THE STRAIGHT DOPE:
There has been a lot of talk about what is responsible filmmaking since September 11th, to the point that it looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger's unbelievably poorly timed Collateral Damage might have actually been shelved permanently. (It was eventually released, but didn't really go anywhere.) Filmmakers need to feel free to express different ideas, even if they seem controversial to the public. Still, a certain sensitivity isn't a bad idea.

Christopher Lambert's movies aren't known for their sensitivity but they aren't usually too topical, either. The Point Men is stunning for how inappropriate it is right now and, while it never stood a chance to receive Schwarzenegger-size hype, it seems incredible that it was ever made in the first place. Lambert plays Tony Eckhardt, an Israeli secret service team member whose stakeout of a prominent Palestinian terrorist is foiled by unexplained circumstance. After the botched job Palestinian psycho Amar Kamil (Vincent Regan) sets his sights on Tony and his compadres (including Maryam d'Abo and Shallow Grave's Kerry Fox).

While the film goes to some length to explain that Kamil is acting alone (which goes against the opening scenario, but anyway) and not on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (the real-life terrorist army that has been involved with the fruitless Israel-Palestine peace talks and that is of arguable value as a legitimate governing body). The film tries to play fair and say that Israelis and Palestinians are both at fault for the current situation, but by positing the villain as a Palestinian maniac and the protagonist as an Israeli hero the film (at least one of the producers of which is Israeli) shows its hand.

I'm not saying that the film comes out on the right or wrong side; That's an issue that everyone needs to think about for themselves. What it does do is treat the entire situation as the simplistic backdrop for mindless video-game violence. The conflict might as well have been between fictional peoples. Nothing is gained by exploiting this situation. The film isn't a thougtful analysis of what's happening. In fact, the most insightful comment in the movie is probably "You Arabs and Jews are crazy. You deserve each other."

VIDEO:
The anamorphic video is pretty lackluster. The cinematography is unimaginative and drab and the transfer, while possibly doing the best it can with the materials, has no flavor. Colors are weak and the image is a touch soft. There is some dirt on the print and the overall image appears bland.

AUDIO:
Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 soundtracks are available. They both sound fine considering the cheap nature of the piece. The cast features an unruly mix of accents and the somewhat muddied mix makes subtitles a helpful feature. They're available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Thai.

EXTRAS:
Trailers and filmographies are included.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Is it bad timing for a film exploiting the conflict in the Middle East to come out now or would there never have been a right time? As a political statement The Point Men doesn't make any attempts at insight. As entertainment it might be fodder for the most die-hard Lambert fans. Still, it looks cheap and amateurish compared to some of his more high profile films.