Chain Reaction

1996 1h 47m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 1,267

ThrillerActionScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

At the University of Chicago, a research team that includes brilliant student machinist Eddie Kasalivich experiences a breakthrough: a stable form of fusion that may lead to a waste-free energy source. However, a private company wants to exploit the technology, so Kasalivich and physicist Dr. Lily Sinclair are framed for murder, and the fusion device is stolen. On the run from the FBI, they must recover the technology and exonerate themselves.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Keanu Reeves
Eddie Kasalivich
Morgan Freeman
Paul Shannon
Rachel Weisz
Dr. Lily Sinclair
Fred Ward
FBI Agent Leon Ford
Kevin Dunn
FBI Agent Doyle
Brian Cox
Lyman Earl Collier
Joanna Cassidy
Maggie McDermott
Chelcie Ross
Ed Rafferty

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Davis
Writers: J.F. Lawton, Michael Bortman, Arne Schmidt
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

30 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

225+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Frank Tidy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Arthur Schmidt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman and Rachel Weisz carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0115857 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Davis directs. Frank Tidy behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Arthur Schmidt cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $50M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
230 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3225+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Andrew Davis, shot by Frank Tidy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Arthur Schmidt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Keanu Reeves and Morgan Freeman and Rachel Weisz carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0115857 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 15 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "fbi", "hydrogen bomb", "secret lab".
10Released under 34 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Frank Tidy
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Arthur Schmidt
Production design: Maher Ahmad
Costume design: Jodie Lynn Tillen
Makeup / hair: Deena Adair
VFX supervisor: Nick Davis
Sound: Randy Thom
Stunt coordinator: Walter Scott
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $50,000,000
Box office: $60,209,334
Return: 120% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Chain Reaction (1996)

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Andrew Davis

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Rocketeer Raccoon2017-03-04
★ 5/10
Considering that this film was directed by Andrew Davis who before this directed the hit film the Fugitive (1993), you would have thought he ought to put a lot of effort to making Chain Reaction to be just as great as the Fugitive. Unfortunately Chain Reaction just comes off as being a very plain mediocre film. When I originally first saw this film I had no clue what it was about but now since seeing it with a better perspective I now know what it's about, I suppose the story in this does work well but this film does have it's problems, I'm not saying this film is bad as it's watchable but it's very plain. The first problem in this film that comes to my mind is the music soundtrack, oh my gosh, talk about the wrong type of music for your film. Having the right music for your film is extremely important and the people that were behind the films musical design got it all completely wrong. In hindsight this is a chase film where the hero is wrongly accused of something he didn't do and is being chased by the police, but the scenes themselves are just "plain" and could have been better. I know I keep using the word plain but when I say this I don't mean it in a bad way, like I said the story does work well. Overall conclusion, it's a mediocre action film that's not bad but it's it's just...well...plain.
CinemaSerf2023-07-22
★ 6/10
I think it was Roger Moore (or maybe Michael Caine) who, when asked about some rotten film he made, said he didn't recall the film but he did the house it paid for. Well, clearly that philosophy was not just limited to the 1970s. Here we have another such film featuring the slightly unkempt Keanu Reeves ("Eddie") who is working with fellow scientist "Lily" (Rachel Weisz) on some revolutionary green technological advances. Next thing, his father is found with a plastic bag over his head, things start exploding and the two are wanted by the FBI for murder, treason - just about every crime in the book. What now ensues is the usual manhunt drama with a truly off-form Brian Cox ("Collier") and a slightly more benign "Shannon" (Morgan Freeman - not playing the President this time) in hot pursuit. The plot is simple, yet the attempts to introduce red herrings - whom can they trust, etc? - merely serve to clutter it all up. Somebody somewhere decided this couldn't just be an action thriller, it had to have some worthier purpose. Well, I am afraid that just fell flat. Keanu is a handsome man, and in many, many of his roles that carries his somewhat limited acting abilities; well not here and Weisz doesn't really turn up either. That said, the production standards are decent, and there is plenty of action to keep the thing moving along but the formula is tired and I was pretty bored after the first fifteen minutes. The film managed to sustain that ennui quite successfully, too.