Comic-book logic in action movies has seemingly given way to video-game logic which is almost no logic at all and spooling out Ballistic's inane, convoluted plot is a waste of time.
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:0
Rotten:107
Average Rating:2.6/10
Consensus: A startlingly inept film, Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever offers overblown, wall-to-wall action without a hint of wit, coherence, style, or originality.
Theatrical Release:Sep 20, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $14,235,059
Synopsis: In the mystifying opening sequence of BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER, a double kidnapping takes place on a rainy night in Vancouver with a minimal amount of wasted time and a maximum amount of violence.... In the mystifying opening sequence of BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER, a double kidnapping takes place on a rainy night in Vancouver with a minimal amount of wasted time and a maximum amount of violence. A little boy is picked up at the airport by his mother (Talisa Soto), whose car is stopped minutes later by thugs who steal the boy and say they're taking him to his father. Rounding the corner, the thugs see a car explode in front of them, and a dump truck smashes into a wall of other cars, spraying fire. A hooded martial arts expert takes out the thugs with some impressive kicks and swirls, then grabs the boy and leaves. Secret agent Sever (Lucy Liu) is the kidnapper here, an angry, heavily armed nut who literally goes ballistic for unknown reasons. Using automatic weapons and other highly explosive artillery, she annihilates at least a hundred policeman in the next scene, outside a shopping mall. A retired secret agent, Ecks (Antonio Banderas), is the only man who can stop her, and when he does--temporarily--the two join forces against the real culprit, Robert Gant (Gregg Henry). Gant has crafted a dangerous assassination weapon that triggers death at the push of a button once it is injected into its victim's bloodstream. And that weapon is living inside the little boy. To save him, and stop the weapon from being used again, Ecks and Sever must get Gant. BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER is a super-violent nonstop action extravaganza with a high-octane musical score by Don Davis. It is directed by Kaos. [More]
Starring: Lucy Liu, Antonio Banderas, Gregg Henry, Ray Park
Starring: Lucy Liu, Antonio Banderas, Gregg Henry, Ray Park, Talisa Soto, Miguel Sandoval
Director: Kaos
Director: Kaos
Screenwriter: Alan McElroy
Producer: Elie Samaha, Chris Lee, Andrew Stevens, Kaos
Composer: Don Davis
Studio: Warner Bros.
Get This Movie
Reviews for Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
At best, Ballistic is a movie that wants to be a video game. At worst, it's a colossal waste of time.
In addition to sporting one of the worst titles in recent cinematic history, Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever also features terrible, banal dialogue; convenient, hole-ridden plotting; superficial characters and a rather dull, unimaginative car chase.
Whether it's the worst movie of 2002, I can't say for sure: Memories of Rollerball have faded, and I skipped Country Bears. But this new jangle of noise, mayhem and stupidity must be a serious contender for the title.
"Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever" is one of those movies that you should see tucked away and the bottom of the New Release section in Blockbuster where all the other straight-to-video, Z-grade explosion flicks are kept.
I'm guessing the director is a magician. After all, he took three minutes of dialogue, 30 seconds of plot and turned them into a 90-minute movie that feels five hours long.
I don't even care that there's no plot in this Antonio Banderas-Lucy Liu faceoff. It's still terrible!
Slow in a strange way -- without energy, without imagination, without urgency.
Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever has to be one of the worst films ever made. Sadly, you almost have to see it to believe it.
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever is an ungainly mess, submerged in mayhem, occasionally surfacing for cliches.
If Liu even dreamed of whupping Michelle Yeoh, martial-arts star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, she should wake up and apologize.
It's like going into a gunfight with a half-empty clip - it may seem okay in the beginning, but you aren't going to be happy with the results.
So devoid of any kind of intelligible story that it makes films like XXX and Collateral Damage seem like thoughtful treatises
The film makers treat this movie like we already know the characters and they need no development.
Spy-vs.-spy action flick with Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu never comes together.
If you collected all the moments of coherent dialogue, they still wouldn't add up to the time required to boil a four- minute egg.
Latest News for Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
December 26, 2007:
Total Recall: In Honor of AVP:R, Memorable Cinematic Title Fights
This week, we're taking it to the screen with Alien vs.
Predator: Requiem, the latest mash up of modern sci-fi's two coolest franchises in a winner-take-all battle royale. Why... More...
December 20, 2007:
Dwight Little to Direct Tekken
Thirteen years and eight games adds up to a whole bunch of potential for a feature film adaptation -- at least according to Dwight Little, who has agreed to direct a Tekken... More...
August 14, 2006:
"Zoom" Tomatometer: Zero
"Zoom" is soaring, flying high into the rarified territory where only seven films before it have ventured. The film, which stars Tim Allen and Courteney Cox, is... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
| 25% 25% | Four Christmases |
| 68% 68% | Funny People |
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 67% 67% | Public Enemies |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 95% 95% | The Cove |
| 85% 85% | World's Greatest Dad |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever at Rotten Tomatoes
- Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever at IGN
- Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

MSN Movies offers a little background on the success of Disney Animation.

TIME takes a look back at the history of vampires on film.

Techland examines the visual splendor of Peter Jackson's upcoming film.

AOL put together a list of 10 recent news items that would be perfect as TV Movies.

Hollywood.com's C. Robert Cargill explores how remakes and reboots have warped our thinking.
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic


