The Specialist (1994)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Luis Llosa

Writers (WGA):

John Shirley (Specialist novels) (suggestion)
Alexandra Seros (written by)

Release Date:

7 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

The government taught him to kill. Now he's using his skills to help a woman seek revenge against the Miami underworld.

Plot:

A woman entices a bomb expert she's involved with into destroying the mafia that killed her family.

Plot Keywords:

Parent | CIA | Revenge | Miami Florida | Explosives Expert

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Ray Quick
Sharon Stone	...	May Munro (aka Adrian Hastings)
James Woods	...	Ned Trent
Rod Steiger	...	Joe Leon
Eric Roberts	...	Tomas Leon
Mario Ernesto Sánchez	...	Charlie
Sergio Doré Jr.	...	Strongarm
Chase Randolph	...	Stan Munro, May's Dad
Jeana Bell	...	Alice Munro, May's Mom
Brittany Paige Bouck	...	Young May
Emilio Estefan Jr.	...	Piano Player
LaGaylia Frazier	...	Singer #1
Ramón González Cuevas	...	Priest at Cemetery
Tony Munafo	...	Tony
Cheito Quinonez	...	Singer at Party

Also Known As:

El especialista (Peru)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Peru | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (original rating) | Australia:M (TV rating) | Canada:14A | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Poland:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Cookeville, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Iguana Producciones

Trivia:

When Sylvester Stallone enters his computer to activate the massive explosion of his home near end of film, the password he uses is "Top of the world, Ma." This is a slight paraphrase of Jimmy Cagney's last line in White Heat (1949), just before Cagney shoots into the large gas storage unit he's standing on, causing massive explosions. ("Made it, Ma. Top of the world!")

Goofs:

Continuity: The blood on May Munro's lower lip disappears and reappears during a confrontation with Ned Trent.

Quotes:

Ned: Good, nice sense of irony, blowing up the bomb unit. Ned, you may ask yourself, why is it my turn to die. Ask God. he kills all the time. Why shouldn't I?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)

Soundtrack:

Mental Picture

If not for James Woods, this movie about bombs would have BEEN a bomb!

Let's face it, Sly Stallone can never be a romantic actor, no matter how hard the poor guy tries. He attempted to be suave and sophisticated in this movie, THE SPECIALIST, but alas, thanks to his rough and

tumble, RAMBO image, Sly fails. Maybe it's just his performance here, or perhaps by the others, especially Sharon Stone, Eric Roberts, and Rod Steiger (Oh God, he was a riot in this movie!). The actors mentioned probably gave their murkiest, most career-ruining roles of their lives, and for what?? The only reason why I found this movie interesting are the action sequences, and my favorite actor of all time, James Woods. Why he decided to be in a cheap flick like THE SPECIALIST is beyond me, but Woods manages to shine as the sleazeball thug who wants Sly's character's head on a platter. Apparently, Woods was the only enthusiastic thespian that walked in this movie's set; about everyone else looked bored. The same goes mostly for the viewer.