Trespass

Running time: 102 mins

"Not nearly enough movies begin with treasure maps." -- Roger Ebert Walter Hill's much overlooked film of 1992 is the story of a treasure hunt in East St. Louis. William Sadler and Bill Paxton are the two Arkansas firemen who find a treasure map in the burning apartment of an old man who confesses he stole artifacts years ago from a Greek Orthodox Church. Off to the big city! The gold is easily found in an abandoned building, but an escape route is not. Paxton witnesses a gang's execution, and the two are quickly surrounded by a hail of bullets, explosions and fire, ironically enough. To make things worse, gang leader Ice-T and his partner Ice Cube begin battling over strategy on how to deal with the "intruders," Ice-T being the more civilized. Walter Hill, who directed, is a specialist in the archetypal action movie, his first hit being 48 HRS. This time he creates strong characters with uncomplicated motivations and manipulates the ways they can, and cannot, get out of a situation. Most intriguing in the film, however, are the themes of loyalty and greed, and Hill handles those with the expertise of a mature director. --Mike Rabehl