In my mind Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Donnie Brasco) is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. He has given some great performances (watch him out-act all of the talented actors in Reservoir Dogs). But he hasn't gotten as much respect as he deserves because besides some big movies (Donnie Brasco, Free Willy 1 and 2, The Getaway, Thelma and Louise) he has appeared in more low-budget, small, often direct-to-video films. Once again Madsen appears in a small film, this time debuting on HBO. The story line is similar to the much superior (though average) film The Replacement Killers. Kristy Swanson (8 Heads in a Duffel Bag, The Chase) plays a government assassin who refuses to kill a famous reporter because she sees him with his kid. Because she does this, her government agency orders Madsen and friends to kill her. This starts off some boring action scenes. Swanson though a talented actress in unconvincing as a professional assassin. The other actors are average at best. Once again, Michael Madsen saves the day. If it wasn't for Madsen's strong presence this film would be horrible not just below-average. The film would have been a lot better had Madsen received more screen time. Recommended only for Madsen's performance.
19 Reviews
Always beware of the finger on the trigger.
michaelRokeefe28 March 2002
Very interesting action flick. An elite assassin(Kristy Swanson) for a covert U.S. agency decides not to pull the trigger on her latest assignment. She spots her target who is a well known TV reporter(David Dukes) playing with his child and decides to not take his life. Now she and her target are hunted down by her employers. Michael Madsen and Ron Perlman are determined to catch the savvy and sexy sharpshooter.
Not one of the best...
moviedude123 November 2003
When Kristy Swanson gets an attack of the guilts about what she does, she wants out. Unfortunately, Madsen is her immediate superior in a company where "giving two weeks notice ain't an option."
As a teen killing vampires, Kristy did a very good job. The valley girl image seemed to fit. But as an assassin on the run...well, keep running Kristy. Run, run far away! This film is not a concept that hasn't been done before, but it HAS been done better!
I didn't want to watch the rest of this film, but I felt I should if I wanted to give a review of this movie. I've always liked Madsen, and his character was a bit predictable, but this movie was definitely a waste of time both to watch and make...no wonder it never got released theatrically!
As a teen killing vampires, Kristy did a very good job. The valley girl image seemed to fit. But as an assassin on the run...well, keep running Kristy. Run, run far away! This film is not a concept that hasn't been done before, but it HAS been done better!
I didn't want to watch the rest of this film, but I felt I should if I wanted to give a review of this movie. I've always liked Madsen, and his character was a bit predictable, but this movie was definitely a waste of time both to watch and make...no wonder it never got released theatrically!
Hey! It's Kristy Swanson
teuthis16 August 2002
I love Kristy Swanson movies. She's a beautiful, compelling actress and deserves better than this; but, as always, she does a super job. I do think the director made her character a little to terse and mean, even though the plot called for it. Had he allowed Kristy some margin of sensuality and vulnerability, she would have rounded out her character and added another level to the film. Kristy is athletic and projects herself powerfully. I don't think any actress can equal her in action roles. She can do anything, but she is quite adept at handling physical, aggressive characters. She's believable, and always fun to watch.
In Supreme Sanction, Kristy plays a reluctant assassin, who rebels, and is then pursued by her top secret government employers. Michael Madsen, a super actor, is her chief antagonist. She allies herself with her intended target and her computer-genius friend, and they seek to expose the "Agency" and save the target's little daughter.
Supreme Sanction is a rather marginal action film with limited atmosphere. After some initial action it bogs down for a while, until the mildly wild climax. But Kristy, and Michael Madsen make it worthwhile. They play well off each other. The director goes a little overboard trying to let us know how mean and incorrigible Madsen's character is. I got the point well before he was satisfied. There are plenty of holes in the plot, so watch this one for the actors; and Kristy's brief disguise as a hooker.
