Beyond the Law 1993 [alternative names Fixing the Shadow and/or Made of Steel] by AverageMansReviews

Beyond the Law 1993 [alternative names Fixing the Shadow and/or Made of Steel] by AverageMansReviews

Review Time

Warning: there is flashing effects/colourful effects/drugs/child abuse/bodily functions

Special Investigations Arizona Division has comes calling: basically; U.S. Assistant Attorney Conroy Price [Courtney B. Vance:] he is putting this undercover narcotics operation together and he needs somebody to go undercover. Funny enough William Patrick Steiner/Dan Saxon/other names which I will disclose shortly [Younger: Unknown performer as Patrick Steiner/Older: Charlie Sheen:] needs a job after being very recently fired as a traffic cop/Deputy with a deeply permanent scarring history of receiving child abuse so he agrees to undertake this operation becoming Agent Dan Saxton/Sid. This operation essentially revolves around this bikers known as the “Jackals" and their leader known as Blood [Michael Madsen:] he and his bikers can get their hands on practically anything, his objective is simple gather Intel and take down Blood.

Generally speaking: the framework and pacing of this 108 minutes film is good; well I am not holding this against this film, but also I have to say it is very much of the 1990's filmmaking. Meaning we have either montage or/and montages or/and sequences that have background music to accompany this sequence of events [I had to put this bit in; based on it uses both and I know there are some people out there that in this day and age; that will debate what isn't and what is a montage, so I have clearly just covered my back here; either way to keep everyone happy.]

Comedy and action; we have comedic bits now and again in one way or another; for an example; Sid gets challenged to a game of shoot the cans; so he misses [I am going to say deliberately misses; because in a previous moment or two he picks up a stick of dynamite;] back in present time; to take some shtick about basically the cans not moving; to prove he is mentally out there, he starts the game again, to make sure the cans move, he uses this now lighted dynamite in a close proximity [everyone else runs to a safe distance;] Sid throws the live dynamite in/on near part of a segue of river, so when it explodes it; makes the water go up and he gets covered in this essentially shower of water.

Art; a good bit of photography brought us by Renee Jason [Linda Fiorentino:] she is a photojournalist which is getting paid by Blood, she also has a daughter by the name of Marybette Jason [Lyndsay Riddell:] she is a pleasant little girl. But back to the photography it is black-and-white and get to see him a shadow being put in one of the pictures.

Character developments and performances; for the vast majority on both counts they are good versions of what they are meant to be, with smooth chemistry throughout this cast. But I have awarded another mark, based on the performances of Sheen and/or Madsen; they either lead this cast of characters excellently or without giving too much away go head-to-head with the similar excellent.

This film receives: 7/10, this film is good, if there are any fans of Charlie Sheen and/or Madsen out there in Internet land and you haven't even seen this film yet or haven't seen it in a while; it is well worth a watch and there is an ongoing sequence as this film ends.