Body Count (1998) User Reviews

Actually, pretty good

[blonde_ambition · 6/10 · 28 January 2005]

Body Count is about a group of guys who attempt to rob an art gallery, but their plan backfires and one of their gang winds up with a broken neck. It stars the likes of David Caruso (better known for his TV roles in CSI: Miami and NYPD Blue), John Leguizamo (Romeo & Juliet, Moulin Rouge) and Forrest Whitaker (Panic Room, Phone Booth). It has a very unoriginal plot, is obviously heavily influenced by Reservoir Dogs (which is so great, that you wonder why people would even bother try to copy it), and the fact that it stars David Caruso who is notorious for his failure with trying to do decent movies, indicate that it is NOT very good. However, despite it unoriginality and choice of lead, Body Count is deserving of a look in. It has garnered a lot of bad reviews, but it is actually rather entertaining. I came across it when it came on the TV one time. At first I thought it was an episode of CSI: Miami, but it soon became apparent that it wasn't when who I thought was Horatio started attacking people. Upon realising it was in fact a movie and not an episode of CSI, I did watch it all the way through and though "Reservoir Dogs rip off" did enter my mind, the movie was entertaining and watchable. Don't bother buy it, but if you see it on video at a friends house, or it comes on the TV sometime, do sit down and watch it. It is pretty good.

Blatantly derivative crime flick.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 31 October 2003]

"Body Count" copies "Reservoir Dogs" so closely that it's a wonder Tarantino didn't sue its makers (or maybe he was simply flattered). The plot (concerning the aftermath of a daring art museum heist, which we only see in flashbacks), the irrelevant/"philosophical" dialogue, the violent, constantly sparring partners-in-crime....NOTHING is fresh in this movie, everything feels forced, tired and second-hand. The characters are extraordinarily stupid; they are supposed to be these big-shot criminals but they behave in the most unprofessional manner possible, doing everything they can to screw up their own plans. Still, the film is not unwatchable; John Lequizamo does a good job of playing a complete sleazebag, and there are a couple of twists at the end. As for the rest of the cast, Ving Rhames keeps his dignity but the great Forest Whitaker is wasted and David Caruso and (especially) Linda Fiorentino are awful. (**)

Flawed, but Underrated.

[FJ-Trescothik · 5/10 · 12 February 2022]

Pike (Ving Rhames) is released from jail, Crane (Forest Whitaker), his old partner in crime meets up with him, they plan to rob an art museum, of 15 million dollars of paintings, Pike and Crane are joined by Chino (John Leguizamo), Booker (Donnie Wahlberg), and Hobbs (David Caruso). The heist goes according to plan, but it backfires (thanks to Chino shooting two security guards), Crane gets killed in the process, the rest of them manage to get away, with Crane dead, Pike takes charge, and plans to go to Miami by himself, to meet the buyer, and collect the money, he instructs the others to lay low until he returns (good idea), but the others protest, and it becomes a road trip, one that does not go well, with discontent among the thieves (mostly between Hobbs and Chino) and a hitchhiker (Linda Fiorentino) who has ideas of her own, it gets pretty predictable from this point, but it pays off by the time the film ends.

The cast is pretty solid, Ving Rhames does a great job as the one who tries to keep things from getting out of control, he carries this film. Forest Whitaker also does a good job with his part. David Caruso also is good, you wanna hate this guy, but he grows on you, plus he has most of the good one liners. John Leguizamo's character comes off as super annoying and unlikable, you just want him to shut up. I can't say much about Donnie Wahlberg's character because he gets killed off early in the trip, but he comes off as one of the sane people. Linda Fiorentino does good in her part.

This film is predictable yes, with the familiar premise of a robbery gone awry and everything that follows, it has some good performances from the cast (even though some of the characters are unlikable), some good dialogue, and a great music score. The film does feel a bit rushed at times, but I can't complain too much. I like it for what it is.

3 stars for the great actors, who do have to act though in a RIDICULOUSLY UNBELIEVABLE story. AND it is not meant to be a comedy, but it is laughably TERRIBLE

[imseeg · 3/10 · 8 June 2020]

Often I am surprised that a movie I have watched has only gotten a few reviews. This time around though I am not surprised, because this movie deserves to be forgotten. Great actors, yes indeed, but an incredibly, laughably dumb and unbelievable plot. And mind you this is not meant to be a comedy, but it is laughable, because it is THAT terrible, credibility wise speaking...

The "story": a group of 5 gangsters rob a bank. The heist job goes wrong and now they are fighting amongst each other. Wow...

Highly underrated gangster thriller.

[EnvyYouProductions · 7/10 · 28 December 2000]

Some films just don't have good advertising. This one could've been a success - if anyone outside the festival circle would've been aware it even existed. BODY COUNT has a great cast, some nice twists, and generally a zany, well-paced script. It's a matured RESERVOIR DOGS, with less pop-cultural chit-chat and more substance to the plot. Check it out, you might be positively surprised.

The only good thing

[casablancavic · 1/10 · 8 July 2020]

Is Linda Fiorentino.

That aside, this movie is boring and poorly written...full of horribly written characters and stupid dialogue.

