Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- explosive
- glossy
- campy
- action movie night
- 1990s nostalgia
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a thin, implausible action thriller weakened by convoluted dialogue and plotting, despite its star-driven spectacle and occasional entertaining villainy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
May Munro hires Ray Quick to target the three men who killed her family years earlier.
Ray Quick is an ex-CIA bomb expert whose expertise drives both the contract killings and the conflict with Ned Trent.
The Leon crime family, Ned Trent's demented methods, and the film's elaborate explosive set pieces create a deliberately heightened crime-world register.
Bomb construction, detonations, and sabotage operations are recurring visual anchors of Ray's work.
Films like The Specialist, and why
Blown Away
Shares an explosive action-thriller premise, an explosives expert protagonist, and a 1990s blockbuster sensibility.
Cobra
Combines revenge, organized crime, urban neo-noir atmosphere, and a charismatic action hero pursued through a conspiracy.
Raw Deal
Features stylized mob violence, revenge motives, heightened performances, and comic-book crime-thriller energy.
Basic Instinct
Shares erotic-thriller tension, glamorous crime-world characters, and a revenge-driven central mystery.
Movie Details
- Director
- Luis Llosa
- Release Date
- 1994-10-07
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 5.9 / 10 (1510)
Cast
- Sylvester Stallone
- Sharon Stone
- James Woods
- Rod Steiger
- Eric Roberts
- Mario Ernesto Sánchez
- Sergio Doré Jr.
- Chase Randolph
- Jeana Bell
- Brittany Paige Bouck
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Specialist about?
- An off-grid ex-CIA demolitions expert becomes entangled with a seductive avenger and a vicious crime family in an explosive Miami vendetta.
- What is The Specialist like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Specialist as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Specialist violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Specialist as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Specialist?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a thin, implausible action thriller weakened by convoluted dialogue and plotting, despite its star-driven spectacle and occasional entertaining villainy.
- Which films are like The Specialist?
- Films with a similar feel include Blown Away, Cobra, Raw Deal, and Basic Instinct.
- How long is The Specialist?
- The Specialist runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Specialist?
- In United States, The Specialist is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
