David Arquette's offbeat charm will likely never make him a leading man. That's part of the fun of RPM, a tongue-in-cheek Euro-American car-jacking adventure about an American techno wizard whose sideline is stealing vinta... more »ge autos for fun and... well, mostly just for fun. When New York gets too hot for him he flies off to Europe, heists his way through the coolest vintage autos in the south of France, and then hires himself out to a corporate pirate who desires a tightly guarded experimental car that runs without gas. Famke Janssen slinks her way through the film as Arquette's sexy nemesis, who matches him car for car and races him to the prize, and Emmanuelle Seigner costars as one of Arquette's victims won over by his goofy allure. It's a cute, if silly, little picture that plays like a low-budget James Bond spoof: cool gadgets, sexy women, handsome sports cars, all set in the lovely countryside of southern France. Ian Sharp isn't much of an action director but he captures the breezy spirit of the wisecracking script (cowritten by Pulp Fiction's Roger Avary). Like Arquette, he doesn't take any of it seriously either, and it works for this amusing little lark of an action-comedy. --Sean Axmaker« less
Douglas B. Rapson | Pennsylvania, USA | 07/24/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I came across RPM locally in a bargain bin. I thought "Famke Janssen (of Xmen fame) and fast cars. Its obviously not Gone in 60 Seconds, but probably worth a look." Oh was I wrong.The acting was BAD from the get go, with actor David Arquette faking his way through the opening scene. His supporting actors, from the villain of the piece to the Interpol detective, do not a thing to redeem this lemon.Other distractions include the plot, which has holes big enough to drive a truck through. The sound is atrocious. At times the dubbed lines don't match the actors' lips. More often, the background noise, or pitiful soundtrack, drowns out the dialogue. I was constantly reaching for the remote trying to compensate. I shouldn't have bothered. Again, I wasn't expecting The Fast & the Furious or Gone in 60 Seconds, just a mindless romp with fast cars and some eye candy. I had to work far too hard at this one. Don't waste your time."
A Car Wreck of a Movie
Stephanie R. Martin | Post Falls, ID | 04/05/2004
(1 out of 5 stars)
"There are so many things wrong with this movie that I don't know where to start. I think it was Fox's way of capitalizing on the rush of car movies in the last few years. My biggest problem is the plot. There are holes and side plots that really make no sense. Luke is a lot like Ferris Bueller, he gets in trouble and causes problems. His biggest problem is he's addicted to stealing classic cars, sometimes from right under their owner's noses. When his most recent escapade lands him in trouble with the law he jets off to Europe until it all blows over. In addition to Luke's escapades as a classic car thief, and his rivalry with Claudia, who turns out is his sister, there's a side plot involving a woman from the states trying to arrest Luke, and an Italian detective who'd rather hop into the sack with her than help her solve the case. These two are thrown into the plot at random times, almost as comic relief, but it's not funny, and really has very little to do with the movie. The plot gets even more complicated when you throw in a pretty girl for Luke to fall for, who just so happens to be tied into a ring of car thieves who want the RPM, a revolutionary prototype car. They offer Luke lots of money to steal it, and then up the odds by threatening the pretty girl he's gotten himself attached to. The pretty girl seems almost as an afterthought, they would have done better to offer Luke a way out of his problem in the US, it would have made him just as likely to steal the car. The whole movie is almost like a train wreck. Not only does the plot jump around and take weird side turns when you least expect it, but the dialog is poor, and the characters seem built on stereotypes and have no personalities of their own. Building interesting, complex characters would have been lost on the script though, it too is built on stereotypes and already well used plot devices. The only saving grace of the movie was the nice cars. There are a lot of nice classic cars in the movie, and you can momentarily lose yourself in their grace and looks before you're pulled back to realize that the plot stinks, the premise isn't very interesting, and overall it's just a very bad movie. If you insist on watching it, please consider renting or borrowing it instead of purchasing."
I am mad at myself for wasting the time to watch this...
JJ | United States | 08/20/2003
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I saw this about 5 months ago...and it still irks me that I wasted and hour and a half of my life watching this worse film that ever was produced...it was sooo bad I thought it was a joke and waiting for a punchline somewhere.....who ever rated this more than 1 star....all I can say is.....Gee..I am still speechless!!!..I dont know what to say....I wasted [money amount]on this at [local store]...and pitched it right in the trash after I painfully watched it..."
It's completely absured...and I loved every minute of it!
speedball32 | San Diego, CA United States | 01/25/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"David Arquette does have an offbeat charm that a lot of people find "stupid", but if you've seen his movies and enjoy the way he delivers lines, this movie is for you.The plot comes right out of a Knight Rider or some other cheesy 80s TV show, but it never takes itself seriously. David Arquette is a goofy guy trying to act tough. That in itself is pretty funny, but I get the impression he's doing it for the comedy. This movie is like a low-budget Bond film with Pee Wee Herman in the James Bond role. The stunts were equally silly (like the car running up a tunnel wall had "miniature" written all over it). Sure the plot is a bit cheesy but it's fun enough to keep interested, and David Arquette (and the rest of the cast) is hilarious.Let go of your super-critical mind and just sit back and take it for what it is. I had a blast watching this. It's a guilty pleasure."
Set for cruise control
Douglas B. Rapson | 10/20/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"RPM featuring the beautiful Famke Janssen and the witty David Arquette is a movie that got buried under the hype of other car heist films of the summer. I did not have high expectations for this film because I did not expect the action sequence and intensity of the summer blockbuster GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS. However, I was not disappointed by the performances of Ms. Janssen and Mr. Arquette. Set mostly in France, this film managed to tickle more than a few funny bones. The two main characters in the film are the best at what they do...stealing cars. They are not in it for the money, they are in it for the adrenaline rush and the satisfaction of out-doing each other. Needless to say, they manage to get themselves into many sticky situations( literally for Ms. Janssen's character). You'll have to watch the film to see if they manage to get themselves out of their sticky predicaments. So set your remote control for cruise control and enjoy this movie."