Ford's Apex is tentatively this prestige breakthrough after earlier franchise peaks, because of the Oscar nomination and first-choice status. — Bill Simmons
Amish film characters receive an affirmative Apex; evil Philadelphia police remains uncertain. — Bill Simmons
Corn silos and sponge baths receive affirmative Apex support; corn generally is less certain. — Bill Simmons
The upper-body-only bath and Book's toileting while injured raise practical questions. — Mallory Rubin
Evil Glover receives affirmative Apex with Shooter an alternative; Godunov peaks at Die Hard. — Bill Simmons
Haas receives affirmative acting support then a joking later social-life alternative; train-station murder goes to Blow Out and Mortensen to Aragorn. — Mallory Rubin
Weir's Apex is Dead Poets Society rather than Witness, given subsequent clout and lasting impact. — Mallory Rubin
The opening credits hold up, and Swagger seeking revenge for his murdered dog foreshadows the John Wick series.
Philadelphia is underused in movies; Wahlberg again wears Eagles gear, apparently kept from Invincible.
Philadelphia's colonial architecture suits conspiracy thrillers, peaking with Blow Out. — Chris Ryan
Boston would fail as an assassination city because escape routes are limited; Philadelphia is judged the right sniper city.
The name Nick Memphis and the other names hold up, while the villains get bland names like Colonel Johnson; Pena later favored characters with Latino names.
The 'one dead man talking to another' line is cited as an action staple.
Evil Danny Glover is a highlight; Lethal Weapon overshadowed his range, and his villain potential went unused for years.
A favorite line is Glover insisting he is covered and telling them to call the Joint Chiefs.
Moving to an R rating after Wahlberg signed on was a smart move, since a softer sniper movie cannot work.
Real Rockheads love the morgue-scene lines about the feet and "that's the most awful thing I've ever seen"; Cage's subtle readings like "FBI, freeze, sucker" and introducing himself as Stanley Goodspeed are favorites, and the Rocket Man quote is the stupidest but still funny. — Mina Kimes
Joe Pesci won the movie: Riggs obviously wins, but the vote goes to Pesci like the Heisman vote that went to Charles Woodson over Peyton Manning. — Van Lathan
The time-out for saying Pesci was better here than in Goodfellas is raised again; the reply blames jet lag and regrets it. — Van Lathan
Gibson is the right answer, but the title is vacated like Reggie Bush's, so there is no winner. — Chris Ryan
Pesci makes the movie; a joke follows about the vacated title going to Danny Glover. — Van Lathan
Theory: the movies aged Glover about 30 years in our subconscious although he was 43, taking him out of contention for roles he could have played. — Van Lathan
He has appeared in about 200 movies, around 100 since 2000. — Bill Simmons
Predator 2 was supposed to be his star turn, but Murtaugh is feeble and he got trapped by the character; Angels in the Outfield maybe broke out a little.
Why no Commando 2, when sequels such as Rambo 2, Lethal Weapon 2, Rocky IV and a long-planned Terminator 2 were working? Maybe Arnold was uninterested or annoyed he only got a thumbs up instead of a full review. — Bill Simmons
Arnold's schedule (Raw Deal in 86, Predator and Running Man in 87, Red Heat in 88) left room if Raw Deal or Red Heat were swapped out.
Val Verde was reused in more than one movie by the same producer, so why did it not become the go-to fictional country like Wakanda or Zamunda? — Bill Simmons
After landing, do they face charges, since she might have killed two cops with the rocket launcher, and what becomes of Ray Dawn and Arnold? One view says she is falling for him; another says she stayed only to see the girl.
Of Commando 2, Roadhouse 2 with Swayze and Point Break 2 with Reeves, Point Break 2 is the bigger miss; Bodhi should return only in Point Break 4, and Fast and Furious shows the formula works. — Bill Simmons
Richie and Chaz's exchange about writing a suicide note after regaining consciousness is a favorite. — Chris Ryan
Royal asking whether anyone wants burgers in the cemetery is selected. — Chris Ryan
Royal telling the boys that their mother was terribly attractive is called the movie's second-biggest laugh. — Chris Ryan
The announcers' description of Richie's tennis collapse is selected. — Chris Ryan
Royal's funeral response, 'All right, Bomber,' is offered as a Best Quote candidate. — Chris Ryan
Eli regretting that he and Richie did not use drugs together earlier is selected for its absurd sadness. — Chris Ryan
Royal's claim that his closeness to death changed him, answered by Richie's reminder that he was never dying, is repeated as a favorite. — Chris Ryan
Eli asking whether a reviewer especially thinks he is not a genius is selected. — Andy Greenwald
The premise of Eli's Custer book is the participant's all-time favorite quote from the movie. — Andy Greenwald
Eli's drug-related dialogue, including Wildcat, is treated as endlessly quotable. — Andy Greenwald
Royal describing Eli as an old grizzly bear is recalled in the final quote rundown. — Andy Greenwald
Eli's opening narration about the frisklating dusk light is recalled in the final quote rundown. — Andy Greenwald
Royal's line about dog blood on his face is named during the Best Quote discussion. — Andy Greenwald
Royal's gravestone claim that he died rescuing his family from a destroyed sinking battleship supplies the final laugh and captures the character. — Andy Greenwald
Chaz's admission that he has had a rough year is singled out for emotional force. — Andy Greenwald
Dusty's fake-doctor instruction to push fluids and continue stomach-cancer medication is chosen for pure comedy. — Andy Greenwald
Danny Glover's Henry asking, 'Is that a tick-tac?', is recalled as a Best Quote candidate. — Andy Greenwald
