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Ricochet

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Ricochet

R

1991

1h 43m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

20 Reviews

52%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After tracking down and arresting Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow), a psychotic hit man, rookie Los Angeles police officer Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) is hailed as a hero. Several years later, Styles' life appears perfect: He has married his girlfriend, started a family and risen to the position of assistant district attorney. However, his world is turned upside down when Blake escapes from prison with plans to exact brutal and well-calculated revenge.

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

"Ricochet" is genuinely scary, suspenseful and disturbing in the best sense.

Jul 25, 2018

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

A taut, twisty urban suspenser powered by the spring-loaded performance of Denzel Washington in his first major action role, Ricochet has a nasty streak and a tendency toward implausible excess.

Jan 6, 2010

Full Review

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Dynamite action. This is a good bet for a night with the lads. And weedy girlies can at least wake up every ten minutes when Denz takes his top off.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 6, 2010

Full Review

Sharai Bohannon

A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast

This is campy chaos that veers into some interesting conversations. Denzel Washington and John Lithgow are delightfully over the top.

Rated: 4/5

May 23, 2025

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

As more of a nasty psychological thriller, it could conceivably be an arthouse release for Silver Pictures. In the absence of big setpieces, it evolves into an unexpectedly incisive satire on America's cycles of triumph & teardowns for famous faces.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 28, 2021

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

An absurd urban thriller, with no street cred.

Rated: C-

Jun 19, 2017

Full Review

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Farah R

Although several plot elements were ridiculously far-fetched, Ricochet is undeniably fun. Denzel Washington plays a captivating action hero whose charm and intelligence drive audiences to root for his win over John Lithgow’s psychotic villain. It’s a suspenseful revenge story with a dramatic flare for extra fun.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/27/25

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david g

It’s absolutely ridiculous but a lot of fun. Lithgow seems to be channeling The Joker and Pollack even manages to include a Captain Kirk impersonation.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/03/25

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Michael W

This revenge movie was great. Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Kevin Pollak, Ice-T, Victoria Dillard, and the rest of the cast did a great job in this movie. The plot of the movie was dramatic, thrilling, and insane. It's about a criminal that wants to destroy the man who put him away. If you haven't seen this movie yet, check it out sometime. It's worth watching. Don't listen to the bad reviews this movie has gotten, those people have terrible tastes in movies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/18/24

Full Review

Fabrícia F

Apesar de apresentar um roteiro ousado quando foca na vingança de um bandido contra o policial que o prendeu, a história se torna macabra no final quando o protagonista Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) não consegue provar a tempo sua inocência sem antes promover um banho de sangue e mortes. Preferia que ele tivesse feito como da primeira vez para que o bandido retornasse a prisão novamente desmoralizado.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/21/24

Full Review

Mark B

This one did not age well. This movie is stupid. Script is so bad the premise dumb. The acting ooooofff.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/12/24

Full Review

KB B

I saw this a couple decades ago and realize why I never watched it again. It was ok but had many things that made no sense. Finally the ending was really campy. I wouldn't bother with this one.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/22/24

Full Review

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Russell Mulcahy

Director

Denzel Washington

Nick Styles

John Lithgow

Earl Talbot Blake

Ice-T

Odessa

Kevin Pollak

Larry Doyle

Lindsay Wagner

DA Priscilla Brimleigh

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Synopsis

After tracking down and arresting Earl Talbot Blake (John Lithgow), a psychotic hit man, rookie Los Angeles police officer Nick Styles (Denzel Washington) is hailed as a hero. Several years later, Styles' life appears perfect: He has married his girlfriend, started a family and risen to the position of assistant district attorney. However, his world is turned upside down when Blake escapes from prison with plans to exact brutal and well-calculated revenge.

Director: Russell Mulcahy
Producer: Joel Silver, Michael Levy
Production Co: Silver Pictures, Home Box Office (HBO)
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.6M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround