The Desperados

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Nicholas Cage reprises his role as bounty hunter and ingenious code breaker Benjamin Franklin Gates in National Treasure 2. This time around he has to figure out what lies in the mythical book, which is allegedly passed down by every US President to his successor.

This book contains the truth about alien visitations, the moon landing, Kennedy’s assassination and a host of other mythic secrets. One such secret is that Mt Rushmore hides some signs that lead to a fabled City of Gold.

When Benjamin decides to crack the mystery, he arms himself with a blueprint drawn up by George Washington and kidnaps the incumbent US President from his own birthday party! Though often absurd, it is still very enjoyable fluff. Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Price: Rs 1,095

Shoot ‘Em Up

Quentin Tarantino’s influence looms over this stylish neo-Noir thriller starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Belucci. Owen is the poker-faced Mr Smith, a tough nut with a heart of gold, who, at the beginning of the movie, helps a heavily pregnant woman deliver her baby before defending them from a gang of goons.

The action set-pieces owe a lot to Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, right down to the macabre, offbeat humour. Paul Giamatti is the villainous Mr Hertz, who kills children to help cure a powerful politician with bone marrow implants.

The plot is outlandish, but thanks to Owen’s presence, the movie translates into an enjoyable hour-and-a-half. New Line Home Video
Price: Rs 695

Snakes on a Plane

This movie has to take the cake for having one of the simplest plots ever. FBI agent Samuel Jackson is accompanying a witness from Hawaii to LA. To silence the witness, a truckload of snakes is released into the aircraft. The trouble is that, of course, it’s a passenger plane with more than just Jackson and his ward on board.

This sets the scene for a very enjoyable movie where Jackson once again plays a mean, cool dude, a role he has patented since Pulp Fiction.

The movie was apparently scripted by an army of bloggers who wrote various versions of the script on their blogs. All the scriptwriters and producers did was to pick the best bits and make the film. So, you could say this is a film for the fans of Jackson by the fans of Jackson. New Line Home Video
Price: Rs 495