A fun movie about obsession and acceptance
First of all the concept of two enemies being chained together and having to depend on each other for survival is not an original idea in the movies. However, when it is as well done as this, who cares if it is original. In 'The Chain' Gary Busey is an American police officer who is obsessed with a South American arms dealer played by Victor Rivers. As much as Busey is obsessed with trapping Rivers, Rivers is obsessed with being a thorn in Busey's side. After being thwarted for the umpteenth time by Rivers, Busey's character decides to take a vacation with his wife to South America, no doubt brought on by his forced leave of absense after his last foiled attempt at nabbing Rivers (to say Rivers made a clown out of Busey is furthered by the fact Busey was actually dressed as a clown at the time). The vacation to South America is yet another is his attempt to track Rivers, even though his wife has hoped that this would actually become a vacation and not another embarking upon his obsession. Busey does not let us down as he is after Rivers and Rivers is after him, much to the chagrin of Busey's wife. Their obsession with each other ends up landing both of them in the hands of a local warlord where they end up in a work camp chained together. These two enemies must find a way to work together; not only for their survival, but against a greater enemy with a devious plot. The chain they wear is both physical and allegorical. Beyond the physical it also represents obsession and yet an unknown bind between these two men. They have both dedicated their lives to a cause in which they believed and may find that at the very core of their character, they are not all that different. Busey and Rivers give very good performances that work off of each other ideally. All of the performances are strong and the script allows the story to move along at a natural pace with various insights into both of these characters. 'The Chain' succeeds in a premise that has been done before, but they do it well.-Bob
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