In Supreme Sanction, Kristy plays a reluctant assassin, who rebels, and is then pursued by her top secret government employers. Michael Madsen, a super actor, is her chief antagonist. She allies herself with her intended target and her computer-genius friend, and they seek to expose the "Agency" and save the target's little daughter.
Supreme Sanction is a rather marginal action film with limited atmosphere. After some initial action it bogs down for a while, until the mildly wild climax. But Kristy, and Michael Madsen make it worthwhile. They play well off each other. The director goes a little overboard trying to let us know how mean and incorrigible Madsen's character is. I got the point well before he was satisfied. There are plenty of holes in the plot, so watch this one for the actors; and Kristy's brief disguise as a hooker.
Not the worst B-movie I've ever seen, but still bad.
philip_vanderveken27 December 2004
Supreme Sanction is a movie about a female assassin who works for the U.S. government. She has to kill a known TV reporter, but spares his life when she sees that he has a little daughter. Because she hasn't killed him, she becomes the next target of her employers.
The script isn't good although I've seen worse B-movies. A hit-man with remorse, the government killing innocent people in the name of fighting terror,... What's next? Aliens rescuing the victim??? No, Supreme Sanction will never win any award because of the script. And the acting isn't any better I'm afraid. A few better known actors (Michael Madsen and Kristy Swanson), who clearly had a lot of bills to pay and therefor accepted to play in this movie, together with some other actors who probably don't even know what a camera really looks like don't do any good to the movie either.
So why should you watch this movie? Well, if you haven't got anything better to do but to watch some action flick and you are tired of the 10,531st rerun of Mc Gyver or the A-team, than this might be the movie you want to see. Otherwise you better leave it alone. I give it a 3/10.
The script isn't good although I've seen worse B-movies. A hit-man with remorse, the government killing innocent people in the name of fighting terror,... What's next? Aliens rescuing the victim??? No, Supreme Sanction will never win any award because of the script. And the acting isn't any better I'm afraid. A few better known actors (Michael Madsen and Kristy Swanson), who clearly had a lot of bills to pay and therefor accepted to play in this movie, together with some other actors who probably don't even know what a camera really looks like don't do any good to the movie either.
So why should you watch this movie? Well, if you haven't got anything better to do but to watch some action flick and you are tired of the 10,531st rerun of Mc Gyver or the A-team, than this might be the movie you want to see. Otherwise you better leave it alone. I give it a 3/10.
Supreme Mess
pooh-2418 September 2004
Kristy Swanson plays an elite hitwoman who is supposed to have knocked off a TV reporter for a group of bad guys,but once she sees this poor fellow at home playing with his kids she decides to junk the whole project and the TV reporter's life is spared.The hitwoman's life is up for grabs as the people who wanted this reporter killed now want her dead for not following through with her assignment.Such is the basis for a movie called Supreme Sanction.
Supreme waste of time is more like it.We see Swanson's character beat up,pummel and kill men far bigger than her.And she always one two fifty steps ahead of the group of murders who can't,for some reason,do away with this super hitwoman.Having one woman do away and beat all these men,makes the movie seem so gay.It is too predictable once you figure Swanson's character is going to win out anyway,thus making the film boring and inept.
Kristy Swanson is decent actress,who in her younger days was always sexy and easy on the eyes.Supreme Sanction is not one of her better efforts however.
Supreme waste of time is more like it.We see Swanson's character beat up,pummel and kill men far bigger than her.And she always one two fifty steps ahead of the group of murders who can't,for some reason,do away with this super hitwoman.Having one woman do away and beat all these men,makes the movie seem so gay.It is too predictable once you figure Swanson's character is going to win out anyway,thus making the film boring and inept.
Kristy Swanson is decent actress,who in her younger days was always sexy and easy on the eyes.Supreme Sanction is not one of her better efforts however.
Rated 'R'. For 'Retarded'.
