Skyscraper (12a)
Director: Rawston Marshall Thurbar.
Disaster
Rating: 3/5
Synopsis
Years after he loses a leg during a hostage situation, former FBI Agent Will Sawyer (Dwayne Johnson) has trained as a security expert, is happily married to Rachel (Neve Campbell) and has two children.
He gets a lucky break when he is asked by a friend (Pablo Schreiber) to review the security and safety systems of the world’s tallest building, The Pearl, situated in Hong Kong.
But shortly after his presentation to the building’s wealthy owner Long Ji (Chin Han), the building is attacked by an organised crime syndicate, whom Long has a mysterious connection to. The tower is set ablaze and, with his family trapped above the fire line, Sawyer has to battle to get inside to save them, dodging the police, flames and bullets.
Review by Jason Day
While this unofficial remake of the mighty 1974 epic disaster spectacle The Towering Inferno starring The Rock/Dwayne Johnson lacks the class and, dare I even say it, majesty of its forbear, it more than makes up for it in terms of gut-inverting stunts, action scenes and vertigo-inducing camera work.
It needs to as well because it takes about 30 minutes to get going, so it has a lot to squeeze into it's surprisingly short running time (much less than two hours).
As you would expect from a disaster drama there is plummy dialogue, OTT manly heroics (well, The Rock is co-producer) and complete lapses in logic or sense. But this disaster drama still reaches the parts others can't.
And for why, read my full review: http://bit.ly/skyscraperfilm
1hr 42 mins (102 mins). Legendary Entertainment/Flynn Picture Company/Seven Bucks. (12a).
Producers: Beau Flynn, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Mary Parent.
Writer: Rawston Marshall Thurbar.
Camera: Robert Elswit.
Music: Steve Jablonsky.
Sets: James D. Bissel.
Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, Chin Han, Pablo Schreiber, Noah Taylor, McKenna Roberts, Kevin Rankin, Roland Moller, Byron Mann, Matt O’Leary, Hannah Quinlivan, Beatrice King.
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