Main Cast: Eric Roberts, Bryan Genesse, Ice-T, Michael Madsen
Release Year: 1999
Country: US
Run Time: 105 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
In this suspense thriller, President Fallbrook (John Beck) is doing poorly in the polls a week before he's up for re-election. To boost his popularity, one of his advisors comes up with a plan -- stage a kidnapping, and when the chief executive is released under seemingly heroic circumstances, he'll be a shoo-in for another term. However, after Fallbrook and several of his wealthy and powerful friends are grabbed from under the eyes of Secret Service agents, the crooks hired to fake the kidnapping decide to make it into the real thing. One of the Secret Service agents (Eric Roberts) now has his work cut out for him as he tries to rescue Fallbrook from the supposed hoax. Also released under the title Agent of Death, The Alternate also stars Michael Madsen, Ice-T, and Bryan Genesse. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
The moral of this tale from American Ninja director Sam Firstenberg: always double-check with the White House when someone tells you the president would like to be abducted by a squad of guys with blow darts. The outlandish premise could have worked had actor Brian Genesse's screenplay employed imagination in depicting the leader of the free world in peril. But in this dashed-off script it might as well have been anyone else caught in the crossfire of Genesse and Roberts's deadly smirks. Marking Agent of Death as a straight-to-video release are gratuitous use of stock footage, atrocious CG explosions and the early killing off of a top-billed actor -- in this case Ice-T, whose character's longevity might have made this underpopulated Die Hard rip-off almost bearable. ~ All Movie Guide
