John Matrix, the former leader of a special commando strike force that always got the toughest jobs done, is forced back into action when his young daughter is kidnapped. To find her, Matrix has to fight his way through an array of punks, killers, one of his former commandos, and a fully equipped private army. With the help of a feisty stewardess and an old friend, Matrix has only a few hours to overcome his greatest challenge: finding his daughter before she's killed.
The big battle scenes are especially disappointing.
– D.J.R. Bruckner,
New York Times,
21 May 2003
rotten:
Lots of machine-gunfire, explosions and disposable khaki-clad extras, as you'd expect.
– Trevor Johnston,
Time Out,
24 Jun 2006
fresh:
Chong lights up the film like a firefly, Schwarzenegger delivers a certain light touch of his own, [and] the result is palatable action comics.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
18 Sep 2007
fresh:
Comic book stuff, helped out by the presence of Rae Dawn Chong as an airline stewardess whose sarcastic commentary adds some comic counterpoint to the deliberately overscaled action.