Trouble strikes when runaway robbers in a getaway car hit truck full of explosives in the tunnel connecting Manhattan and New Jersey. Survivors are left in a weakened tunnel blocked at both exits. As Kit Latura approaches the tunnel, he sees the impact and knows he gotta take action. With time running out, he enters the tunnel through a system of maintenance walkways. Can he get the survivors out before the tunnel fills up? Written by
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Ryan Ellis from Toronto, Canada
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Geez, that cab driver sure knows a lot about rescue procedures. Hey, he's Sylvester Stallone! Sly plays Kit Latura, a disgraced EMS hotshot who was fired for a major men-killing mistake (even though he's still clearly the #1 guy in this particular line of work) and happens upon some major trouble. A couple of thieving imbeciles inadvertently cause an explosion in a tunnel under New York's Hudson River, trapping a multi-culti band of survivors between a rock and an impossible place. Latura volunteers to shimmy into the proverbial hell and lead the bedraggled few to---say it with me---'Daylight'. Would he have been as gung ho if he'd known he'd get so wet?
Label this one 'Die Hard' in a tunnel or 'The Po-Sly-don Adventure'. In fact, director Rob Cohen probably screened 'The Poseidon Adventure' a few times while prepping his film. That's my favourite of the absurd '70s catastrophe flicks and 'Daylight' strikes the same notes, often successfully. There's water and fire, rats and stereotypes, it's dank and dark, and you're never sure which mid-level movie star will die next. And credit where it's due, there's even plenty of pathos in the "we all gotta work together" vein and touching scenes of quiet humanity that stop an inch short of treacle. I was moved more than usual by a Stallone picture.
The movie made squat at the box office back in December '96, but it's worth a DVD rental for its solid craftsmanship. The F/X and sound design are money. As for the acting, the lead characters (Stallone, Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen) aren't especially memorable, but some of the lower-billed performers (Stan Shaw & Colin Fox, to name two) escape the movie with some dignity. The only real villain is human idiocy---people go where they're not supposed to go and do things they're not supposed to do. 'Daylight' is formulaic, but it's still better than most disaster crap I've seen.
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bob the moo from United Kingdom
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Trucks loaded with toxic waste. A stolen car being pursued by the police. Separate events that come together in a New York city tunnel when the latter crashes into the former starting a chain reaction explosion that sends a fireball sweeping through the tunnel and sealing it at both ends. A handful of survivors are left trapped with burning toxic waste and only enough air to last a few hours. Only a few meters short of entering the tunnel himself, cab driver and disgraced former fire chief Kit Latura recognises a disaster when he sees one and, thanks to a drill he ran years ago, knows that the standard rescue methods will not work. When his replacement dies ignoring his advice, his former colleagues turn to him and he agrees to enter the tunnel and try to rescue the survivors.
From the opening ten minutes we know just where we are. The brief pictures of characters does enough to set up their roles within the disaster genre and it is not long before one massive explosion and we are back in the disaster films that were so popular in the 1970's. To many this will be a bad thing because while meeting all the genre requirements this film also repeats all the old problems as well – I guess it is about what you like, if you like the genre then you'll enjoy this. The plot is the basic stuff, focusing on one small group and throwing up one obstacle after another for them to get over. At each stage we'll have losses, tragic deaths, heroic sacrifice, emotional panic, headstrong jerks etc etc – it does everything you would expect. Of course this also brings with it the problems of being rushed, the characters being cardboard cut outs, the drama being staged and never being able to stop without making things look bad and the fact that the film is a bit too close to being a cloying weepy for comfort.
None of this stops it being exciting enough to be worth seeing though. The modern effects are impressive and the sets etc are convincingly real. The actors hardly have a lot to work with but they do well enough to make it work well. Stallone holds back from being an invincible action man and he is better for it, producing a good lead. The support all fill their genre roles but most of them do it well enough so that they are actually emotionally engaging rather than just being fodder. Hedaya, Sanders, Brenneman, Mortensen and others are all solid enough to make it work – sure they are a bit corny at times but this is more to do with the genre writing than the acting.
Overall this is a disaster movie very much in the genre mould set in the 1970's and it has all the weaknesses you would expect from the genre. The writing is where the cliches come in but these are almost carried by the solid acting and enjoyable special effects. A genre movie then but one that is enjoyable if you like that sort of thing – just don't expect anything original or new and you'll be OK.