With people that stupid, they should have been killed within the first 2 minutes and that would save us all from this misery and then the rest of this sad flick would not exist.

Whomever passed this at the studio to be produced should be fired and hung by their ears over the Grand Canyon to die a horrible death - like those of us who where expecting to watch something interesting but certainly didn't.

Stupid on so many levels I can't even fathom.

Pass on this and do something better with your time, like watching paint dry.

An Interesting Film

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 13 December 2013]

Four thieves find themselves on the run after their leader, "Crane" (Forest Whitaker) is shot and killed during an art museum robbery. The problem for them is that one of their members named "Chino" (John Leguizamo) is an extremely loose cannon who is easily provoked by one of the other members by the name of "Hobbs" (David Caruso). As a result the de facto leader, "Pike" (Ving Rhames) has his hands full just trying to get to Miami in order to sell the stolen paintings so that they can each go their separate ways. However, along the way they pick up a woman named "Natalie" (Linda Fiorentino) who causes even more trouble. Now, while this film is billed as a "comedy" I found it to be more of a "crime-drama" than anything else. Even so, it was an interesting film which should keep most viewers guessing from start to finish. Likewise, even though I couldn't stand the character played by John Leguizamo I must admit that he did an excellent job all the same. I also liked the performances of Ving Rhames, David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino as well. All things considered then, I rate this movie as slightly above average.

I don´t think it was THAT bad...

[Natha · 7/10 · 17 August 1999]

It was good. Not as good that I would pay to see it again, but I enjoyed it. I mean it´s a low-budget film with great actors (Leguizamo f ex) and I liked the ending... I didn´t expect it. And I´m very good at that. And usually when I haven´t expected it, it´s bad. But this one was good...

Not THAT bad !

[fargo26 · 8/10 · 29 February 2000]

I had delayed seeing this movie because of all the bad reviews and comments it received but I thought it wasn't THAT bad after all ... I mean I picked it up basically because I had seen everything else so I thought ... why not this one ... especially since it was in the "Nobody wants to see this,

right ??" section of the video store ...

I have to say that despite some goofy dialogues ... scenes ... acting ... script ... I was actually "entertained" enough to recommend it ... Some nice twists and turns along the way as those awful people just can't BEHAVE !!... I mean it would be sooooo easy to just shut up and drive all the way to wherever there going ... (was it Florida, not sure ?? But the story doesn't appear to be so important here !! ) ... you don't make a movie with that .. do you ?? hehe !!

I was surprised that with all the recognizable faces in the cast this movie slipped through the cracks ... marginal recommendation ... too bad the last third is kind of a let down ... but before that I thought this movie was actually pretty "intriguing" .. especially if you like movies like Fargo, Reservoir dogs and Pulp Fiction (Although Body count is really faaaaaaar from being as good as those three !!) ...

All those movies just have similar styles ... gruesome violence and sometimes amusing dialogues ... 3/5 and I am pleased considering I was fearing it would be a turkey when I popped it in the VCR ...

Good

[nifabs · 7/10 · 5 May 2005]

I enjoyed this movie because it was unpredictable, Fiorentino was stupid and unconvincing but Rhames and Whittaker pulled talent and credibility out of their pockets like there was no tomorrow.

The supporting cast were okay even John Leguizamo was over the top, but the end was incredulous as Fiorentino kicked Rhames outta the car, typical of a hustler, a grifter, but her plan backfires when 100 yards down the road she is stopped by the cops who have the car on their radar and Rhames walking away finds the loot stashed in the jacket pocket.

He has the last laugh!! GOOD...

Interesting combination of art theft and road trip.

[Preston-5 · 15 May 2000]

Following his release from prison, Pike (Ving Rhames) teams up with Crane (Forest Whitaker), an old partner in crime, along with Hobbs (David Caruso), Booker (Donnie Wahlberg, Chino (John Leguizamo)to set up an art theft from a museum. Chino's greed during the heist causes it to go awry resulting in Crane's death and a narrow escape with the stolen items. Only Crane and Pike knew the fence to whom the stolen items were to be fenced for $15M. The balance of the movie consists of the remaining four partners attempting to transport the items to Miami to the fence, via car, with attempts to take a bus, and a train which don't pan out due to various personality conflicts among the thieves and results in one partner killing another who winds up in the trunk of the car.

While en route, the now-threesome picks up Natalie (Linda Fiorentino) who adds another point of conflict among the thieves. The heist itself is shown in flashbacks during the trip. There is definately violence in the movie resulting from the conflicts among the thieves and Natalie. I found the movie to be engrossing throughout with interest in the interaction between the thieves; edgy, violent, keeps you guessing, a good ending, and good performances by all. * * * 1/2 out of * * * * *

Interesting Cast Interactions

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 12 July 2013]

You cannot combine all of these talented Actors without generating something of interest. Therein lies the appeal of this derivative Heist Yarn. Just watching the Players interact with abandon and dumb-as-dirt behavior is enough to make this worth a watch.

