Eddie Murphy excels here with a straight role in a violent police action thriller.

The dialogue's a bit ordinary and the leading lady (Britain's Carmen Ejogo) painfully weak.

However, there are three or four world-class action sequences, including a sensational five-minute pursuit, ultimately involving a runaway San Francisco cable-car - and the plot has a viciously sardonic villain in Michael Wincott.

A pity the film's allowed to drift on for several minutes after the action has come to a close, but that's typical of its stop-go structure.

Really just a canter for Murphy, this, although his hostage negotiator does give Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry a run for his money as Mr Cool when dealing with crazed gunmen.