Search - Quicksilver on DVD

Not the most realistic movie but still a great one

Keithotron | USA | 06/30/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, this movie is kind of unrealistic but so what. And just to re-clear up the bike thing. It wasn't a coaster brake bike like you had on your old banana seat bike when you were a kid. It's a track bike with a fixed gear. Which means the pedals spin as long as the rear wheel spins. And backward pressure slows your speed but does not completely stop it.That why he always jumped off the back and grabed the seat when he wanted to stop quickly. That is also why anyone crazy enough to ride a track bike on the street usually has a front brake installed. Look at the scenes where he is freestyling in his apartment. He is pedaling backward. This can only be done on a fixed gear. No coaster brake. If you look really closely at some of the scenes you will be able to see different bikes. Like when Bacon rides down the stairs, you can see the bike he's on has brakes. Obviously for the stunt. But I really like this movie. I've been a messenger and I always wanted the place I worked to be like that movie. We never went outside and freestyle in the street while the boom box played. And hot girls never gave me their phone number. But we get to see Lawrence Fishburne as Voodoo when was still know as Larry. And that's worth the 13 bucks right there."

The only movie that makes you want to be a NYC bike messenge

Eric H. Chang | New York, NY USA | 07/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie should not be taken too seriously. It is about a Wall Street trader in the 80s who loses it all on one big gamble and chooses to follow his passion: riding bikes. Being a bike messenger in NYC is not lucrative, nor is it very appealing to anyone unless you really like to ride, which Bacon's character does. So the plot, while seemingly unrealistic, is at its most basic level about throwing away the business suit and choosing to do what makes you happy, regardless of the financial costs.

The movie is great if you're a fan of cycling, especially of fixed gear cycling. There are a number of scenes where the riders do some cool tricks, like when they are hanging out in front of the dispatch and when Bacon is in his ridiculously large warehouse loft. If you look closely at the bikes during the impromptu 'trick show' you'll see that they are specially geared bikes (maybe, 20-16 gearing) for doing those kind of tricks. Most of the scenes have Bacon riding a fixed gear bike, but some have him on with a freewheeler. The final chase scene of 'Bike vs Car' is just comical, but so is most of the movie.

I think it's definitely worth watching just for an entertaining throw-back to the 80s and to see Laurence (Larry) Fishburn and Paul Rodriguez in great roles. Highly recommended for cycling fans and anyone who's ever been or considered being a messenger!"

Doesn't Really Go Anywhere

Greg Hughes | 11/20/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this film late last night on cable. I've got a feeling it might have glamorized the life of bicycle messengers a tad. If "Quicksilver" was meant to inspire all the kids out there who want to be couriers, I'm doubtful that it worked.Kevin Bacon stars as a trailblazing stockbroker (Jack Casey) who loses everything. Now he does his trailblazing in another way: he becomes a bicycle courier. His failure on the trading floor dented his confidence, and now cycling around the city, delivering messages, has become his life.Some of the camera angles with the cycling scenes were pretty good. Did Bacon do his own stunts? The movie lacks a few things such as plot and believability, but it's fairly watchable. The best part was towards the end, when Jack was gallantly leading the "bad guy" away from "the girl". The relentless car chase was funny.Some of the filming was done in New York (I think) and also in San Francisco. I assumed the film was set in New York since the main character was a stockbroker. I read that the film was shot in three different cities but I don't know what the third was. Like some of the bicycle riders, the film stumbles. Overall the film was pretty lightweight, but it isn't as bad as "The Air Up There"."

Stockbroker to courier

Joaquin P. Cunanan | San Francisco, CA | 09/27/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The movie is set in an unnamed city, but I live in San Francisco, and it is obvious that the movie was shot here, even though the filmmakers tried to avoid shooting landmarks. The Pacific Exchange is located downtown and that is probably where Bacon's character works. However, the exchange's equities floor went fully electronic in 3/2002 and there is no longer a trading floor full of traders yelling at each other. The options floor is still open.I would recommend this film to fans of bicycle movies and maybe Kevin Bacon movies. I'm a fan of cycling movies, so I own a copy and have seen it several times. I work in an office job and used to be a pretty hardcore cyclist. I used to fantasize being a SF messenger. However, I also knew that my lifestyle required more than [their salary].The cycling scenes are fun but there are some continuity problems. In closeups, Kevin Bacon's bicycle lacks brakes and gears, which is consistent with the fashion among many messengers to ride fixed gear/track bikes on the street. However, in many of the stunt shots, when he is racing down the hills, the stuntman cyclist is clearly on a freewheel-equipped bike and probably has brakes. There are also several scenes shot in Kevin's massive loft apartment. It might have been possible for a messenger to have his own large loft apartment in the 80's, where he can play with his ballerina girlfriend. However, that apartment probably costs [a lot more] today!"