Chain Reaction Details

With a script that's hazy on explanation, this thriller survives thanks to the pell-mell action that papers over the weak links in the convoluted plot. Watching Keanu Reeves play a scientist seeking to make cheap power out of water is a little hard to take. But after he and fellow researcher Rachel Weisz go on the run from mysterious saboteurs after cracking the formula, The Fugitive director Andrew Davis's muddled suspense tale finally takes flight. Don't think, just panic, as Reeves cashes in on his Speed hero persona in a running, jumping slice of breathless escapism.

In the tradition of recent action movies, the narrative is paranoid and impenetrable, and the action is spectacular; but it's a chase movie that leads nowhere interesting.