Stealth (2005)
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Premise: An elite trio of navy pilots (Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, and Jamie Foxx) face off against another aircraft piloted by artificial intelligence.
What Works: This is an A to Z action thriller and as that it is just barely competent. The film includes some reversals in the second half and this breaks up some of the predictability and keeps the film interesting. The action sequences are fun and have a wild kinetic quality. The actors are able to give some life to their roles, shallow as they are.
What Doesn’t: Much of the film is borrowed from other sources. The characters and their relationships are mostly cardboard cutouts from other action films. The artificial intelligence storyline is a well-worn convention of science fiction at this point and has been done better in other places. Stealth uses these old techniques but does not make anything new out of them.
Bottom Line: Stealth will be fun for anyone who has enjoyed low budget jet pictures like Interceptor or Iron Eagle IV because that is exactly what this film is, only with fancy eye candy. Fans of Top Gun should not be fooled.
Episode: #62 (July 31, 2005)