U.S. Marshals

A sequel to The Fugitive starring Jones' hardass marshal is not a bad idea; but this lazy follow-up is simply a carbon of the original, with a few token changes. This time, it's Snipes, not Harrison Ford, on the run. The wrongfully imprisoned Snipes escapes after a crash involving a plane not a train; and the jaw-dropping stunt is a Tarzan swing from a high rise not a swan dive from a dam. When Jones utters the words, 'We have a fugitive,' we know we're in Die Hard 2 territory. The cosmetic changes, though, alter the balance of the story significantly. We must divide our sympathies between Snipes, set up as a fall guy by his former government employers, and Jones' no nonsense lawman, who always gets his man; but Snipes plays second fiddle to Jones' pursuing hero. Director Baird stages the buttock clenching plane crash with skill, and despite letting the chase drag on too long keeps things moving brisk, if sometimes fitful pace.