Critic's Grade: A-

"Blue Steel" falls into that special category of thrillers that begin with a groan and end with a smile. Consider the all-too-revealing material at hand: no sooner has our heroine and recent police academy graduate Megan Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) saved the day at an attempted grocery store robbery, than she's being hunted by the man who nabbed the perpetrator's gun, carved her name into the bullet casings, and now roams the streets of New York on a killing spree. Within the first half hour of the movie, all of this has happened, and if you're life me, you'll be asking yourself one question: "Huh?"

But trust me, it gets better, so much better, in fact, that it ranks as one of the better thrillers of the early 90's. Sure, there are more than enough cases in which the material seems so oblivious to the laws of reality and the law itself, and maybe for some the endless series of cat-and-mouse games just seems to have no conclusion in sight. But so what? I got a kick out of it, and never once was I bored or restless once things began to accelerate at a satisfyingly energetic rate.

Reviewing a film such as this requires a certain secrecy in delivering the details, but then again, how do I talk about everything the movie is good for? All I can say is read at your own risk. After said incident in grocery store, Turner is reprimanded by her superior (Kevin Dunn) for having taken abrupt action, as well as not knowing for sure whether or not the weapon was a gun. She knows it was a gun, but without it as evidence, there's no way to prove it. After her suspension, bodies begin appearing in the streets, said bullet casings close by; she is brought in for questioning, and later inducted as a temporary detective under the supervision of Detective Nick Mann (Clancy Brown) as a means to keep her under close watch and bait the killer.

What even Turner doesn't know at this point is that the person responsible for the murders is something she's become very close with, and that's all I'm going to tell you at this point as far as basic plot is concerned. To go into more detail about the ensuing action and final moments would spoil everything, especially since the filmmakers themselves don't take great pains to hide their story from view.

Much of what goes on in the second half revolves a great deal around the concept of Catch-22: in this case, the law has no clear evidence that suggests who the murderer is, and even though Turner is aware of his identity, there is no way to prove it. It's one of those truly frustrating situations where the bad guy is free to do his bidding, and what makes it even more aggravating for the audience (in a good way, though) is that he knows what he's doing. He's playing with the cops, dangling the prize in front of their faces before yanking it away just as they come close to catching it. This leads to all manner of gun fights, chases on foot in all manner of locations, various surprises and shocks that add to the thrills, and a tidal wave of suspense that just refuses to break.

The film is written by Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red, who know how to write a thriller even if they don't necessary play by all the rules of logic. I'm not exactly sure the New York Police Department makes as many mistakes and blunders as seen in the film, but given that much of what happens is mended into the story to keep it fluid and tight, it's a forgiveable tactic. Bigelow also directs the film, and does so with a undivided attention to the action as well as the dramatic unfoldings; not only are the close-ups of dueling shooters supercharged with excitement, but the various subplots involving secondary characters all work just fine as well.

The cast is remarkable: Curtis turns in a well-rounded performance as Turner, capturing both the fear and the determination in her character while making her someone we can care about and relate to on an emotional level. Dunn and Brown make for acceptably brutish New York law officials, while the actor who plays the killer (he shall remain nameless here) achieves the near impossible: he begins by making his character out to be little more than a psychotic absurdity, and by the end he has become a potent, dangerous foe who generates tension with the mere sight of his grinning face. Few actors can pull this off, but I think you'll agree when you see for yourself that this is a success story.

In his review of "Body of Evidence," James Berardinelli wrote that "thrillers are among the easiest movies to do poorly and the hardest to do well." I have to agree with him there. It takes a film like "Blue Steel," however, to show us that with a well-written script, interesting characters and action, tight direction and applaudable acting, it can be quite easy to to do what such as statement as that portends.

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