SeriouslyMike22 November 2006
The first question is: how many talentless idiots it takes to screw a movie up? Answer: one is more than enough, if he writes the screenplay and directs it. The second question is: did anyone teach the actors to handle guns properly? Answer: hell no. I wonder if Kristy Swanson got hit across the face with hot brass - because it damn seemed so! The third question is: how many times we did the "super secret government agency conspiracy gets uncovered from inside" plot? Answer: a good couple too many! The fourth question is: are Michael Madsen and Ron Perlman overrated? Answer: in this movie, sadly, yes. The fifth question is: can a pair of boobs save this movie? Answer: even three (Kristy Swanson's pair and the director/writer) didn't.
God... If I see the (most probably) assassin getting her guns ready for a hit, and then the morons from prop department give her a completely different set the first bloody thing in the goddamn movie, the "suck" meter hits the peak. Time from beginning of the movie to me switching the TV off: fifteen minutes. Just a little bit more than it took me in case of "Alone in the Dark".
God... If I see the (most probably) assassin getting her guns ready for a hit, and then the morons from prop department give her a completely different set the first bloody thing in the goddamn movie, the "suck" meter hits the peak. Time from beginning of the movie to me switching the TV off: fifteen minutes. Just a little bit more than it took me in case of "Alone in the Dark".
What a flop
Jason-13028 August 1999
Please give this one a miss.
Kristy Swanson and the rest of the cast rendered terrible performances. The show is flat, flat, flat.
I don't know how Michael Madison could have allowed this one on his plate. He almost seemed to know this wasn't going to work out and his performance was quite lacklustre, so all you Madison fans give this a miss.
Kristy Swanson and the rest of the cast rendered terrible performances. The show is flat, flat, flat.
I don't know how Michael Madison could have allowed this one on his plate. He almost seemed to know this wasn't going to work out and his performance was quite lacklustre, so all you Madison fans give this a miss.
bold idea!
JamieWJackson13 April 2003
This movie is only so-so as entertainment, but I found the subject matter extremely interesting given the current political climate. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, but suffice to say that it has to do with using terrorism as a pretext to justify government power. Mmmmmmm. As usual, the concept of "what if the entire government were doing that" isn't explored, but it still scored a blip on my raised-eyebrow-radar (see "Enemy of the State" and "The Matrix" for other recent films in this vein, both better than this one; "Conspiracy Theory" is not as good as those two but also worth seeing if you like this kind of thing).
And, of course, it's got Kristy, so I had to give it a 5. Actually I might have given it a 4 but the other actors did a pretty good job and the dialogue was above average even if the plot wasn't as explosive as the title might suggest. A nice effort, for a low-budget thriller.
And, of course, it's got Kristy, so I had to give it a 5. Actually I might have given it a 4 but the other actors did a pretty good job and the dialogue was above average even if the plot wasn't as explosive as the title might suggest. A nice effort, for a low-budget thriller.
A government assassin develops the most deadly weapon of all
a conscience.
ragana30 April 2005
A government assassin (Kirsty Swanson), disturbed by the demoralization within her operation, refuses to kill a reporter (David Dukes) and instead teams up with him to break his story of corruption in her agency, all while being hunted by her ex-trainer (Michael Madsen) and ex-boss (Ron Perlman), and protected by her good natured "gadget man" (Donald Faison).
This is an above average TV movie that's fun to watch. A decent plot that you actually do have to give some attention to. Enjoyable performances. Not to mention that it was interesting to see half the cast of the comedy "Tinseltown" (Dukes, Perlman, Swanson) reunited in something completely different.
Worth a rent/buy used.
This is an above average TV movie that's fun to watch. A decent plot that you actually do have to give some attention to. Enjoyable performances. Not to mention that it was interesting to see half the cast of the comedy "Tinseltown" (Dukes, Perlman, Swanson) reunited in something completely different.
Worth a rent/buy used.
