Lately it seems that good reviews doom a film at the box office. Analysts have stated that the masterfully made The Iron Giant was actually jinxed because of glowing notices. In following this trend, it is best to write a rave review for the new action yarn Chill Factor. The film borrows liberally from several movies like The Wages of Fear and Speed but is thankfully not cursed with any of the nail-biting tension of its predecessors.

In Chill Factor, an arrogant mad scientist named Dr. Richard Long (David Paymer from Mighty Joe Young) has designed an explosive that detonates when its temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This is certainly a clever nod to the 50 miles-per-hour speed limit in Speed. The explosive is named after the King of rock ‘n’ roll, so that we can hear lots of jokes about Elvis being dead or leaving the building. It accidentally kills 18 soldiers during a test. As a result, their commander, Major Andrew Brynner (British actor Peter Firth, Amistad), rots in Leavenworth while Dr. Long is sentenced to merely brood and fly fish in Montana. The scientist’s days of gloomy contemplation end when Brynner returns, kills him and tries to steal Elvis.

Brynner assumes that governments hostile to the United States will pay handsomely for the technology (and for the cool code name). Little does he know that the King is in the hands of Tim Mason (Scream’s Skeet Ulrich), a night clerk at a diner, and Arlo (Cuba Gooding Jr.), an ice cream truck driver. Before one can say, “how convenient,” the lads try to return it to the military. Brynner and his cohorts have training, machine guns and really menacing theme music. Mason and Arlo have bulging pecs and plentiful wisecracks.

Thanks to Hollywood logic, viewers won’t stress themselves trying to figure out the conclusion of this conflict. In fact, one could credit novice feature director Hugh Johnson with creating one of the most relaxed thrillers in recent memory, despite the noise, the brisk pace and the copious explosions. Its obvious plotting prevents tension from ever entering the theater. In addition, the prominent use of stunt doubles (particularly during a fight on top of truck) prevents viewers from ever worrying about an actor’s safety. Johnson must have run a stress-free set because Oscar nominee Paymer and Oscar winner Gooding never have to strain themselves by using their talent.

There is also a quality to Chill Factor that borders on poetic. Some of the computer-generated images used for the opening bombing represent action much the way Picasso’s paintings represented reality. In addition, the dialogue credited to Drew Gitlin and Mike Cheda demonstrates all of the craftsmanship that one associates with dubbed karate movies. (“Power without caution is death,” Dr. Long warns.)

The makers of Chill Factor have accomplished a unique feat. Although they are dealing with topics like covert military operations, they have not burdened their audience with anything insightful or entertaining. Critics may fail to see the value of such a film, but the opening week box office could certainly benefit from their disgust. (R)

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