Synopsis
Experienced Green Beret sergeant Johnny Gallagher is escorting a prisoner, Airborne Ranger Thomas Boyette, back to the US, but Boyette escapes and Gallagher must risk life and limb to catch him.
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Cast
- Gene HackmanSgt. Johnny Gallagher
- Joanna CassidyEileen Gallagher
- Tommy Lee JonesThomas Boyette
- John HeardCol. Glen Whitacre
- Dennis FranzLt. Milan Delich
- Pam GrierRuth Butler
- Ron DeanKarl Richards
- Nathan DavisSoviet Press Secretary
- Chelcie RossGen. Hopkins
- Joe GrecoGen. Carlson
Recommendations
- 100
Variety
Smartly written, sharply played and directed at a cracking pace that never sacrifices clarity for speed, The Package is an enormously satisfying political thriller. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
The whole movie, in fact, is smarter than most contemporary thrillers. It gives us credit for being able to figure things out, and it contains characters who are devilishly intelligent. Almost smart enough, we think for a while, to really pull this thing off. - 75
The Associated Press
The Package manages a degree of believability, thanks in large part to Hackman's customary professionalism. Probably no other star could convey such credibility. [24 Aug 1989] - 70
Washington Post
Hackman isn't giving a "Mississippi Burning"-caliber performance here, but it is a well-crafted one. Jones has the actor's advantage in the villain's role of a cynical soldier who comes to like but not respect the sergeant. The supporting players skulk and menace effectively, and Cassidy adds an earthy oomph to her tag-along's role. Of course there are also the customary chases, crashes and gruesome murders. In other words, it's the best in mindless entertainment. - 70
Time Out
The plot is reasonably entertaining, and Davis handles the action sequences well, but where the film transcends a lingering sense of déjà vu is in its intelligent performances: Hackman and Cassidy make a strong, unsentimental couple, hints of romance and reconciliation lurking beneath their businesslike exchanges. - 63
Boston Globe
Staggeringly preposterous, yet not without a certain entertainment value. Except for the glasnost angle, there's nothing original about The Package, yet there's something amusing in its reminder of how the political assassination genre has come full circle since "The Manchurian Candidate." - 60
Empire
Reasonably gripping. - 50
TV Guide Magazine
For all its action, suspense, and intricate plotting, THE PACKAGE comes across as a mostly leaden entry in the political-paranoia thriller category.
