from Film Forum, 09/26/02Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever stars Antonio Banderas (The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids) and Lucy Liu (Charlie's Angels) as sparring spies in this violent action pic. Reviews from both religious media and mainstream critics aren't good.
Preview's critic says, "Continuous and often graphic violence is exploited and poses as entertainment." Gerri Pare (Catholic News) says the movie is "so explosively violent … that Banderas and Liu are almost beside the point. They are mere instruments of destruction in this trashy tale of vengeance-motivated kidnapping and killing."
Mainstream critics agree. Robert K. Elder (Chicago Times) writes, "Heavy artillery for intellectual lightweights, Ballistic offers the most onscreen explosions in recent memory. It's almost pornography for arsonists." Manohla Dargis (Los Angeles Times), on the other hand, offers one of the few semi-positive reviews: "There's no defense for movies like these, but neither do they warrant apology; they're irresistibly watchable, like car wrecks."
