The Specialist is that type of brainless action thriller you play late at night to have something going on in the background. You can make yourself an extravagant sandwich and still not miss anything of importance. And yet there’s something about it that makes it watchable. So, yes, I would say that The Specialist is a good movie. First of all, the cast is absolutely sublime with Sylvester Stallone leading the charge and Sharon Stone along with James Woods following close. Secondly, the production values are great as the budget was a surprising $45 million. Thirdly, this is a heartwarming over-the-top revenge story told extremely seriously.
I think that this final point is the most important one. Because all of them were taking things so seriously, you feel either compelled to take them seriously too or to laugh at the obviously weird atmosphere. If you’re feeling nostalgic about old-school nineties action thrillers, The Specialist is the perfect movie for you. It’s got that authentic “Cannon movies” vibe. The story unfolds quickly and not ten minutes go by before we get some explosive scenes. They can be literally explosive as in things exploding. Or they can be figuratively explosive as in characters making bold statements or simply making love.
For example, The Specialist opens with a scene where our hero kills a 6-year-old child along with his entire family. To be fair, he did try to stop the explosion but nonetheless, their deaths were the consequences of his actions. Naturally, now he’s got all this weight on his broad shoulders as all true old-school action heroes do. The characters here are at the same time authentic and stereotypical, further enhanced by the skillful actors. Sylvester Stallone is the silent brooding professional (The Specialist), Woods is a larger-than-life bad guy, and Sharon Stone is an atypical damsel in distress. Who’s also smoking hot.
Ray Quick is an explosives expert who used to work for the CIA doing black ops. Now, he’s working as a hitman in Florida, as all former explosive experts do. Ray embraced the new technologies and uses the Internet to contact his clients. One of those clients is a young woman by the name of May Munro. Ray is intrigued by her story and the job she wants him to do. So, he starts following her to get more information. And before he knows it, the whole thing becomes personal, very, very personal.
Since this is a nineties action movie we will, of course, get a scene where Stallone is exercising half-nude. If he had a sword, I bet he would be completely nude. At least we got the obligatory sex in the shower scene. And of course, he’s got a secret compound with all these security measures and shit. I actually remember watching this movie back in the nineties and loving the whole concept. And you can also see how the whole silent brooding guy who’s really good at not just making complex explosives but also hand-to-hand combat plays well with your Average Joe. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Finally, if you’re looking for movies like The Specialist check out Assassins, also starring Stallone, this time joined by Antonio Banderas. Cliffhanger and Cobra are also good choices along with another movie featuring an army guy who has a specialty, Sniper, also directed by Luis Llosa.
Director: Luis Llosa
Writers: John Shirley, Alexandra Seros
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Eric Roberts, Rod Steiger, Mario Ernesto Sánchez
Fun Facts: Sharon Stone was not too keen on doing the nude shower scene with Sylvester Stallone. So, he went to his trailer, brought a bottle of vodka and after they drank a lot of it, the scene was filmed without any issues. After the great success she had with Basic Instinct, Sharon was sick of doing nude scenes as people only viewed her as a piece of meat and not the top actress that she is. I personally think she was one of the most underrated actresses during the nineties.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111255/
