Cutaway

Skydiving flick with Stephen Baldwin and Tom Berenger

A U.S. Customs agent (Stephen Baldwin) goes undercover to join a skydiving team in Miami to bust a drug-smuggling ring. The squad is headed by a strong, but morally suspicious leader (Tom Berenger) and his somewhat sinister right-hand man (Dennis Rodman). Maxine Bahns, Ron Silver and Casper Van Dien are also on hand.

"Cutaway" (2000) is a skydiving crime thriller that cost $9 million and debuted on TV in the USA, but straight-to-video elsewhere. It features spectacular skydiving sequences supplemented by stock footage. Airplanes are ubiquitous, but only as means of transport.

If you want skydiving action “Cutaway” delivers the goods. It helps that Baldwin is a likable protagonist and Berenger has his typical edgy charisma. Bahns doesn’t do much for me on the female front, but she’s a’right. Stunningly statuesque Cat Stone has a bit part. While Van Dien’s role is small, this movie upped my respect for him. He previously struck me as a pretty boy type, but he’s totally kick axx here.

The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in the Miami area, Florida (Miami-Dade County & Opa Locka), and Fort Bragg, NC.

GRADE: B-