Stealth (2005)


Stealth is an extremely fast-paced action, adventure movie. However, something is missing, the story does not quite connect all of the dots. On the plus side, the jets were sleek, beautiful and powerful. "Stealth" stars Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx and Sam Shepard. When you see Lucas, Biel and Foxx, looking gorgeous in their Navy whites you may be reminded of the movie "The Right Stuff" but that is where the resemblance ends, this movie does not have the same storyline continuity. It doesn't flow as smoothly as it should to make this movie click.

Lieutenants' Ben Gannon (Lucas), Kara Wade (Biel) and Henry Purcell (Foxx) are all pilots and a comfortable team. They have just been told that one more wingman will join their them as they head out on an emergency mission in Rangoon, Burma. The new addition to the team is not a person but a computer-controlled fighter plane. It is called an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle, or UCAV. The trio plus UCAV have numerous back-to-back emergencies, then lightening strikes UCAV, which causes it to download and play music from the Internet, it also begins to ignore orders and appears to be able to think on its own. When Gannon gives an order to withdraw, it does not. Thus, a skyscraper is downed in Burma, killing thousands of innocent people. The falling skyscraper brings to mind the September, 2001 tragedy and is disturbing to watch.

The team returns home and Gannon tells his captain about UCAV's rogue actions and requests that it be removed from duty because it is dangerous. The Captain (Sam Shepard) ignores Gannon's request and his warning without giving a reason. Instead the three man team is rushed out on an unrequested and unexplained vacation in Thailand, where romance blooms between Lts. Gannon and Wade. Lieutenant Purcell manages to pick up a beautiful Thai woman who does not speak English, but does have lunch with the team, goes walking with Purcell and allows him to kiss her. We know that she is not deaf because she smiles and says no when Purcell says "You don't understand a word I am saying, do you?", but that does not prevent the team from talking about their mission as they all share a meal with this woman.

There are so many inconsistencies in Stealth and it moves so quickly, that it is very hard to get into it. However, the Captain Cummings (Shepard) character is interesting, he has a hidden and dangerous agenda. Joe Morton is impressive in the role of Captain Marshfield and Richard Roxburgh who has a minor role as Keith Orbit, the man who build UCAV is also quite good.

If you enjoy watching men and women on a mission The Right Stuff with Sam Shepard is an excellent movie with a history backing it up.


Rated (PG-13)