Volcano - 1997

I ... sort of like this movie. It's not great, but has its good points, and doesn't waste too much time on talking and denying and explaining, soon enough things start to get serious.  It's boring when sometimes it takes too long before they get to the catastrophe...  I mean, that's the point of the whole thing, so just get to it, please! The story is that of a vulcano suddently erupting in the middle of Los Angeles... yep, that's it. At first we have a few scenes to introduce us to the characters, of course, mainly with our hero Mike Roark (Tommy Lee Jones), separated but having with him his daughter right now of all the times in the world she could come: Kelly (Gaby Hoffman). Earthquakes start happening, people start to die, so Mike wants to consult geologist Amy Barnes (Anne Heche) who warns him of the terrible danger they may be facing. All of the sudden that danger comes right up to them, and kelly injures her leg, so he leaves her with doctor Jaje Calder (Jacqueline Kim) while he deals with the situation, which is his responsibility!! Lava is coming in the street, shops burn, cars melt, it's a real mess, but Mike has a plan, working it with Amy's help. Strange thing is, sometimes it seems that lava is coming out, and on, very quickly, but at the same time it's slow enough to enable them to talk, shout, drive, built, organize a lot of things! Same strange thing happens with the fire: I mean, on one hand it's supposed to be incredibly hot, right, but on the other hand they're right in front of it, so so close, all of them, and don't seem to bother. I mean, they only bother in specific scenes when it's supposed to matter because you must feel afraid for our hero, but then: nothing, as if it was innocent foam..
It's not the greatest movie in the world, of course, but considering its time it's not that bad... sure, some things don't make sense, but the point is: there's  hero Tommy Lee Jones all the time !!! Okay, this is the main reason why I like it, I admit it. I've always had a weakness for Tommy Lee Jones, who knows why, and here he was around 50, 51, and he... well... I don't know how to explain it but I've always liked him a lot, he has just that tough look, strongly rough but also kind, about him... he's always grumpy, so when he smiles it feels like a precious thing.
Of course he's a great actor, which I guess probably has a great deal to do with his charm. He's really great, and when he said " I... I... I don't ... I don't know what to do " was really touching because he was this strong character, always making decisions and sorting things out... also when he said to Amy "find my daughter"  he was so touching, because the character was showing his heart, right there and then. He could not go, he had responsibilities, a work to do, but he was very afraid for her safety.
I like the line the little kid says at the end, in Lt. Ed Fox's arms (Keith David): looking around him in search for his mother, he said "look at their faces, they all look the same" because of course they are all covered in dust, lots and lots of it. No more black or white, they all look the same. At the end Mike leaves Emmit Reese in charge (Don Cheadle) and takes a vacation to stay with his daughter.
This was such an american film, showing how all americans are hero... which is a good thing, actually, although unrealistic. Unfortunately the world is not so full of people ready to risk everything including their life to save a stranger.
There is also John Corbett in the role of Calder, the doctor's husband, who I suppose had a role in the film other that being a asshole, but I can't remember what it was.
I remember very well though when Mike Roark smiled and when he took Kelly up into his arms....