Low-Life Criminals do tend to behave like, well, Low-Life-Criminals. It was Timothy McVEigh who was initially pulled over with a broken tail-light, as have so many others with impaired intelligence, on the lam.

This one has just enough Violence, Low-Brow Charm, and twists that makes this just slightly above average. Also, this is one of the reasons that Femme Fatales so often can take these types for a ride. Their tendency to think with the little head and not the big head is painfully evident here, that was probably, or hopefully, the point of the FF Parody.

Enjoyable

[gshardaway · 7/10 · 24 February 2020]

Saw it half way completed in my hotel room in 1999 and searched high and low for the name to watch again from the beginning. Found another movie with the same name w/ Ice-T starring but turned it off. Good movie.

An exciting, suspense film!

[K-Ci · 9/10 · 22 June 1999]

This film is very exciting to watch. It's about four art thieves heading down to Miami to make a pay off of art paintings that they have stolen. Not much action but, the suspense, drama and the characters are great and the acting was very well done by all. The flashbacks in this film was a great way to illustrate the whole story. This film was very unpredictable and it leaves you wondering, what will happen next?

Interesting concept but...

[Eviltoad · 9 October 1998]

The overall idea for this movie was not bad but the actual movie itself is very bad. What these great actors saw in the script is beyond me.

A pretty realistic film in the line of Fargo

[dalton2-8 · 8/10 · 21 March 1999]

This is one of those films in which you enjoy every situation feeling that all what you see can happen in real life. While I was watching the movie, one title came to my mind: Fargo. There's a lot of similarities between both films, but with one difference: Fargo is really based on a true story!. The 'Godfather II-type' flashbacks are really fantastic. They're an original way to keep you interested the whole time, and they're also a perfect choice to add an original style to the story development. For example, they make it possible to start the film with the final scenes of the robbery and let you discover the whole story in a retrospective way. This film has many more good things: multi-dimensional and charismatic characters, an acceptable music, and a very good sound. I can't believe there are people who dislike this film. My rating: 7-8 out of 10.

Interesting and extremely violent thriller

[ary · 29 November 1999]

The Split is a surprisingly interesting thriller. It has a great plot, unique characters and terrific dialogues. Although entertaining, the film has extremely violent and shocking scenes (like in the one in which Leguizamo destroys Caruso's character), but that was necessary, in order to show the brutality and cruelty of every one of the main characters. Ving Rhames, who was great in Don King, has a small, but memorable role, and Leguizamo gives the movie's outstanding performance, it's sad to see this actor, who has great dramatic capacity, making bad comedies, but in The Split, he had the chance to deliver his very best.Caruso comes out well, but the trailer of the film passes the idea that he is the leading actor on the film, but he isn't, he has just a supporting, although good, part. Finally, I recommend this thriller.

Give Caruso a chance!

[MelodyAnn · 8/10 · 23 May 2005]

The movie itself is not bad. An art robbery gone wrong, four delinquents on the run to (where else?) Miami. Once they have to be together 24/7 it shows that the main figures have a homicidial tendency towards each other. Especially drug-crazed Chino & driver Hobbs clash more often than not. A good opportunity for David Caruso to show the wide range of his acting talent, which comes here much more to life than as H. Caine in CSI. Was this movies ever shown on the silver screen or did it go straight to video-sales? Unfortunately, some-one in actor-heaven seems to hate Caruso - otherwise it would have been a box-office success after its first showing.

Was this film Improvised?

[films-2 · 29 October 1998]

The film was awful. The dialogue, speech and Plot, were far below the star cast. Hey Robert Patton-Spruill! if you read this, Try a new concept. Both this and 'Squeeze' were bad examples of your work! How about getting on-board a new D.O.P?

Entertaining

[franco-28 · 10/10 · 24 January 2000]

Personally I enjoyed this one, it did seem to bear a very close line to Below Utopia which both are aka Body Count, which doesnt render my opinion negative. It is a story of art thieves whose mission has gone slightly awry. They pic up a beautiful hitchiker who is wise to the game. Have to deal with internal strife while trying to make it to the buyer. It like anything else is not for everyone, but one doesnt know if they will like it until they see it.

Overall a pretty lame film, but a special treat for me.

[dodgeboy · 27 April 1999]

The scene near the end of the movie at the small country store/gas station was filmed in the small community where I live. The store really sells beer, Tic-Tacs, chips, cigarettes and "Doe in Heat Deer Urine". The two ladies behind the counter, including the one who attacked John Leguizamo with the machete, were professional actors and do not really work there. Though it did not appear in the credits, the producers should thank "The Terrell Bait Shop". The movie is worth a watch on "Showtime".

Don't expect too much from it.

[searchanddestroy-1 · 8/10 · 25 October 2021]

If you like gangsters flicks and topics, fast paced, not too much complicated, with no bad guys vs good guys schemes, this film destined to VHS - it was made in 1998 - is probably made for you. No real lead either to focus on, that's also precisely what I search; that changes. Maybe a bit too much talkative and unfortunately emphasized on petty hoodlums rather than hard tough professionals. But Forrest Whitaker and Ving Rhames save the whole. Such a shame that there is such an unbearable music nearly all the time.