MovieChat Forums > The Package (1989) Discussion > Fun but ultimately poor, and now forgett...

Fun but ultimately poor, and now forgettable

posted 18 years ago by jgroub
12 replies | jump to latest

This movie is made in 1989 and set in the Cold War. It isn't too relevant nowadays, but it's a Gene Hackman vehicle, and he's always good to watch.

However, even with that, the movie has a huge flaw: (SPOILERS)

Once they decide to start killing people, it makes no sense not to kill Hackman. If you're in a for a penny, you're in for a pound. They killed the general and the other two in the car. Heck, they even killed one of the soldiers on Hackman's patrol. Once they get their hands on Hackman, they should have killed him instantly too. This is a basic flaw that I've seen in other movies, The Spanish Prisoner being another example, but this picture was more interesting than that one.

It makes zero sense to leave Hackman alive. Leaving him alive only allows him to do some kind of follow up on having lost his prisoner. What, did they just expect him to report in and be done with it? They know that's not Hackman/Gallagher. Tommy Lee Jones was a badass - he could have killed him at any of a number of points along the way. They could have stabbed him in the restroom, as opposed to the silly staged fight. Sorry, but the movie doesn't work for me at that most basic level. Other than that, turn off brain and enjoy.

I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

[–] joep-11 17 years ago

I think the tommy Lee character took a liking to Gene Hackman's character - I think he probably was supposed to kill him in the restroom at the airport - otherwise he could have exposed that there was a false Henke even if the rest of the plot worked.

[–] p_knutsen 16 years ago

Leaving a dead body in the men's restroom would have caused a red alert very quickly, and airport police would have locked the place down and tried to find the killers. I don't think the rescuers of Tommy Lee's character wanted to take that risk.

[–] jgroub 15 years ago

So, kill Hackman in the cabride from the airport to the base. Kill him at the car rental counter. Kill him when he goes to fill up the gas tank. Kill him anytime you want to, so long as you KILL HIM!

I asked the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

[–] padzok 14 years ago

They probably plan to kill him while he is in custody. Eg like Lee Harvey Oswald being transferred between jails.

They didnt kill him straight away because they want it to appear that he was part of the plot. ie he brought the assassin into the country, etc

In classic movie tradition, they vastly under-estimated him. Remember that the main US conspirator mentioned some sort of previous incident where he'd been accused of negligence. That is why he was selected. (Plus the incident with the German tourists would help make him look guilty).

[–] ae36 14 years ago

Well I just watched this film and what I want to know is this:

How did the Pam Grier character get on to the Tommy Lee Jones character?

In the film, her character walks up to Hackman's wife and says something like "the only Sgt. court marshaled in the last 10 years was a special forces adviser named Boyette..." (or something like that). and BINGO! now our heroes are on to Tommy Lee Jones.

No where did that info come from? Hackman thinks the Jones character served in Vietnam. OK. That's a guess based on experience. But to go from there to get to Jones is more than a leap. It's frankly unbelievable. Yet the whole movie depends on it.

I just thought that was very weak. I don't know. Maybe I missed something.

This movie was the prototype to "The Fugitive" as well. Same music, same actors. Same locations.

Hackman and Jones have something like three scenes between them and Jones goes missing for something like 3/4 of the movie. Dennis Franz had a bigger part than Jones and he was second billed.

AE36

[–] legnadibrom (5719) 3 years ago

i had to replay that part again to connect the dots on how Grier came to that information,
she also mentions that he's the only soldier court-marshaled for striking an officer with that much experience

[–] Lokisgodhi 9 years ago

Maybe not.

After killing him, take down his pants and underwear, then leave him sitting on the toilet. In an airport it could be hours before his body is found.

Security or the guy who cleans the bathroom would likely have to come back twice before he saw the same legs under the stall door and realized anything was wrong.

Maybe longer if it were over a shift change.

p_knutsen wrote:

Leaving a dead body in the men's restroom would have caused a red alert very quickly, and airport police would have locked the place down and tried to find the killers. I don't think the rescuers of Tommy Lee's character wanted to take that risk.

[–] layton59 13 years ago

I think they picked Gene Hackman's character because he was in the failed Iran Hostage rescue plan.

Another failed mission would not be a big deal to him or his superiors.

If you kill the Sgt in the bathroom then the military manhunt for Boyette takes on a bigger international profile.

Finally, if you kill the Sgt in the bathroom you no longer have a mad Gene Hackman character kicking a$$ and taking names for our enjoyment.

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] 9 years ago

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[–] Jones70 (6195) 2 years ago

Nah I like this movie a lot.

[–] Melton (2184) 5 months ago

I agree, it made no sense not to kill Hackman, dude had more plot armour than a tank. Even after they’d decided to kill him, they just handcuff him in a basement (from which he makes a ludicrously implausible escape)

And earlier he just climbs out the window while being detained?

Script needed several more drafts.