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Preview by: Jack Foley
IT'S described as a mix of Top
Gun and 2001: A Space Odyssey and looks, from its trailer,
like being one of the most shamelessly enjoyable action films
of the summer.
Stealth is the new film from the team behind xXx
and The Fast
and the Furious, starring Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx, as well
as Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Sam Shepard.
The plot centres around three hot-shot naval pilots who are suddenly
given an unwanted 'fourth wing-man', in the form of an artificially
intelligent, robot-navigated ship.
Initially, the trio are outraged that the ship might represent
the end of their careers, but their doubts are proved right when
a lightning strike scrambles the intelligence of the ship in question
and rewards it with a mind of its own.
Hence, the ship turns rogue and it is up to Foxx, Biel and Lucas
to put their military skills to the test to prevent it from destroying
the world.
Sound ludicrous? You bet! But a glimpse at the trailer suggests
that this could be a lot of fun for anyone willing to place their
brain in neutral and give in to its high-octane thrills.
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The film is directed by Rob Cohen
who, in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine,
felt flattered by any comparison with 2001.
Yet he maintains that Stealth's robot creation, EDI, is far more
advanced than HAL and far more dangerous.
"HAL was stuck in that ship and could only manipulate that
closed environment," he explains. "EDI has his own body,
can move, and is fully weaponized."
The film is also notable for providing a rare leading man outing
for Josh Lucas, who has thus far contributed solid support work
to film such as Sweet Home
Alabama, The Hulk and Undertow.
Lucas is thrilled with the opportunity, even if training for
the film almost killed him.
As part of the actors' preparation, all three had to submit to
the rigours of a $2 million, 100,000-ton flight simulator known
as the Gimbal, which spun, flipped and smashed them with a five
g force.
Explains Lucas: "I got really shook, got a pretty bad concussion
over about three days, and got really hateful of that thing."
Having survived the ordeal, however, Lucas will be hoping that
Stealth is the film that starts to propel him towards the Hollywood
A-list.
Audiences can judge for themselves when the film opens in America
on July 29 and in the UK on August 5, 2005.
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