Great film, Loved it
mr_pivac198515 December 2010
Very interesting action flick. An elite assassin(Kristy Swanson) for a covert U.S. agency decides not to pull the trigger on her latest assignment. She spots her target who is a well known TV reporter(David Dukes) playing with his child and decides to not take his life. Now she and her target are hunted down by her employers. Michael Madsen and Ron Perlman are determined to catch the savvy and sexy sharpshooter.
The main highlight for me in this film was of course Michael Madsen, Anything he does is gold, I don't care what anyone else says about him, he is not overrated, if anything he's underrated and deserves more respect, Great film, and a fantastic job done by Madsen in this role.
The main highlight for me in this film was of course Michael Madsen, Anything he does is gold, I don't care what anyone else says about him, he is not overrated, if anything he's underrated and deserves more respect, Great film, and a fantastic job done by Madsen in this role.
Madsen carries this flick....
tarbosh220005 February 2004
As usual Michael Madsen plays a villain with a Hawaiian shirt. Madsen like Treat Williams, who went through a period in his career, where in every movie he appeared in, he wears a Hawaiian shirt, so Madsen had a phase where he did the same.
His character is on the hunt for Kristy Swanson the hit-woman. She betrayed her contract and now the government wants to kill her. Ron Perlman co-stars as one of the main government baddies. He puts in a professional performance.
This movie has it's cheap moments, but it's a lot of fun and worth seeing.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
His character is on the hunt for Kristy Swanson the hit-woman. She betrayed her contract and now the government wants to kill her. Ron Perlman co-stars as one of the main government baddies. He puts in a professional performance.
This movie has it's cheap moments, but it's a lot of fun and worth seeing.
For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com
Enjoyable
anton-7916 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I found this film quite enjoyable. You might like this if you like Alias (2001) or The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), although I found the latter a little better because Samantha Caine/Charly Baltimore is a more complex character.
Mild spoilers ahead. I liked the ruthlessness and efficiency of Jenna in disposing of her former colleagues and would-be-killers; since she is doing this with guns, this is not as unbelievable as Sidney Bristow beating up men twice as big as her. Also, Kristy Swanson looks great as always.
Unlike other films of this kind, the agonizing by the protagonist over her past evil deeds is refreshingly short. Also, I found the plot pretty believable (by Hollywood standards). In the beginning, I wondered a little about the quick side-switching of Jenna, but as the film proceeds, we see that this was not on-the-spot, but she actually has been thinking about and working for this for some time. The plot then proceeds pretty straightforwardly, and I have not noticed any unbelievable (and few other) twists.
Detailed spoilers of irrelevant stuff ahead: There are two scenes that could have used better editing (or better something): First, near McNamara's house, Jenna sends McNamara ahead for no obvious reason, then does some other things for no obvious reason, before following him (without any significant change in the situation). Second, near the end of the film, Jenna has a firefight with Dalton, runs out of clips, and gets a clip from some dead body; this goes on for much too long.
Mild spoilers ahead. I liked the ruthlessness and efficiency of Jenna in disposing of her former colleagues and would-be-killers; since she is doing this with guns, this is not as unbelievable as Sidney Bristow beating up men twice as big as her. Also, Kristy Swanson looks great as always.
Unlike other films of this kind, the agonizing by the protagonist over her past evil deeds is refreshingly short. Also, I found the plot pretty believable (by Hollywood standards). In the beginning, I wondered a little about the quick side-switching of Jenna, but as the film proceeds, we see that this was not on-the-spot, but she actually has been thinking about and working for this for some time. The plot then proceeds pretty straightforwardly, and I have not noticed any unbelievable (and few other) twists.
Detailed spoilers of irrelevant stuff ahead: There are two scenes that could have used better editing (or better something): First, near McNamara's house, Jenna sends McNamara ahead for no obvious reason, then does some other things for no obvious reason, before following him (without any significant change in the situation). Second, near the end of the film, Jenna has a firefight with Dalton, runs out of clips, and gets a clip from some dead body; this goes on for much too long.
