Chain Reaction (1996)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Andrew Davis

Writers (WGA):

Arne Schmidt (story) &
Rick Seaman (story) ...

Release Date:

2 August 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Drama

Tagline:

Reaction Time 8-4-96

Plot:

Two researchers in a green alternative energy project are put on the run when they are framed for murder and treason.

Plot Keywords:

Conspiracy | Box Office Flop | False Accusation | Hydrogen | Limousine

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 10	2:30 PM	HBO
Tue. July 14	4:30 PM	HBO

Cast

Keanu Reeves	...	Eddie Kasalivich
Morgan Freeman	...	Paul Shannon
Rachel Weisz	...	Dr. Lily Sinclair
Fred Ward	...	FBI Agent Leon Ford
Kevin Dunn	...	FBI Agent Doyle
Brian Cox	...	Lyman Earl Collier
Joanna Cassidy	...	Maggie McDermott
Chelcie Ross	...	Ed Rafferty
Nicholas Rudall	...	Dr. Alistair Barkley
Tzi Ma	...	Lu Chen
Krzysztof Pieczynski	...	Lucasz Screbneski
Julie R. Pearl	...	Emily Pearl
Godfrey	...	Chidi Egbuna
Gene Barge	...	James Washington
Nathan Davis	...	Morris Grodsky

Also Known As:

Dead Drop (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense action/violence.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #34663) | Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:PG | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

53rd Street & Blackstone Avenue, Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Chicago Pacific Entertainment

Trivia:

Elements of the original script of the film written by Josh Friedman entitled "Dead Drop" in which Morgan Freeman's character in the film frames Keanu Reeves' character for murder and industrial espionage were kept with subsequent rewrites, with the final shooting draft of the script having Freeman playing more of a mysterious mentor-like government agent and Reeves' character still a scientist plus adding the Rachel Weisz character.

Goofs:

Continuity: In one scene, while Rachel and Keanu are running through the planetarium, Rachel's coat was zipped, then unzipped, then zipped again.

Quotes:

Train Porter: What took you so long?
Eddie Kasalivich: The bridge was up.

Movie Connections:

Edited into They Crawl (2001)

Soundtrack:

One Love

Weird Science

"Man and woman against the world!!" Okay, maybe it has been done into the ground, and it is the basis of today's and yesterday's rehashed thriller. The welcome difference that "Chain Reaction" gives is in its cast.

Morgan Freeman, Keanu Reeves (who's at his best in action) and Rachel Weisz make this film much more engaging to watch than it should be. Reeves and Weisz look fine together as Eddie and Lily, respectively, who are two college students accused of murdering one of their colleagues and stealing their economically and ecologically-friendly fuel project. They must run from the Law AND those who have framed them, or are they the same people?

Good on action!