The first half is genuinely lousy, even by the admittedly low standards to which it is aspiring. Its swaggering cartoonishness is more grating than amusing, and the fast-paced nature of the plot doesn’t so much pull you in as it simply runs you over. However, a little more than halfway through the story there is a surprising twist that essentially gives it a new lease on life, as it turns from a one-note shoot-’em-up (although there is still plenty of shooting) into a suspenseful race against time in which more than just national security hangs in the balance. (Hollywood Jewel 16, Waco, TX)