Murder At 1600 MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 1/2 Content: -2

Harlan Regis (Wesley Snipes) is a Washington, D.C., homicide detective who thinks he's seen it all. But when he investigates the murder of a beautiful woman at the White House, Regis discovers there's a lot he hasn't even thought of yet. Aided, reluctantly at first, by Secret Service agent Nina Chance (Diane Lane), he finds a situation far more complex, corrupt and dangerous than he could have imagined, as both the President and his son become suspects. Taking advantage of Chance's growing discontent with her agency's corruption, Regis is finally able to pierce the veil of secrecy and intrigue which conceals the real killer. As they attempt to dispel some malicious, trumped-up accusations, Regis and Chance must race to save their own lives as well as those of innocent parties. Murder At 1600 will keep you guessing until the very end, but lacks the continuous fast-paced action of previous Snipes films. The intended adult audience will enjoy this new and subdued version of Snipes if they come more for a mystery than a body count.

Regis is a respectable man who lacks the vulgar mouth and most other moral deficiencies typical of action film heroes. He drinks fruit juice instead of whiskey and surprisingly does not attempt to seduce Chance, sparing the audience from the typical lusty interludes. But the movie still contains considerable language and violence. Many crude and obscene words are spoken, along with several regular profanities. Graphic sex with breast nudity appears in the first scene as an unidentified man and the soon-to-be murder victim have sex in the Oval Office. Regis does smoke cigars like a chimney and never hesitates to jump into a fight. He punishes several of his enemies by punching their crotches and snapping their necks. Other victims are kicked, thrown, hit with the butt of a rifle and shot in the forehead. The murder victim isn't the only thing which suffers in Murder At 1600. The film itself is badly scarred by foul language and some gratuitous sex and violence.

Preview Reviewer: Jason Shepherd
Distributor: Warner Brothers, 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91522