Not Too Shabby
Disco-J11 April 1999
It's fairly evident throughout the movie that the plot has been molded after Point Of No Return and others of the genre. Christy Swanson plays a government assasin that must kill against her will. Watch it if you'd like to see Swanson dressed up as a lady of the night!
"There are just some things you can't run away from." -- Great performances, intelligent script.
kurtstallings6 August 2005
Warning: Spoilers
An excellent job by the four principal actors and an understated steady style from the director result in a B++ sort of B movie. This is without question a straight to DVD type flick; however, everyone does such a terrific job it overcomes the formulaic sensibilities to achieve that wonderful "gee-I'll-watch-again" status.
If you're an insomniac like me, you treasure that sort of thing. There are only so many "Three Days of the Condors" out there; you have to start digging into B movie territory if you are up worrying about work and you want to feed the Jones at 2 a.m.
This is a great snack.
Kudos to Swanson (the shooter), Madsen (the controller), Dukes (the patsy), and Faison (the fix-it man). Every one of the actors rises above his/her set role (thanks in part to an intelligent script), or more specifically finds the nuances within it that make each one human.
Lesser actors would have turned each one of these characters into a stereotype. By walking the tightrope, each of these pros keep the movie tense and compelling. Madsen is properly amoral with a sense of comic distraction captured by the director with Madsen's Hawaiian shirts. Faison side-steps the script's only flaw -- a bit too stereotypical on the "seduce a brother" stuff -- with a smart, sharp persona that is readily believable as the wizard of electronic spy-craft (and street gun supplier).
Swanson and Dukes are most impressive as the two critical characters. Both put remarkable nuances, bound by restraint, in their characterizations of the high level, straight military by-the-books black-ops sniper (Swanson) and the nationally famous newscaster (Dukes) that she refuses to kill when she sees his little girl watching. Dukes plays his character's self-righteousness and naiveté just right while maintaining a definite sense of humanity and genuine interest in what's simply right. (The script helps with the inclusion of danger to his daughter as a motivator). His heroic actions in the end are remarkably believable with no separation from his already established TV newsreader persona.
Swanson is outstanding. Period. She renders a very believable soldier-turned-anti-terrorist assassin. Her take on this character is cold, tough, but still human. She is committed to simple justice: bad guys should die, good guys, not. And she displays the hard internal struggle of such an agent who confronts -- with fury -- the fact that her own people have her killing the good guys instead of the bad. She doesn't make more of it; she doesn't make less of it. And to the director's credit, there's only enough exploitation of her good looks to state the very simple obvious.
Finally, kudos to the script-writer and director on the story itself. Notice that Swanson's character's fall into conscience is not sudden -- it's clear that she's not only responding to the fact that this is a national figure, and a man standing in front of his child, but also that she's already ragged from the previous job of killing an American military officer in front of his wife. She has already started to "question orders." The trained killer who wouldn't necessarily have held up shooting on senseless command once may do it twice - and that's how the film opens.
How it proceeds from there is a pleasure to watch.
If you're an insomniac like me, you treasure that sort of thing. There are only so many "Three Days of the Condors" out there; you have to start digging into B movie territory if you are up worrying about work and you want to feed the Jones at 2 a.m.
This is a great snack.
Kudos to Swanson (the shooter), Madsen (the controller), Dukes (the patsy), and Faison (the fix-it man). Every one of the actors rises above his/her set role (thanks in part to an intelligent script), or more specifically finds the nuances within it that make each one human.
Lesser actors would have turned each one of these characters into a stereotype. By walking the tightrope, each of these pros keep the movie tense and compelling. Madsen is properly amoral with a sense of comic distraction captured by the director with Madsen's Hawaiian shirts. Faison side-steps the script's only flaw -- a bit too stereotypical on the "seduce a brother" stuff -- with a smart, sharp persona that is readily believable as the wizard of electronic spy-craft (and street gun supplier).