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Terminal Madness (rpgforms@yahoo.com) from http://www.cinema-crazed.com
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Reminiscent of the seventies disaster flicks, mostly of "Poseidon Adventure", a group of people are stuck in a tunnel after a horrible explosion traps them underground; now its up to a washed up EMS worker to get them out alive before the mayor and rescue workers finally blow everything up assuming the survivors aren't alive.
Though the story is very predictable and nothing new, this does make for an entertaining and interesting survival flick.
Sylvester Stallone doesn't play a commando or soldier, but for once plays a regular guy who is really clueless at times when it comes to escape.
We also get some great performances from excellent character actors including Dan Hedaya, Danielle Harris, Amy Brennamen, and the underused Viggo Mortensen before he became a household name in "Lord of the Rings" films.
Though there is a lot of good stuff here, there's a lot of contrived plot twists and predictable storylines. We know who will be killed, who won't, we know the under developed people will be killed and the emphasized characters will survive.
In spite of all that, this is one of Stallone's best before he began making bomb after bomb.
(*** out of ****)
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Michael Sibley
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Fasten your seatbelts and brace yourself for an non-stop thrill ride that will have you holding your breath from start to finish.
"Daylight" is one of the most intense movies I have seen in a long time. Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best performances in "Daylight" leading a group of civilians to safety after a New York tunnel engulfs in flames. Stallone works his magic as a former EMS chief sent in to save these civilians.
When I heard Stallone's name mentioned as part of the cast of "Daylight," I knew it would be a non-stop thrill ride; however, what I didn't realize it would be a thriller that had depth mixed in with everything else. "Daylight" is a credit to Stallone's ability and this remains one of his best roles to date.
Adding to this awesome film are Stallone's co-stars, which include Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Jay O. Sanders and Stan Shaw. I enjoyed watching this ensemble work together because they seem to need no direction when on screen. It was as if they were really trapped in the tunnel. From the fear to the heroic actions they took, these actors were top notch.
Despite most thrillers, "Daylight" stands out as being the finest assembled film. The casting works like magic, the special effects are magnificent and the script is perfect.
I concede that "Daylight" is predictable. However, I disagree with those who say it hurts the film. My point is it doesn't matter whether a film is predictable, rather how it is presented. "Daylight" is presented with quite unique special effects, a plot with depth and endearing performances.
In addition to the excellent performances, "Daylight" had some of the best special effects I have seen. The explosion at the beginning of the movie was a work of art. I was in awe of how well the special effects were pulled off because I don't believe that "Daylight" would have worked as well as it did if they were done with less than 100 percent effort.
"Daylight" will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you holding your breath hoping these citizens come out alive.
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Jack "Rainman" Oates
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Fasten your seatbelts and brace yourself for an non-stop thrill ride that will have you holding your breath from start to finish.
"Daylight" is one of the most intense movies I have seen in a long time. Sylvester Stallone gives one of his best performances in "Daylight" leading a group of civilians to safety after a New York tunnel engulfs in flames. Stallone works his magic as a former EMS chief sent in to save these civilians.
When I heard Stallone's name mentioned as part of the cast of "Daylight," I knew it would be a non-stop thrill ride; however, what I didn't realize it would be a thriller that had depth mixed in with everything else. "Daylight" is a credit to Stallone's ability and this remains one of his best roles to date.
Adding to this awesome film are Stallone's co-stars, which include Amy Brenneman, Viggo Mortensen, Jay O. Sanders and Stan Shaw. I enjoyed watching this ensemble work together because they seem to need no direction when on screen. It was as if they were really trapped in the tunnel. From the fear to the heroic actions they took, these actors were top notch.
Despite most thrillers, "Daylight" stands out as being the finest assembled film. The casting works like magic, the special effects are magnificent and the script is perfect.
I concede that "Daylight" is predictable. However, I disagree with those who say it hurts the film. My point is it doesn't matter whether a film is predictable, rather how it is presented. "Daylight" is presented with quite unique special effects, a plot with depth and endearing performances.
In addition to the excellent performances, "Daylight" had some of the best special effects I have seen. The explosion at the beginning of the movie was a work of art. I was in awe of how well the special effects were pulled off because I don't believe that "Daylight" would have worked as well as it did if they were done with less than 100 percent effort.
