- Title: USA: KEANU REEVES TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW FILM 'CHAIN REACTION'
- Date: 8th August 1995
- Summary: PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) ANDREW DAVIS SAYS THE FILM HAS AN EDGE, A QUALITY THAT IT WOULDN'T HAVE HAD IF THERE WERE FLOWERS ON THE TREES AND IT WAS HOT OUT. THE COLD IS A CHARACTER IN THE MOVIE AND THE WEATHER IS TOO. THE JEOPARDY AND THE STRUGGLE OF OUR MAIN CHARACTERS ON THE RUN WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT IF THEY HAD BEEN RUNNING OUT IN T-SHIRTS AND SHORTS (ENGLISH)
- Embargoed: 23rd August 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA7LCZIKNDDMZ7H1VK5WC2TL92V
- Story Text: "Speed" star Keanu Reeves is back in another action thriller, "Chain Reaction," directed by Andrew Davis, of "The Fugitive" fame.
Reeves plays Eddie Kasalivich, a promising member of a scientific team that has discovered an efficient way to derive a clean, limitless source of energy from the hydrogen atom.
Led by Eddie's mentor Paul Shannon, played by Oscar nominee Morgan Freeman, the team finds their celebration cut short when the new technology runs out of control and explodes, killing an eminent scientist in charge of the project.
Suddenly, Eddie and his colleague Lily Sinclair, played by newcomer Rachel Weisz, find themselves accused of setting off the blast, killing the scientist, and trying to sell the discovery to foreign agents.
The two go on the run through winter-time Chicago and the upper mid-west of the United States, chased by agents from the FBI, the CIA, and the Chicago police.
Reeves threw himself into more action stunts after the success of his antics in the box-office hit "Speed".
Thrills included scaling the famed Michigan Avenue drawbridge over the Chicago river, piloting a fan-driven rescue draft over a frozen lake in Wisconsin, and riding out a huge explosion on a motorcycle.
But the biggest challenge for the cast and crew was filming in the dead of winter in Chicago, a city known for its harsh winds and frigid temperatures. The cold also took its toll on the film-maker's equipment, with even cellular phones and cameras freezing.
Luckily, the crew had the expertise of Andrew Davis to guide them. A Chicago native, Davis has a lot of experience shooting films in the area, the most famous example being the Harrison Ford hit "The Fugitive".
This film covers similar territory, with an unlikely hero being pursued by a dogged FBI agent, played by actor Fred Ward,for a crime he didn't commit.
Rachel Weisz most recently appeared in the Bernardo Bertolucci drama "Stealing Beauty". This is her first big budget American film.
Freeman's credits include "Seven", "Outbreak", and "Unforgiven". He was nominated for Oscars for his performances in the films "Street Smart", "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Shawshank Redemption" Chain reaction premiered in Hollywood in late July and will be released in Europe in September. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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