Swanson and Dukes are most impressive as the two critical characters. Both put remarkable nuances, bound by restraint, in their characterizations of the high level, straight military by-the-books black-ops sniper (Swanson) and the nationally famous newscaster (Dukes) that she refuses to kill when she sees his little girl watching. Dukes plays his character's self-righteousness and naiveté just right while maintaining a definite sense of humanity and genuine interest in what's simply right. (The script helps with the inclusion of danger to his daughter as a motivator). His heroic actions in the end are remarkably believable with no separation from his already established TV newsreader persona.
Swanson is outstanding. Period. She renders a very believable soldier-turned-anti-terrorist assassin. Her take on this character is cold, tough, but still human. She is committed to simple justice: bad guys should die, good guys, not. And she displays the hard internal struggle of such an agent who confronts -- with fury -- the fact that her own people have her killing the good guys instead of the bad. She doesn't make more of it; she doesn't make less of it. And to the director's credit, there's only enough exploitation of her good looks to state the very simple obvious.
Finally, kudos to the script-writer and director on the story itself. Notice that Swanson's character's fall into conscience is not sudden -- it's clear that she's not only responding to the fact that this is a national figure, and a man standing in front of his child, but also that she's already ragged from the previous job of killing an American military officer in front of his wife. She has already started to "question orders." The trained killer who wouldn't necessarily have held up shooting on senseless command once may do it twice - and that's how the film opens.
How it proceeds from there is a pleasure to watch.
Michael Madsen,Ron Perlman, and some welcome humor save it ........
merklekranz14 October 2009
If you are a fan of Michael Madsen or Ron Perlman, and can tolerate Kristy Swanson, then "Supreme Sanction" is worth a look. Personally I like David Dukes as a bad guy, as in "Snow Kill", but here he is nothing more than a rather bland journalist. This is a small, low budget movie, that would fall through the cracks were it not for some unexpected humorous dialog. Think Kristy Swanson as a female James Bond- type trying to carry a totally unrealistic script. One redeeming factor is the almost total absence of car chases. There are however, plenty of "F bombs" dropped by the entire cast. Marginally recommended. - MERK
Time-Waster
keith-12523 July 2004
I saw this film in the TV guide and decided to give it a go, since it had Kristy Swanson. Anyway seeing her as an government assassin was new. The opening credits were encouraging, but then my expectations went down the drain as soon as the shooting started. Swanson does not look in anyway like a hitwoman, the 'action' scenes are laughable. The reporter she is supposed to be protecting look s bored most of the time. Michael Madsen is such a over-rated actor, it occurred to me that he plays the exact same character in every movie. The attempts at humour are so bad that they're funny, the best lines go to Swanson's sidekick. Ron Pearlman is wasted as the big boss, and dies cheaply. In one scene the reporter has been interrogated (Tortured) by Madsen's people, but when we see him afterwards he doesn't have a mark on him!!!
This movie could've been advertised by a bunch of sideshow magicians and it still wouldn't be any good
millennia-211 June 2000
See! Kristy Swanson's career go down the drain right before your very eyes.
Witness! Michael Madsen look tough and say tough things.
Watch! A movie eerily reminiscent of every other direct-to-video release in the last decade.
Behold! The horrible travesty that is 'Supreme Sanction'.
Give this one a pass, there's nothing of any interest here.
2/10
Witness! Michael Madsen look tough and say tough things.
Watch! A movie eerily reminiscent of every other direct-to-video release in the last decade.
Behold! The horrible travesty that is 'Supreme Sanction'.
Give this one a pass, there's nothing of any interest here.
2/10
Supreme Satisfaction
RJ-3122 April 1999
After reading the other comments, I again feel we all did not see the same movie. I liked it very much. I thought it was one of David Dukes' better movies. That is who made this movie for me. Though, I was quite impressed with Michael Madsen's performance.
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