Linda Hamilton was originally refused the part of the mayor because of her tough image in The Terminator movies. She had to convince the producers she could be more feminine.
Pierce Brosnan is on the peak of his form here as scientist Harry Dalton, a man whose word is his bond, who arrives in a small town to try to persuade the residents they must flee because their friendly neighbourhood volcano is suddenly going to turn bad and erupt. But, in best Jaws style, the forces of law and order, tourism and authority refuse to do what they should. Enter feisty Linda (T2) Hamilton as town mayor, whom Brosnan swings over on to his side. This Nineties disaster movie is extremely well done - compact, pacy, efficient and quite nail-biting in places. It follows all the rules of the genre respectfully, though with a more cavalier attitude to the young and the elderly than you'd get in days of yore. It has its fair share of preposterous moments, too, but these only add to the fun.