"Daylight" will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you holding your breath hoping these citizens come out alive.
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mjw2305 from England
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An accidental explosion rips through a tunnel beneath the Hudson river, sealing off both ends trapping the survivors inside. In steps Stallone, a disgraced former emergency services chief, who hopes to save the day in usual hero style.
Daylight has a good blend of interesting characters, suspense, drama, action and special effects that all add towards the entertainment of the movie.
Overall it's good fun to watch, and it does refrain from becoming silly or over-sentimental.
7/10
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cinemasaver from United States
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Daylight is hands down Slys best work of the 90's, and ranks in his top movies made. It ranks under Rocky and Rambo. Many people think Sly is one of the worst actors ever. But he really redeems himself in this film with above average acting. He plays Kit Latura, a taxi driver who used to work in search and rescue missions. Well, on one night, a truck with explosive toxins falls and explodes. Collapsing and destroying the New Jersey Tunnel. Leaving only a few people alive inside the death trap.
Sticking to his favorite role, Sly wants to be the hero of the movie. Due to the cowardliness and pessimistic of the emergency and aid teams, its up to Sly to go in the tunnel and save the trapped civilians, and get them out of there safely. On this journey, you will encounter exciting thrills and suspense dealing with Stallone facing the toughest obstacles ever. Both physically and mentally.
You really start to feel bad for Stallone with all the crap he deals with in this movie. I feel that they did a good job with character development on Kit Latura. The character development for the other survivors are bleak to very descriptive....it ranges. The film has a very effective music score and pertains to the scenes well. The Special effects is above average for a 1996 movie.
Overall, this is a very entertaining film to watch. With explosive and hold your breath thrills. I totally recommend this films to Stallone fans, and i also recommend it to those who want a good hero, save the day, action/suspense movie.
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Scott Peterson from Rolla, MO
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Stallone returned after a break from action movies to make "Daylight." Here he tried to make his character more three dimensional, a human with weaknesses and flaws rather than the mute and destruction minded heroes of some of his other movies.
Making Latura as a human was a good idea, and you get to like him, although the rest of the movie doesn't quite hold up it's end. It plays as some cross between the "Poseidon Adventure" and an Irwin Allen disaster film, with an uplifting musical score. You know pretty quickly who's going to live and die, and even though Latura is a mere mortal, only he can save those lives.
Still, "Daylight" makes a good diversion, and the "good guy really is a good guy" concept works for the most part.
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R_O_U_S from United Kingdom
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By 1996, no-one held out much hope for a Sylvester Stallone action movie. Where Daylight scores is by bucking expectations and being a good old-fashioned disaster movie. The opening scenes are spectacular, as we are introduced, one by one, to a couple of dozen protagonists, who all then enter a New York tunnel and get blown to smithereens. The rest of the film concerns the survivors' efforts to get free, aided by Stallone. It's a lot better than it has any right to be, and uses all the genre cliches to its advantage.
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ccthemovieman-1 from United States
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Good ole Sylvester Stallone plays the only good character in this entire movie. He plays "Kit Latura described as the "disgraced ex-chief of the city's Emergency Medical Service. You just kid of get the feeling Kit is going to erase that "disgraced" label. Yes, a little predictable. Everyone else in the movie is annoying, obnoxious, profane, blasphemous, you name it.....just plain unlikeable.
Yet even with all those unlikeable characters, the movie was interesting enough for me to stick with it for the entire 115 minutes. I wouldn't watch it again, however.
The fire scene where the tunnel first explodes is tremendous: one of the best action scenes I had seen on film to that point (around 1998). This also was a good movie to play on a surround system.
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AKAs Titles:
Certifications:
Argentina:13 / Australia:M / Canada:PG (Ontario) / Chile:TE / Finland:K-12 / Finland:K-11/9 (2001 reform re-rating) / Finland:K-12/9 (2012 reform re-rating) / Germany:12 (w) / Iceland:14 (theatrical rating) / Iceland:16 (video rating) / Netherlands:12 / Norway:15 / Peru:14 / Philippines:PG-13 / Portugal:M/12 / Singapore:PG / Singapore:PG13 (re-rating) / South Korea:12 / Spain:13 / Sweden:15 / UK:12 / USA:PG-13 (certificate #34883)
Movie Details:
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