Set in 1991, the Pittsburgh Polish Hill strangler takes his fifth female victim, once again using his usual modus operandi of calling the police to taunt them with sounds of the murder and a recording of the song “Little Red Riding Hood.” Homicide Detective Tom Hardy (Bruce Willis) thinks it must be a cop, based on his ability to elude the police. On his way to the Policeman’s Ball with his father Vincent (John Mahoney), a call comes in that a strangler suspect is on the run.

The duo engages in a lengthy, high-speed, fiery, destructive, deadly car chase with dozens of real vehicles (and no one thinks to shoot out the perpetrator’s tires until the last minute), slow-motion and impressive stunts. It ends in tragedy when the killer shoots Vincent and gets away. Tom is stuck with crutches and must simultaneously deal with a career-ruining scandal with his crooked ex-partner, who opts for suicide as opposed to jail time. Two years later, he has a drinking problem, lives on a houseboat, is bitter, disrespectful, insubordinate and mean; he’s also relegated to the River Rescue division. Although his father’s killer was apprehended and sentenced to execution, Tom has always had his doubts. When a new body is discovered in the river – Tom’s ex-girlfriend Cheryl – his suspicions are affirmed. The strangler is back and targeting women close to Tom.

He’s also assigned a new diver, Jo Christman (Sarah Jessica Parker), who he generally disrespects (perhaps more than normal, because she’s a woman). During a not-so-routine boat hijacking intervention, in which Willis displays his typical rule-breaking, one-man-army character development, he’s saved by Jo’s attentiveness. She earns the smallest sliver of gratitude, but the same level of disregard. He’ll eventually have to confide in her to solve the real case of his father’s murderer, who continues to dump bodies into the river so Tom will find them.

Supporting players include Dennis Farina as the police captain, Tom Sizemore as a fellow detective, and Brion James as the antagonistic nemesis cop. Everyone could be a suspect, considering a conspiracy is clearly afoot and allegiances are constantly shifting. Striking Distance was made during Bruce Willis’ successful run of action films (specifically between Die Hard 2 and 3), and he still has some hair and leading man machismo. But dated electric guitars pepper the soundtrack, and cheesy saxophone music interrupts the obligatory sex scene (between characters who barely know each other). And although the basic concept is intriguing and the serial killer’s methods are memorable, the pacing is faulty. A few outstanding action scenes can’t save the ineffective romance, Jo’s unconvincing role, and the boring character development moments that spread the murder-mystery excitement too thin. These kinds of thrillers are of the dime-a-dozen variety, although Willis and Parker aren’t the usual pairing. It’s also sadly missing catchphrases and a unique villain offing – a necessity in generic actioners.

- Mike Massie

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