All of TVGuide.com Videos Only

Dilemma

1999, Movie, NR, 80 mins

Dilemma: Review

Tough young cop Thomas "Quinn" Quinlan (C. Thomas Howell) gets miffed at community activist Lydia Cantrell (Sofia Shinas), after her bleeding heart proselytizing results in a stay of execution for convicted murderer Rudy Salazar (Danny Trejo). You see, Salazar is a perfect bone marrow match for fatally ill orphan Delfina (Rosario Gru). Escaping from the hospital, Salazar becomes a citywide scourge specializing in rape, murder, and stealing luxury cars for an underground chop shop-cum-dealership. Although Quinlan's instincts tell him to knock off Salazar at the first opportunity, Delfina will surely die without the operation. Tracing Salazar through minions who cough up information, Quinlan narrows the search to Nevada's Devil's Pointe, site of the Salazar family farm. While Delfina clings to life, Quinlan must survive a gauntlet booby traps and fend off local deputies who shoot first and ask questions later. And now, for something completely icky: a hybrid of the urban cop thriller and the terminal illness weepie! In addition to the decidedly shabby production values, this lethargic film is deflated by Howell's inert performance (he's the world's most boyish-looking actor, once again failing to impersonate a surly adult) and by the repetitive nature of Salazar's getaways. If the impoverished suspense weren't wearying enough, the viewer must contend with a cornball debate on medical ethics. The film is so shameless, you expect Delfina to tumble out of bed, crawl her way to Devil's Pointe, and plead with Salazar by megaphone. leave a comment --Robert Pardi