fugitive." In this -- and other instances -- Matthew F. Leonetti's alert and mobile camera, and sharp tech credits in every department, elevate the virtually nonstop actioner way above its pastiche, B-level plot.

Afraid of boring the audience for one brief second, director Hooks, who made the action thriller "Passenger 57," gives the proceedings an extraordinarily rapid tempo. This is especially so in some well-executed chase scenes that have the handcuffed men use every possible means of transportation: cars, trucks, motorcycles -- and their own feet.

Adding to his already impressive range, Fishburne makes a most appealing action hero, overcoming the various twists and turns, not all of them plausible, of his tough-as-nails character. Fishburne enjoys good chemistry with Baldwin, who gets to deliver most of the punch lines, including one that refers directly to his co-star's role in "What's Love Got to Do With It."

Salma Hayek, as a Mexican divorcee, and Brittney Powell, as a stripper, lend the necessary feminine touch to what's mostly male territory, though Hayek's erotic image is underplayed. Pic bene-fits from a large and wonderful supporting cast, with especially forceful turns from Patton as a decent detective, Hal Hartley regular Burke as a corrupt marshal, Dukes as a scrupulous prosecutor, and Robert Hooks, the helmer's father, as a calm, by-the-book cop.

Special kudos go to stunt coordinator John Meier, whose acrobatic choreography admirably meets the demands of the physically challenging action, set in such colorful locales as Miami, Tennessee's Chattanooga Railroad Museum and Georgia's Stone Mountain Memorial.

Camera (Deluxe color), Matthew F. Leonetti; editors, Richard Nord, Joseph Gutowski; music, Graeme Revell; production design, Charles Bennett; art direction, Charles Breen; set decoration, Mary Stacy, Katie Pinholster; costume design, Jennifer Bryan; sound (DTS Stereo), Michael Wilhoit; special effects coordinators, Bob Shelley, Gary Bentley; stunt coordinator, John Meier; associate producer, Vikki Williams; assistant director, John Hockridge; second unit director, Mic Rodgers; second unit camera, William Wages; casting, Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich. Reviewed at AMC Cinema, Santa Monica, July 9, 1996. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 98 min.