Stealth (2005)

action thriller

directed by : Rob Cohen
featuring : Josh Lucas - Jessica Biel - Jamie Foxx - Sam Shepard - Joe Morton
running time : 
The latest innovation in high-tech defense hardware turns out to have a very dangerous mind of its own in this action thriller. Kara Wade (Jessica Biel), Henry Purcell (Jamie Foxx), and Ben Gannon (Josh Lucas) are three highly ranked U.S. Navy pilots who are part of a top-secret project involving the next generation of stealth fighter technology, the Talon Jet. Wade, Purcell, and Gannon are surprised when their commander, Captain George Cummings (Sam Shepard), introduces them to the new member of their team -- "Edi," an "extreme deep invader" developed as part of the "Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle" program. Utilizing the latest innovations in artificial intelligence, Edi is a computer-based flight controller that will take over the wingman's position in the team's formation, and while the pilots initially balk, Edi performs admirably in its first mission. However, after Edi is struck by lightning on a return trip, the computer's circuits and software begin to change in unexpected ways, and Edi not only begins to think for itself, it begins to violate direct orders. During a mission investigating the forces of a dangerous Chinese extremist, Edi starts an attack that could launch World War III, and it's up to Wade, Purcell, and Gannon to stop both Edi and its dangerous plan before it's too late. Stealth also stars Joe Morton and Richard Roxburgh.

Cohen brings his patented brand of flashy action to the skies with Stealth, an aerial assault on the senses that both wows with its explosions and bores with its plodding plot. This is definitely the type of summer flick that could have done well to snip a few million from its 100-million-dollar budget, as there's simply too much on the screen to fully take in in one sitting. From the overdone-already Fast And The Furious camera trickery that speeds through the jet's electric systems to the gimmicky crane shots that pull from the engines into the cockpit one too many times, it's obvious that Cohen went a bit too wild on his visual flair with this one. Despite this, there are moments that truly pay off, such as Biel's exhilarating free-fall sequence or almost any scene that ends in a massive explosion sure to rock you out of your chair. Not surprisingly, the acting is what you'd expect, with Lucas being charming when he needs to be, but wooden when the times get tense. Biel mainly survives unscathed, though poor Foxx sounds like he's still caught in Ray Charles-mode as he wraps his head around dialogue that's not quite cocky, serious, or even vaguely interesting for that matter. When it comes down to it, inflatable dummies could have headlined the pick, and it'd still been a good ride if not for the script by Buckaroo Banzai director W.D.Richter, who slathers on the layers to a point where the movie unjustly becomes longer than it need be. Still, adrenaline-rushers could do a whole lot worse than Stealth, as evidenced by the dreadful Cohen-produced sequel of the same year, XXX: State Of The Union.